According to Counterpoint Research’s latest Global XR (AR/VR) Headset Model Shipments Tracker report, global AR smart glasses market posted a significant rebound in 2025, with shipments rising 98% year over year to a record high. Momentum accelerated even further in the second half of the year, when shipments climbed 148% year over year, helped by Rokid Glasses scaling up, the launch of Meta Ray-Ban Display, and new products from other OEMs.
Market Growth Accelerates
The broader market’s 2025 expansion was driven by gains on both major product categories. Video-centric AR smart glasses, typically built around Birdbath or Flat Prism lenses, grew 80% year over year in H2 2025. Waveguide-based AR smart glasses, which focus more on information display, surged by over 600% year over year during the same period. As a result, waveguide-based products increased their share of the total market to 38%, up from 13% in H2 2024 and 19% in H1 2025.
This shift suggests that buyers are increasingly responding to lighter, more display-oriented devices that offer stronger AI functions. The report notes that many of the newest products are designed around real-life scenarios like real-time translation, navigation, speech prompting, camera-based image recognition, and encyclopedic Q&A. In China, some OEMs have started working with Alibaba on glass-based payment functions.
Rokid Leads Waveguide Segment
Among waveguide-based devices, Rokid stood out as the leading OEM in H2 2025. Its strong initial sales momentum and successful production ramp-up helped Rokid Glasses quickly gain traction as an early entrant in the AR+AI glasses segment. Production scaled up significantly by the end of June 2025, and the company expanded beyond mainland China through telecom operators, eyewear retailers, malls, and online channels.
That growth gave Rokid a visible edge in a segment that is becoming more crowded and more strategically important. The report places Rokid ahead in shipments, while noting that the competitive field also includes Meta, Even Realities, INMO, Alibaba, and Meizu. In practical terms, Rokid appears to have converted early market positioning into real shipment leadership at a time when the category is still defining its winners.
Competition Heats Up
The video-centric side of the market is also becoming more concentrated with RayNeo, XREAL, and VITURE accounting for 96% of the segment in H2 2025, up from 85% in H2 2024.
RayNeo led with a 42% market share, backed by a broad product range, aggressive pricing, and wider retail partnerships. XREAL then followed with 28%, thanks to the demand for the XREAL One Pro, and VITURE saw shipments rise by more than 200% year over year thanks to the Luma and Beast series.
On the waveguide side, Meta’s Ray-Ban Display gained popularity as the company’s first commercialized smart glasses with a see-through display, though supply constraints limited output in 2025. Even Realities secured a 16% share with its lightweight G1 and G2 models. INMO and Alibaba followed with 7% and 5%, while Alibaba’s Quark AI Glasses S1 drew attention in China despite price and supply limitations.
AI Glasses Define the Next Phase
In H2 2025, glasses equipped with AI-capable processors, microphones, speakers, cameras, and wireless connectivity made up about 70% of waveguide-based shipments, up from almost nothing a year earlier. China and the US are currently the largest markets for these devices.
That trend underscores how the market is shifting from simple display hardware toward products that combine AR with practical AI features. For OEMs, the challenge is no longer only about launching eye-catching products, but also about building supply, scale, and ecosystems that can support wider adoption. Rokid’s strong execution in production and distribution suggests it is well positioned in that race.
Outlook
The report expects the global AR smart glasses market to keep growing in the coming years, supported by international expansion from leading OEMs, new entrants, and maturity in display and optical components. Even so, the market could face headwinds, no thanks to memory price hikes and geopolitical tensions that may affect the wider global economy. For now, the numbers point to a category gaining speed, with Rokid emerging as one of the clearest leaders in the waveguide-based segment.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How much did global AR smart glasses shipments grow in 2025?
A: Global shipments rose 98% year over year in 2025 and reached a record high.
Q: What happened in H2 2025?
A: Shipments grew 148% year over year, driven by Rokid Glasses scaling up, the Meta Ray-Ban Display launch, and new products from other OEMs.
Q: Which company led the waveguide-based segment?
A: Rokid emerged as the leading OEM in shipments in H2 2025.
Q: What share did waveguide-based products hold in the market?
A: Waveguide-based products accounted for 38% of the total market in H2 2025, up from 13% in H2 2024 and 19% in H1 2025.
Q: What is driving the rise of AI glasses?
A: AI glasses are growing because they combine processors, microphones, speakers, cameras, wireless connectivity, and practical use cases like translation, navigation, and image recognition.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
