Hong Kong Optical Fair opens November 4: smart frames, photochromic sports eyewear and trade-only entry

Choosing eyewear increasingly involves more than a frame’s outline: displays, sound and sports settings enter the picture. The 34th Hong Kong International Optical Fair takes place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on November 4–6, 2026. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Optical Manufacturers Association, it carries the theme Bright Eyes • New Horizons. Organisers expect over 600 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions and around 200 brands in the Brand Name Gallery. This is an industry fair, rather than a public shopping event.

Smart eyewear: separate display, recording and frame structure

Among the exhibitor previews, INMO AIR3 pairs a black full-rim shape with display functions. Listed specifications include a Sony Micro-OLED, a 1080p display, Android 14, 4K recording, navigation and a ChatGPT assistant. Here, 1080p refers to the display and 4K to recording; they are not interchangeable resolutions for one feature. The floating green text in the official image illustrates the interface, and its figures are not independent test results. Viewing comfort and operation still need to be assessed through an actual product demonstration.

GetD GS PRO takes another direction with finer metal frame lines, nose pads and black temples. The exhibitor lists Japanese titanium and TR90 materials, Apple Find My, GPT/Gemini-related functions and multilingual translation. For anyone already accustomed to glasses, separating the front frame from the temples is useful: the former shapes the visual proportions on the face, while the latter must accommodate audio and electronic components. A longer feature list makes it more necessary to ask about connectivity, regional support and actual operating scenarios.

Sports use and a design competition offer two comparison routes

For the transition between styling and sport, BIGHORN’s Adaptive Photochromic Court Eyewear offers another reference. The exhibitor positions it for pickleball, padel, tennis and squash, with lenses that change tint according to ultraviolet exposure. The questions differ from those for smart glasses: consider the lens coverage, nose pads, temples and their compatibility with a visor, rather than choosing solely by the number of technological features.

The accompanying 26th Hong Kong Eyewear Design Competition takes Mix & Match as its theme. Its presentation ceremony is scheduled for opening day, November 4, with a new Technology Concept Award in the student category. This suggests another route: look at how concepts combine function and form before comparing finished exhibitor products. The awards have yet to be presented, so exhibiting or being shortlisted should not be described as winning. The product photographs currently released are also pre-fair materials, not records of the November event.

Trade visitors aged 18 or above: registration and admission

Who can enter? Admission is restricted to trade visitors aged 18 or above. On-site registration costs HK$100 per person, while pre-registered buyers can apply for a free electronic badge under the organiser’s arrangements. The physical fair opens 09:30–18:30 on November 4 and 5, and 09:30–17:00 on November 6. Anyone simply wishing to shop for glasses should first note the industry eligibility requirement. Buyers can prepare questions about brands, materials and functions beforehand, instead of letting specification sheets dictate their route.

Click2Match business matching runs separately from October 28 to November 13; these online service dates do not extend the physical fair. Eligible visitors can consult the HKTDC Optical Fair official entry point for registration conditions. From smart frames to court eyewear, the useful comparison is how different needs alter dimensions, structures and shapes, rather than placing every product in a single technology ranking.