Smart Glasses Are About to Have a Big Year.
The anticipated launch of smart glasses from giants like Apple and Google is leading industry analysts to predict smart glasses sales will grow from six million units in 2025 to 20 million in 2026. In other words, this year looks like a turning point, when tech-enabled glasses transform from accessories for early adopters into everyday devices for everyday users. Whether you’re looking for glasses with audio features, glasses with a display, or full-fledged augmented reality glasses, here’s what to expect from players large and small in the smart glasses market.
Key Smart Glasses Announcements at CES
At this year’s CES, numerous companies unveiled new smart glasses, including those who have been in the space for a long time, like XReal, and those who claim these are their first smart glasses, like XGimi. Below are four of the most notable smart glasses announced at CES.
XReal 1S
XReal was an early player in the smartglasses market. Since 2019, they’ve been releasing high-quality glasses with displays, such as the XReal One Pro. This is the perfect choice if you need a pocketable pair of glasses with a high-resolution display. At CES, the company unveiled the 1S model: glasses that promise a massive virtual display up to 500 inches in size, 3D augmented reality capabilities, and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, all thanks to the integrated X1 chip. The XReal 1S is now available for $449 .
Even the reality of G2
Even Reality is targeting people who want stylish glasses that can do incredible things. Following the excellent G1 smartglasses, the company has released the G2—a new model with a large, clear monochrome display, “contextual AI” that can show users helpful conversation prompts, and a built-in smart ring for simplified control. They’re also unobtrusive, so no one will know you’re wearing smartglasses. Even Reality G2 glasses are available now, starting at $599 .
RayNeo Air 4 Pro
Released in 2025, the impressive RayNeo X3 glasses offered a glimpse of a future where we’ll have instantly accessible heads-up display interfaces. The Air 4 Pro, on the other hand, is more focused on the present. Designed for streaming games and movies rather than for constant wear, the Air 4 Pro features dual Micro-OLED displays creating a virtual 200-inch screen, HDR10 support for high-dynamic-range video, a custom Vision 4000 processor for upscaling, and audio tuned by Bang & Olufsen. They’re priced at an attractive $299 and will be available on January 25th.
XGimi Memomin Air Display
XGimi is known for its projectors, but its first line of smart glasses , the Memomind Air Display, made a splash at CES thanks to its lightweight and stylish frames, monochrome display with built-in AI, and all-day battery life. The Memomind glasses are available in dual-display, single-display, and audio-only configurations. A precise release date is still unknown, but the company expects them to hit the market around March.
Upcoming smart glasses releases
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Over the course of the year, we’ll see new smartglasses models from big companies like Google and Snap, not to mention smaller companies that will likely surprise us with something unexpected.
Google and Samsung
Google pioneered the smart glasses market with Google Glass, and it’s returning in 2026. Google is partnering with Samsung, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker to release two different Android-powered smart glasses: a model with an audio interface that will allow users to access the Gemini AI, and a model with a built-in display that can display things like directions and language translations.
Apple
Following the relatively lukewarm response to Apple’s VR devices, rumors are circulating that the company is redirecting its resources to developing smart glasses. While the company hasn’t officially announced anything, rumors suggest Apple’s glasses will include a camera, microphone, and AI capabilities and could be released this year.
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Snapchat plans to release powerful augmented reality smart glasses in 2026. Snap’s Spectacles are designed to allow you to “interact with digital objects the same way you interact with the physical world, using voice, gestures, and touch.”
Amazon
If you were hoping for Amazon’s consumer smartglasses to launch in 2026, it’s not happening, but the company does plan to outfit its army of nearly 400,000 delivery drivers with smart glasses designed to help them “identify hazards, get to customers’ doors seamlessly, and improve delivery quality.”
Meta
All of the above companies are essentially aiming to compete with Meta, whose smart glasses will account for approximately 73% of the total market in 2025, having achieved a dominant position by making smart glasses simultaneously ordinary and futuristic. Meta has not yet announced any plans for 2026, as its Meta Display glasses and second-generation Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses were released in late 2025.
The ultimate goal of smart glasses: replacing your phone.
If you combine the best features of each type of smartglasses, you get a wearable device that essentially does everything your phone does and corrects your vision. Replacing phones is the name of the game, which explains the number of companies vying for the same market share.
Smart glasses so easy to use, stylish, and powerful that everyone will ditch their smartphones may eventually appear, but probably not in 2026—the technology isn’t quite ready yet, nor is public acceptance. Nevertheless, many more people will use smart glasses this year.