HTC launched its Vive Eagle AI glasses in Taiwan on August 14, 2025 with presales opening the same day and general availability set for September 1, 2025 at NT$15,600 (US$486).

HTC, a Taiwan-based smartphone maker, offers the AI glasses in four colors—Berry, Coffee, Grey, and Black—with the Black version reportedly in highest demand, according to distributor Taiwan Mobile.

The company did not release sales figures but said preorders were strong.

The glasses feature a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, built-in AI computing, music playback, voice assistance, and support for multiple languages, including traditional Chinese, English, and Japanese.

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🔗 Source: Focus Taiwan

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ HTC’s stock surge far exceeds typical product launch reactions

The 65% stock price jump following the Vive Eagle announcement represents an unusually strong market response compared to historical patterns1.

Research on technology sector product announcements shows companies typically see average stock increases of just 3.5% following positive product news2.

HTC’s dramatic reaction becomes more significant when considering the company’s troubled recent history. After revenue peaked at NT$455.1 billion in 2011, when it briefly surpassed Nokia in market capitalization at US$38.8 billion, the company experienced a 50% stock decline and 70% drop in quarterly net income by 20123.

The company’s struggles continued through Google’s US$1.1 billion acquisition of its smartphone division in 2017, when HTC was described as being “sandwiched between Apple and Samsung” in the competitive smartphone market4.

This context makes the current stock surge particularly notable, suggesting investors view the smart glasses market as a genuine opportunity for HTC to regain relevance in consumer electronics.

2️⃣ Premium pricing strategy targets underserved market segment

HTC positioned the Vive Eagle at NT$15,600 ($509-520), significantly higher than Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, indicating a deliberate premium market strategy1.

This approach targets an emerging but rapidly growing market. Industry projections show the smart glasses market growing at nearly 50% annually through 2029, with shipments expected to rise from 2.7 million units in 2024 to 18.7 million by 202956.

HTC’s premium positioning with features like 13-language support, local data storage, and Taiwan-specific design optimization suggests the company is betting on differentiation rather than price competition.

The Taiwan Mobile partnership offering the glasses “free” with NT$1,399+ monthly plans, where 80 customers chose this higher-tier option, demonstrates early validation of demand for premium smart glasses with integrated services1.

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