The Future of Wearable Technology and Smartphones: How AI is Shaping Our Devices

Wearable gadgets like smartwatches and smart glasses are rapidly evolving, promising new capabilities each year. However, despite their growth, smartphones are predicted to remain essential for the foreseeable future—especially due to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, innovations in wearables were showcased, but it’s clear that AI’s influence on smartphones will continue to make them indispensable. In this article, we explore the current state of wearable tech, its challenges, and why smartphones will still dominate the market in the coming years.

Wearables: The Growing Market for Smart Glasses

At the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, wearable technology, including smart glasses, was a highlight. Prototypes and new products demonstrated significant advances in wearable gadgets, but experts suggest that smartphones, especially with AI, will remain the core device for most users. According to Cesar Corcoles, an IT and telecoms professor at the Open University of Catalonia, the diversity of new products shows that manufacturers are looking for ways to diversify away from phones, but they won’t replace them anytime soon.

One of the standout developments is in smart glasses. These gadgets have been in the works for over a decade, starting with Google Glass, which debuted in 2013 and was discontinued. However, recent developments, like the smart glasses from Meta in collaboration with Ray-Ban, show more promise. These glasses include built-in cameras, music playback, and voice interaction with AI, and have gained traction in the market.

In fact, research by Counterpoint shows that the market for smart glasses has seen a massive 210% growth year-on-year in 2024, a growth rate much faster than the 7% increase in smartphone shipments. However, when we look at the raw numbers, the market for smart glasses is still tiny—only about two million units were sold last year compared to 1.2 billion smartphones. Despite the growth, smart glasses have yet to surpass smartphones in terms of sales, and their potential is still emerging.

The Struggles of Other Wearable Technologies

Other wearable technologies, such as the AI-powered “AI Pin,” which aimed to replace smartphones with a device worn like a brooch, have not been as successful. Designed for voice-controlled AI interactions, the AI Pin received poor reviews and was recently sold to HP after failing to make an impact in the market. This failure highlights one of the key challenges with wearables: voice-controlled devices are still seen as gimmicks, and consumers are accustomed to text-based interactions on screens.

Shen Ye from HTC’s Vive wearables division notes that changing consumer behavior is one of the biggest hurdles. People have grown used to touchscreens and physical keyboards, which are hard to replace, no matter how innovative the technology. As a result, manufacturers are struggling to convince consumers to adopt new wearable technologies.

Why Smartphones Will Still Be King

Despite the growing interest in wearables, smartphones are unlikely to be replaced anytime soon. There are several reasons for this. First, wearables are still facing significant engineering challenges. The need to shrink smartphone functionality into smaller, more portable devices has limitations when it comes to computing power and battery performance. As a result, wearables like smartwatches are often designed as accessories that require connection to a smartphone rather than as standalone devices.

Moreover, manufacturers are incentivized to sell a wider range of gadgets. Replacing smartphones entirely with wearables would reduce the demand for smartphones, so companies focus on developing accessories like smartwatches that enhance the smartphone experience.

Another key reason why smartphones are here to stay is AI. The latest models from companies like Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi are incorporating AI features that make smartphones even more powerful and indispensable. Canalys predicts that by 2028, more than half of all smartphones sold worldwide will include AI-powered features, up from 16% today. As smartphones continue to integrate AI, they will become more useful and versatile, further solidifying their place as the central device in our digital lives.

What Undercode Says:

The rapid advancements in wearable technology, especially smart glasses, indicate a growing interest in moving beyond traditional smartphones. However, there is a strong counter-narrative suggesting that the transition to wearables replacing smartphones is still a long way off. For instance, while smart glasses have shown significant growth, the market share remains minuscule compared to smartphones, and the technological limitations of wearables still hold them back.

AI is clearly the driving force behind the next generation of smartphones. Rather than replacing smartphones, AI will enhance them, adding more functionalities to an already indispensable device. The leap in smart glasses and other wearables shows promise, but they face the challenge of consumer habits and the current technological limitations in terms of battery life, computing power, and ease of use.

Moreover, the failure of the AI Pin by Humane highlights another crucial point: wearables can be seen as novelty items, with their adoption dependent on user willingness to change long-established behaviors. While AI is pushing innovation in wearables, it’s likely that the future of wearables will be as companions to smartphones, not replacements.

In essence, the smartphone’s role in our daily lives is secure, with wearables serving as a secondary device that complements rather than replaces it. As AI becomes more integrated into smartphones, the device will continue to be central to personal technology for years to come.

Fact Checker Results:

The rapid growth of smart glasses sales is accurate, with a 210% increase reported in 2024 by Counterpoint.
The comparison between wearables and smartphones is also valid; wearables like smart glasses are far behind in unit sales, with only two million sold last year compared to 1.2 billion smartphones.
Predictions about AI’s role in future smartphones, especially regarding Canalys’ forecast for 2028, align with the trend of increasing AI integration into smartphones.

References:

Reported By: https://www.channelstv.com/2025/03/03/wearable-tech-has-far-to-go-before-challenging-smartphones/
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