Updated
Updated · Hackaday · Aug 9
iFixit Finds Rokid Smart Glasses Repairable With 32GB Storage as EU Exempts Many Wearables
Updated
Updated · Hackaday · Aug 9

iFixit Finds Rokid Smart Glasses Repairable With 32GB Storage as EU Exempts Many Wearables

1 articles · Updated · Hackaday · Aug 9

Summary

  • iFixit’s teardown found Rokid smart glasses unusually easy to open, with light adhesive, accessible internals and a service-friendly battery layout.
  • Both Chinese smart-glasses models tested pair an external clip-on battery with an internal one and use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chip plus 32GB of eMMC storage.
  • The contrast was sharp: the Quark model needed destructive heat and prying—more like Meta and Ray-Ban glasses—while Rokid’s design made battery and module servicing far simpler.
  • The findings undercut claims that compact, waterproof wearables cannot be repairable and revive criticism of the EU’s recent decision to exempt many wearables from user-replaceable battery rules.

Insights

If smart glasses can be easily repaired, why are major tech brands still gluing their batteries shut?
Will a controversial policy exemption doom our expensive wearables to become toxic e-waste?