In contrast, global shipments of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses grew 50% YoY in H1 2025, signalling a recovery in market sentiment, primarily driven by new product upgrades from key OEMs Xreal and RayNeo. By segment, Birdbath-based, video-centric AR smart glasses remained dominant, accounting for 78% of shipments, followed by waveguide-based, information-display AR smart glasses with roughly 17% share. The average selling price (ASP) of waveguide-based AR smart glasses was about 27% higher than that of the more mature Birdbath-based products in H1 2025.

Global AR Smart Glasses Shipment Share by Optic Technology

In the Birdbath-based product segment, the Xreal One was the top-selling model in H1 2025, followed by the RayNeo Air 3s and RayNeo Air 3. The Xreal One delivers a native 3 Degree of Freedom (DoF) experience, powered by Xreal’s self-developed X1 co-processor, and features an expanded 50° field of view (FoV). The RayNeo Air 3s, equipped with SeeYa’s 0.6-inch Micro-OLED displays and the upgraded Birdbath system, reduces light leakage, supports peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits, and is offered at a competitive price of CNY 1,499 (about $269).

In the waveguide-based segment, Even Realities’ G1, a binocular monochrome AR smart glasses powered by JBD’s green MicroLED light engine and a diffractive waveguide lens, outperformed other models in H1 2025 despite its relatively premium $599 price. Its sleek design, resembling regular prescription glasses, and ultra-lightweight build of around 40 grams (or less) make it comfortable for long-hour wear, though this comes at the cost of omitting components such as cameras and speakers. Even Realities’ G1 initially gained traction through its own online store, and the company has since expanded its offline presence across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Global AR Smart Glasses Shipments by Key OEMs

As for the competitive landscape, Xreal and RayNeo, pioneers in the Birdbath-based segment, commanded a combined share of over 60% in the global AR smart glasses market in H1 2025. RayNeo overtook its rivals in Q2 2025 to become the top-selling brand, fuelled by a broad lineup of new products unveiled at its annual event. Highlights included the RayNeo Air 3s/Air 3s Pro Birdbath-based glasses and the RayNeo X3 Pro, a premium AR model featuring Qualcomm’s AR1 Gen 1 processor, a nano-lithography-etched waveguide co-developed with Applied Materials, and JBD’s full-color MicroLED light engine. In addition, the Rokid Glasses have also been a much-awaited waveguide-based AR model. However, it faced shipment delays due to product development and manufacturing challenges, with mass shipments only starting in Q3 2025.

We expect competition in the global AR smart glasses market to intensify in H2 2025, fuelled by the production ramp-up of innovative products across both video-centric and waveguide-based segments. In the video-centric category, the Xreal One Pro, featuring innovative “flat-prism” technology that expands the FoV to 57°, is slated to ramp up production in Q3 2025 to meet strong market demand, while VITURE’s newly launched Luma glasses series is set to challenge Xreal’s lead. In the waveguide-based segment, output of the Rokid Glasses is expected to grow, while the market will also be energized by the launches of the high-profile Meta Ray-Ban Display and Meta Neural Band, and Alibaba’s Quark “AR+AI” Glasses. Driven by these exciting new products, particularly the Meta Ray-Ban Display, which has the potential to reshape the market landscape, we expect the share of waveguide-based glasses in the global AR market to continue rising.

Global AR Smart Glasses Shipments Forecast

Looking ahead, hardware manufacturers and internet giants, including Meta, Snap and Amazon, are stepping up investments in developing AR smart glasses to capitalize on the emerging “AR+AI” trend, positioning the market for robust growth in the coming years, particularly from the supply side.

These companies are also actively exploring the integration of their application ecosystems with AR glasses and introducing new functionalities beyond traditional information-display use cases, including glasses-based payments and messaging. As a result, the AR smart glasses market is poised for significant expansion, prompting us to revise up our forecast to a 69% CAGR through 2027. With these intensified efforts, AR smart glasses, while not yet replacing mature devices such as smartphones, are increasingly positioned as a key accessory, offering users the potential to reduce their dependence on mobile phones.

Note: In this report, VR encompasses mixed reality (MR), while AR smart glasses refer to devices equipped with the necessary display and optical components to enable an optical see-through (OST) experience. Display-less smart glasses, such as the Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses, are not included in the AR smart glass segment covered in this report. For insights on the smart glasses market, please refer to this link. 

About Counterpoint Research

Counterpoint Research is a global market research firm specializing in products across the technology ecosystem. We advise a diverse range of clients – from smartphone OEMs to chipmakers and channel players to Big Tech – through our offices located in the world's major innovation hubs, manufacturing clusters and commercial centers. Our analyst team, led by seasoned experts, engages with stakeholders across the enterprise – from the C-suite to professionals in strategy, analyst relations (AR), market intelligence (MI), business intelligence (BI), product and marketing – to deliver services spanning market data, industry thought leadership and consulting. Our core areas of coverage include AI, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Displays, eSIM, IoT, Location Platforms, Macroeconomics, Manufacturing, Networks and Infrastructure, Semiconductors, Smartphones and Wearables. Visit our Insights page to explore our publicly available market data, insights and thought leadership, and to understand our focus, meet our analysts and start a conversation.

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