Qianwen AI Glasses are here, starting at 1997 yuan

On March 2nd, China Securities Journal reported that Alibaba Group has completed the unification of its core AI brands internally. After the adjustment, Alibaba AI’s overall name and core brand have been confirmed as “Qianwen.” The Qianwen large model (Qwen) includes foundational large models and specialized domain models, while the Qianwen app is Alibaba’s flagship AI application for consumers.

Alibaba stated that this move aims to prevent confusion caused by multiple similar names such as Qianwen, Tongyi Qianwen, and Qwen.

On the same day, Alibaba launched its first AI hardware product—the “Qianwen AI Glasses”—and opened online and offline (300959) channels for “0 yuan reservation.” The G1 series is officially priced at 2,899 yuan, with additional national subsidies and coupons, bringing the effective price down to as low as 1,997 yuan. Qianwen announced that the product will be available in the Chinese market on March 8th and will be launched globally within the year.

Brand Integration to Address AI Entry Point Competition

By the Spring Festival of 2026, leading internet companies intensified their competition for AI entry points to build a more competitive ecosystem.

As Alibaba’s core AI technology, the Qianwen large model has become the “face” of Alibaba AI after integration, helping to present a more unified brand image of Alibaba Group to the market. Meanwhile, the organization name of Alibaba’s AI research institute, “Tongyi Laboratory,” will be retained, continuing its role in core AI research and innovation.

Data shows that during the 2026 Spring Festival, users placed nearly 200 million “one-sentence orders” on the Qianwen app. QuestMobile data indicates that Qianwen’s daily active users (DAU) reached 73.52 million during the festival.

Focus on Intelligent Hardware

The initial launch of Qianwen AI Glasses features two series: S1 and G1, equipped with the latest generation of the Qianwen large model, supporting high-precision multimodal understanding and real-time interaction. Qianwen stated that the products cover core life and office scenarios such as high-definition photography, AI translation, meeting notes, and image recognition.

Qianwen AI Glasses will fully integrate with the Qianwen app, gradually adding functions like food delivery, hotel booking, and ride-hailing, with the first batch expected to be available for user experience by the end of March.

In terms of hardware specifications, the G1 series features dual flagship chips with dual systems, five microphone arrays with bone conduction, high-performance speakers with large diaphragms, and a lightweight design weighing about 40 grams, providing an experience close to regular optical glasses.

The G1 series is officially priced at 2,899 yuan. In provinces with national subsidies, eligible users can combine local government subsidies, merchant discounts, and exclusive coupons from the Qianwen app, reducing the effective price to 1,997 yuan.

Sources inside Alibaba revealed that besides AI glasses, Qianwen will also release products like AI rings and AI earphones throughout the year, targeting the global market.

Industry experts believe that an integrated “software and hardware” approach in the AI era is more conducive to creating a “data flywheel” and establishing ecological barriers. Relying solely on software may limit AI experience due to device performance and system permissions. With hardware capabilities, models can be deployed faster on edge devices, respond more effectively, and enable collaborative optimization of chips, algorithms, and systems.