Omi vs Vuzix Z100 in 2026

Omi

Omi, by Based Hardware (founder Nik Shevchenko, San Francisco), is a shipping AI necklace in the ambient-recording 'second brain' category: a small circular orb on a neck lanyard that captures conversations and runs them through GPT-4o for ambient transcription in 25+ languages, auto-summaries and tasks, a searchable memory database, daily recaps, and a 'Brain Map'. It sells for $89 as a consumer unit (about $70 dev) one-time, with a free tier (unlimited on-device transcription plus 1,200 cloud minutes a month) and an optional Omi Unlimited plan from $16 a month; the user owns the device.

It is one of the few genuinely open-hardware entries in the cohort: an MIT-licensed GitHub repo of about 12,700 stars with firmware, apps, and open hardware designs, maintained into 2026. The AI is genuine cloud functionality, not veneer. One significant cap-flag: the aspirational brain-interface and EEG 'reads-your-mind' marketing is not the shipping product, which is audio-only; the BCI module is roadmap with no code, and TechCrunch could not verify it. (Omi is distinct from Friend, Avi Schiffmann's pendant; Shevchenko's device was originally also named Friend and was renamed Omi.)

Vuzix Z100

The Vuzix Z100 is an enterprise-focused monochrome-waveguide HUD smart-glasses device (38g, up to 48-hour battery), generally available since November 2024 at $499, aimed at warehouse, logistics, and field-service use with some consumer features (notifications, navigation, teleprompter) via the Vuzix Connect app. It has no native AI; any AI comes through partner integrations, placing it at the partner-mediated end of the AI-substance spectrum. Vuzix has been shrinking and pivoting toward OEM waveguide components; the Z100 is its current HUD product (the older Blade line is discontinued).