RayNeo’s iO Smart Glasses go on sale September 4 for $479. The spec sheet answers a question this site raised in February based on intel that Garmin is planning microLED HUD glasses for sports use: is microLED HUD technology finally practical enough for a new generation of Garmin sports glasses?
The iO weighs 33 grams. Its Firefly Nano Engine puts a monochrome green MicroLED into a 0.6mm waveguide, delivering 97% optical transparency and up to 1,300 nits at the eye. A 240mAh battery is rated for up to 48 hours of typical use.
Unlike the Meta equivalent, there is no camera. Instead, the glasses work as a HUD, showing notifications, schedules, live translation and teleprompter text with a glance upward.
That’s clearly not a sports product. What matters for Garmin is the underlying tech: a featherweight 33-gram frame, two-day battery life and a sub-$500 price, built on a waveguide MicroLED display. These displays are now real, shipping products rather than lab demonstrations.
Garmin no longer has to solve the hardware problem
Garmin discontinued Varia Vision in 2016, but the idea behind it still holds: useful information in the field of view of a rider, runner or swimmer, without a glance down at a watch. This site suggested in February that a Varia Vision successor could run on microLED. By August, Garmin’s CEO had declined to rule out new form factors on an earnings call.
Engo already leads the sports end of the HUD market Garmin vacated in 2016. It puts pace, power and structured workouts in a runner’s or cyclist’s line of sight. RayNeo has matched, and undercut, Engo’s weight, battery life and price on the underlying display tech.
Garmin would still have to solve the harder problems: outdoor visibility, sports-specific software, controls, durability, prescription compatibility, and whether athletes want a HUD in their field of view at all. The display technology itself is no longer the blocker it was in 2016.
The pattern Garmin’s other new categories have followed
CIRQA went from leak to shipping product within about a year. The CIRQA Ring is likely to follow a quicker path. Glasses have produced no equivalent product leak yet other than the circumstantial information passed to this site.
There’s now evidence Garmin can do this.
Last Updated on 22 August 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Kineon MOVE+: Red light therapy for niggles. It works.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
