MemoMind One by Xgimi review: Smart glasses without cameras
MemoMind One: Privacy-first smart glasses featuring no integrated cameras. Picture: Xgimi
The MemoMind One by Xgimi is a pair of smart glasses without cameras. While some smart glasses on the market rely on integrated lenses to capture the world around them, MemoMind focus entirely on a heads-up display (HUD) embedded into the glasses. Privacy concerns regarding wearable cameras are massive right now, and much of the negative press surrounding smart eyewear stems from the awkwardness of being recorded without consent. I can see both sides of that debate, and it reminds me of the initial outcry regarding camera drones. At one point, people were terrified that flying spies would be everywhere, yet those fears have largely faded into the background as the technology became part of the landscape. By removing the camera, Xgimi has removed the social friction, making these much easier to wear in a crowd.
Physically, the MemoMind One feels remarkably light, weighing around 46 grams, which helps prevent the heavy, front-loaded feeling you get with many other smart wearables. I received the Archive style, which features a round frame. This was my preference anyway, as it looks much more like traditional high-end eyewear than something you would find in a sci-fi movie.
I also opted for prescription lenses through their partnership with Zeiss. While the lenses were excellent at correcting my distance vision, I found they did not work for my near vision. This meant I could not use them for reading a book or a screen, but they performed brilliantly when I was out and about walking, cycling, or even driving.
The package is well-presented in a sturdy, rectangular case that keeps everything secure. Inside, you get a standard USB-C to USB-C charging cable and a proprietary charging adapter that clips directly onto the right frame arm.
One slight concern is durability since the glasses don’t have an official waterproof rating. The specs say splash-proof, but I’d be careful not to wear them in a heavy downpour, and dropping them into a pool would be a disaster.
Xgimi has all the expertise in projectors, so it’s not surprising they nailed the display tech. You get dual Micro-LED monochrome green displays that can reach up to 2,000 nits of brightness. This is high enough that the text remains incredibly clear even in direct sunlight. Unlike some displays that can be difficult to read in certain lighting, the clarity here is excellent.
The HUD is split into two distinct sections: a status area and a component area. The status area gives you the essentials, such as battery life, date, time, and weather. The component area is much more versatile, allowing you to cycle through notifications, stocks, music lyrics, a to-do list, or your calendar.
Switching between these views is simple. You just tap the button on the glasses to toggle through the four views you have set. In the app, you can change date formats, time formats (12 or 24-hour), and even switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit. One of my favourite features is the ability to adjust the display's height and depth. I prefer the information to appear slightly higher and farther from my face. This way, when a notification pops up, it appears just above the eye line of the person I am talking to. It allows me to glance up and read the message quickly without obscuring my view of their face or the world in front of me.
Beyond the display, the AI capabilities are decent, and they have improved over the last few months since I started using them. The AI Recorder is a handy feature for anyone who attends many meetings. You can simply double-press the button to record, and the system generates a structured summary in your app shortly after. It even allows you to ask questions about the recording later.
There’s also an AI Translator that supports over 26 languages. It has two modes, including a passive Listen-in mode for following a conversation and a Dialogue mode for back-and-forth communication. I did a little testing with my friend who speaks German, but the results were mixed. In a situation where I think you’d use this feature, you need speed and accuracy; otherwise, you’ll find the person you’re conversing with would rather speak to you in English. If the glasses could present the translation in real time with near 100% accuracy, that would be amazing, but we’re not there yet. Based on the number of firmware releases since I started testing the glasses, I’m sure this will improve.
For those who need to keep track of ideas, the Idea Notes feature lets you capture fleeting thoughts, which the AI then organises into themes. This is simply done with a click of the button on the glasses and is a great way to quickly capture your ideas.
While many features, such as the map, calendar, and teleprompter, are free to use, Xgimi offers a Memo AI+ subscription for €19.99 per month. This adds more advanced features like Moments, which creates an illustrated daily journal of your day, and Up Next, which surfaces tasks and wishes from your conversations. I am generally not a fan of monthly subscriptions, and Memo AI+ is far from essential. Reviewing these Moments was a strange experience. At times, the summaries felt as unstructured as a child's rambling, and there was something slightly unsettling about how much personal detail the feature could recall. To make matters worse, I noticed the AI would occasionally hallucinate details that never actually happened. However, you can select from a list of subjects you don’t want the AI to track, such as financial information and private details.
In practice, I found the map navigation features to be useful. When walking or cycling through streets I am not familiar with, having turn-by-turn directions appearing in my line of sight is much safer and more convenient than constantly glancing down at a phone. However, it is worth noting that navigation does not work while driving, likely for safety reasons, and you have to launch the maps from within the MemoMind app.
The AI Teleprompter uses your voice to scroll through the script at your natural reading pace. While I do not have a personal need for a teleprompter in my daily life, I can see a massive benefit for presenters or content creators. It allows you to stay focused on your audience and maintain eye contact rather than looking down at a screen or notes.
The audio is also worth mentioning. The speakers are built into the titanium temples and tuned by Harman AudioEFX. They offer an open-ear design that keeps you aware of your surroundings while still providing rich, spatial sound.
There’s even a quiet mode to reduce noise leakage for use in libraries or offices, although in a truly silent space, the reduction isn't enough to keep your conversation private.
One niggle with the sound is the lack of a way to adjust the volume on the glasses themselves. You can customise the quick launch feature and use head gestures to control volume, but this isn’t as slick or convenient as a sliding touch gesture would be on the frame.
The technology inside the MemoMind One is impressive, and Xgimi has executed the hardware side well. The build quality is excellent, and the display's brightness and clarity are class-leading. However, I do not think these are for most people, just yet. They are primarily for early adopters who want to experiment with the future of augmented reality. If you can get past that and the need for a potential subscription for the most advanced features, they represent a very exciting step forward for wearable tech.
From $399 (€341) MemoMind
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
