
Kwai’s new camera sunglasses look like Snap Spectacles
And they’re not very popular… like Snap Spectacles
Which only makes it all the weirder that it two years later, short video app Kuaishou (known as Kwai overseas) launched a pair of camera glasses… and they look suspiciously like the Snap Spectacles.
Same as the Spectacles, the Kwai glasses let users take photos and videos by tapping on the frame. And just as you can only sync your Spectacles with Snapchat, the Kwai glasses only export content to the Kwai app.

Both also have their cameras on the same side of the frame, with indicator lights on the opposite side. But there are a few differences.
In China, Kwai is one of the most popular apps for short video sharing and live streaming, which is why their glasses support live streaming -- but only at the low, low resolution of 360p. And unlike Spectacles, which only let you shoot a circular format, users can shoot in portrait mode with the Kwai glasses.
China’s Kwai video app tops the charts in Russia and beyond
Reaction has so far been lukewarm at best. On Weibo, apart from pointing out its similarity to the Spectacles, a lot of users are expressing concern about being filmed without knowing.
“What if I find myself on Kuaishou after seeing someone wearing sunglasses stare at me?” one Weibo user says.
The glasses are now on sale on Dashi’s store on Alibaba’s Tmall for 666 yuan (US$101), and come in 5 colors.
(Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba.)
Why are Chinese internet users so hooked on short video apps?
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For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
