Smart glasses: growth in the first half of 2025 is impressive
According to market researchers, smart glasses are a major growth market. Meta has dominated so far. Observers expect Apple to enter the market soon.
(Image: Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock.com)
According to market researchers, the global market for smart glasses grew by 110% in the first half of 2025. This growth is being driven primarily by the continued high demand for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the market entry of Chinese providers such as Xiaomi and TCL-RayNeo, according to the latest "Global Smart Glasses Model Shipments Tracker" from Counterpoint Research.
Meta dominates with 73 percent market share
According to the figures, Meta was able to further expand its market leadership and achieved a market share of 73% in the first half of 2025. The Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses recorded year-on-year growth of over 200%, according to the report. Meta was able to ramp up production capacity through its partner Luxottica. New variants and distribution via the company's own sales channels also contributed to the success.
The triumph of AI-based smart glasses is particularly noteworthy: they accounted for 78% of all deliveries – an increase compared to 46% in the first half of 2024. The AI segment even grew by over 250%, outperforming the already strong overall market growth.
Xiaomi as a surprising newcomer
Xiaomi achieved the biggest surprise effect with its AI Glasses, which became the fourth best-selling smart glasses model overall and the third best-selling AI model despite selling for only around a week in the first half of the year. The success is primarily based on the strong support from tech enthusiasts and fans in China. In addition to Xiaomi, other Chinese providers have also established themselves: TCL-RayNeo with the V3 series, Thunderobot with the AURA Smart Glasses and Kopin with the Solos AirGo V.
Videos by heise
The new AI smart glasses offer advanced functions such as photo and video recording, image and object recognition, encyclopaedic questions and live translation. As a result, smart audio-only glasses from providers such as Huawei, Amazon and Mijia are coming under increasing pressure and recorded declining sales figures in the reporting period.
Payment solutions for glasses
Chinese companies such as Xiaomi and Alibaba (with the not yet commercially available Quark AI Glasses) are already experimenting with glasses-based payment solutions to reduce smartphone dependency for outdoor shopping and food orders. On the hardware side, Qualcomm announced a revised version of its premium SoC for smart glasses – the AR 1+ Gen 1, which is 26 percent smaller and consumes 7 percent less power. At the same time, Chinese chip manufacturers such as Allwinner Technology are entering the market with budget solutions.
Counterpoint Research has revised its forecasts for 2025 and 2026 upwards due to the positive market development. Average annual growth of over 60% is expected until 2029. The analysts assume that Apple is also actively working on its first AI glasses.
(mki)
