Meta alone captured 94% of this segment, significantly increasing its volume through new product variants, retail promotions, and expansion into the Asia-Pacific market.
This growth reflects a market currently dominated by simpler, lightweight designs rather than more complex Augmented Reality (AR) glasses, which use waveguide lenses to project digital images onto the user's field of vision.
While AR-capable shipments grew by 449%, they remain a niche category due to high costs and bulkier frames.
Chinese manufacturers such as Rokid and Alibaba are currently leading the commercialization of these advanced AR models, benefiting from a mature domestic supply chain for specialized components like micro-displays.
The industry faces near-term headwinds from rising memory prices and increasing public concern regarding the privacy implications of integrated cameras.
Despite these challenges, Counterpoint Research expects continued momentum as companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung increase investments.
Future growth is expected to shift toward "agentic" AI glasses—devices that offer proactive, context-aware assistance—and new form factors, such as camera-free audio glasses, designed to address consumer privacy anxieties.