AI Glasses Shipments Surge 263% in H1 2026 as Meta Dominates and Apple Prepares Entry

Display-Less AI Glasses Drive Market Explosion

Global shipments of AI glasses surged 263% year-over-year during the first half of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research1

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. Display-less AI glasses accounted for 96% of total AI glasses shipments in the period, with volumes increasing 258% from the first half of 2025 and 22% from the second half of 20252

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. This rapidly growing market has been fueled by lower-cost, more mature display-less products that provide photography, audio, calling, and AI features without screens.

Meta Commands Dominant Market Share

Meta accounted for 94% of global display-less AI glasses shipments in the first half of 2026, with its volumes growing 260% year-over-year and 22% sequentially1

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. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have been far more successful than Meta's first-generation devices. Francesco Milleri, CEO of Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica, revealed the two companies had sold more than 7 million AI glasses in 2025, putting a 10-million annual sales target within reach for the end of 20261

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. Meta's expansion has been supported by additional frame styles, wider retail distribution, and new glasses priced from $2992

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. Xiaomi and Alibaba each captured 1% market share, with other brands accounting for the remaining 4%1

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Apple Smart Glasses Target 2027 Launch

Apple is developing its own display-less smart glasses to compete with Meta's Ray-Ban Meta glasses, with a launch currently targeted for 20271

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. The glasses are expected to rely heavily on Siri and Apple Intelligence, with cameras, microphones, and speakers built into the frame1

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. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the company could introduce the glasses at WWDC 2027 with an emphasis on privacy2

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. A more advanced version with an augmented reality display is reportedly still several years away, not expected until 2029 at the earliest1

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Regional Distribution and AR & AI Glasses Segment

North America accounted for 50% of total shipments of display-less AI glasses, with Western Europe accounting for 28%, Australia for 4.4%, followed by the Asia-Pacific region with 4%, Latin America with 3.8%, India with 3.7%, China with 3%, and the UAE with 2%1

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. The AR & AI glasses segment, which includes devices equipped with displays and optical components for see-through experiences, represented only 4% of the market but saw shipments surge 449% year-over-year1

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. Rokid accounted for 41% of this segment, followed by Meta at 37%, Even Realities at 11%, Alibaba at 7%, INMO at 2%, and other brands collectively accounting for the remaining 2%1

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. China dominated this category with 45% of shipments, followed by North America at 41%1

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Privacy Concerns and Future Market Trajectory

Meta's camera-equipped smart glasses have faced increasing scrutiny, with the "perv glasses" label gaining traction as reports of non-consensual filming and harassment have drawn wider attention1

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. Counterpoint Research identified increasing semiconductor costs and public unease about wearable cameras as possible obstacles to continued growth2

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. Despite these privacy concerns, Counterpoint expects the AI glasses market to maintain its strong growth trajectory as Meta, Google, Samsung, and Apple intensify their investments and competition1

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. The next phase of growth will be driven by agentic AI glasses offering more proactive, context-aware experiences, enabled by advancements in agent-integrated software, operating systems, voice interaction, and ultra-low-power sensing and computing technologies1

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. Counterpoint also expects a wider range of AI glasses form factors to emerge to address privacy concerns, including camera-free AI audio glasses and AI glasses equipped with cameras primarily for contextual understanding rather than photo or video capture1

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