Omdia: Global AI glasses shipments reached 4.2 million units in the first half of 2026, up 127% year-on-year.

Omdia's latest data shows that global AI glasses shipments reached 4.2 million units in the first half of 2026, up 127% year-on-year. AI glasses remain in the development stage of an emerging category, and as the market continues to expand from a low base, the growth rate is gradually stabilizing. At the same time, competition among different frame designs is intensifying, user privacy concerns are drawing more attention, and the market environment is becoming more complex. Ju Qiran, Senior Analyst at Omdia, said: "The growth of the AI glasses market in the first half of 2026 was mainly driven by Meta's continued market momentum and the influx of a large number of Chinese manufacturers. Equally important, manufacturers have made the practical value of AI glasses more immediately tangible to consumers by focusing on hands-free photo and video capture, open-ear audio, and AI assistant features integrated into everyday glasses forms." In the first half of 2026, Meta continued to maintain an absolute lead, with AI glasses shipments reaching 3.4 million units and an 81.3% market share. At the same time, smaller competitors are also injecting new momentum into overall market growth by exploring different frame designs and specific use cases. Even Realities is a representative of this trend. Driven by growing demand for its G2 series in North America and Western Europe, its global ranking rose from fifth in the second half of 2025 to second in the first half of 2026, with shipments reaching 102,000 units and a market share of 2.4%. Ju added: "Even Realities has adopted a design approach different from most AI glasses. It abandoned cameras and speakers, instead focusing on a slimmer design, a small monochrome display, and productivity features such as real-time transcription. This reflects how manufacturers are exploring different ways to make AI glasses more practically useful in daily life." Although the United States remains far ahead as the world's largest AI glasses market, mainland China is playing a key role both as an important global supply chain hub and as a key market where manufacturers are exploring different hardware approaches. In the first half of 2026, AI glasses shipments in mainland China surged 306% year-on-year, with local manufacturers pursuing diversified exploration around display, camera, and audio solutions. However, the mainland China market remains highly fragmented, with the top three manufacturersAlibaba, INMO, and Xiaomiaccounting for only 46.1% of the market combined. Liu Jiansen (Jason Low), Research Director at Omdia, said: "What we are seeing in the China market has already sent an early but very clear signal: there is no single solution in the AI glasses market that can meet the needs of all users. As this category continues to diversify in product forms and feature combinations, this differentiated development will gradually become a major characteristic of the global AI glasses market." Liu Jiansen added: "Privacy considerations and differences in user preferences are important factors driving the segmentation of the AI glasses market. As AI glasses equipped with cameras face increasingly strict privacy scrutiny, merely strengthening privacy settings or enhancing information disclosure is no longer enough. Manufacturers also need to clearly explain what information always-on cameras collect, how that information will be used, and ensure that the relevant data is not shared with third parties."