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 the5krunner
My favourite kit and nutrition
- Injinji – Runners protect your toes. Avoid discomfort and minor injury. Run more. Run faster. I use them.
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — A small keyring adapter you can use anywhere. Essential when away. I use one.
- Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session. I use one.
- Ravemen FR300 — Front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters. I use one.
- Body Glide – The blue anti-chafe stick that all swimmers and many runners use. I use it.
- Maurten — The race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mixes engineered to be easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Garmin Varia RTL515 — A radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Wahoo. I use this model.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — The power-meter pedals most serious cyclists choose. Accurate, easy to move between bikes. I use this model.
- Garmin Forerunner 970 — A serious choice for a pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Polar H10 — My daily driver for accurate, waking HRV readings.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3 — The bike computer that has the feature Garmin lacks: usability. I use mine on most rides.
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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
