According to Counterpoint's &#34;Global XR (AR/VR) Headset Model Shipment Tracking Database,&#34; due to the continued sluggish demand in the consumer market, global VR headset shipments are expected to decline by 14% year-on-year in the first half of 2025. The overall competitive landscape of the VR market remained relatively stable in the first half of the year, with major OEM manufacturers launching fewer new products. Meta continues to maintain a significant lead, capturing about 80% of the market share in the first half of 2025. Looking ahead, hardware OEMs, along with internet giants including Meta, Snap Inc., and Amazon, are increasing their investments in the development of AR smart glasses. With the rise of the &#34;AR + AI&#34; trend, the market is expected to achieve strong growth in the coming years, especially on the supply side.
These companies are also actively exploring the deep integration of their application ecosystems with AR glasses to expand new functionalities beyond information prompts, such as payment and messaging features based on glasses. Driven by this, the AR smart glasses market is expected to see significant growth. Counterpoint has raised its forecast for the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of global AR glasses shipments from 2024 to 2027 to 69%. Although AR smart glasses have not yet replaced mature devices like smartphones, they are increasingly becoming more important wearable accessories, helping users reduce their reliance on mobile phones.
Global Major VR Headset Manufacturers' Shipment Shares
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Data Source: Counterpoint Research
In contrast, benefiting from product upgrades by major OEM manufacturers such as Xreal and RayNeo, global AR smart glasses shipments are expected to grow by 50% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, marking a recovery in market sentiment. In terms of market segmentation, AR smart glasses based on Birdbath technology still dominate, accounting for 78% of the market; followed by information prompt AR smart glasses based on waveguide technology, which account for about 17%. In the first half of 2025, the average selling price of waveguide AR glasses was approximately 27% higher than that of the more mature Birdbath products.
Global Shipment Shares of AR Smart Glasses with Different Optical Technologies
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Data Source: Counterpoint Research
Among products using Birdbath technology, the Xreal One was the best-selling model in the first half of 2025, followed by the RayNeo Air 3s and RayNeo Air 3. The Xreal One offers a native three degrees of freedom (3DoF) experience, equipped with Xreal's self-developed X1 co-processor, and achieves a 50° large field of view (FoV)
RayNeo Air 3s is equipped with a 0.6-inch Micro-OLED screen from SeeYa and a significantly improved Birdbath optical system compared to the previous generation, reducing light leakage while achieving a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits. It is priced at only 1499 yuan (approximately 269 USD), making it highly competitive.
Among products using waveguide technology, Even Realities G1, as a dual-eye monochrome AR glasses, adopts the JBD green MicroLED light engine and diffraction waveguide lenses. Despite its price of 599 USD, it outperformed similar products in sales in the first half of 2025. Its stylish appearance is similar to regular glasses, and it is ultra-lightweight, weighing only about 40 grams (or lighter), ensuring comfort even during prolonged wear, although to achieve lightweight, the glasses do not come equipped with camera and speaker components. Even Realities G1 initially opened the market through sales on its official website, and the company has since expanded its offline channels in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
Global AR Smart Glasses Major Manufacturers Shipment Volume
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Data Source: Counterpoint Research
In terms of competitive landscape, in the first half of 2025, leading manufacturers Xreal and RayNeo accounted for over 60% of the global AR smart glasses market in the Birdbath category. In the second quarter of 2025, RayNeo surpassed its competitors in shipment volume, ranking first globally, thanks to the launch of multiple new products at its annual conference. Its core new products include Birdbath glasses RayNeo Air 3s/Air 3s Pro and the high-end waveguide model RayNeo X3 Pro. RayNeo X3 Pro is equipped with the Qualcomm AR1 Gen 1 processor, utilizing the nano-lithography etching waveguide technology co-developed with Applied Materials, and features a full-color MicroLED light engine with JBD's three-color combination. Additionally, Rokid Glasses is also a highly anticipated waveguide AR model for the first half of the year, but due to R&amp;D and production challenges, its shipment timeline has been delayed, with mass shipments starting in the third quarter of 2025.
Counterpoint predicts that in the second half of 2025, as viewing and waveguide new products accelerate mass production, competition in the global AR smart glasses market will further intensify. In the viewing product sector, Xreal One Pro adopts innovative &#34;Flat Prism&#34; optical technology, expanding the FoV to 57°. We expect Xreal One Pro to achieve expanded production in the third quarter to meet strong market demand, while VITURE's recently launched Luma series AR smart glasses are expected to challenge Xreal's leading position
In the field of waveguide products, the production of Rokid Glasses is expected to significantly increase in the second half of the year. At the same time, highly anticipated new products such as Meta Ray-Ban Display, Meta Neural Band, and Alibaba Quark &#34;AR+AI&#34; glasses will also be launched successively. Driven by these exciting new products—especially the Meta Ray-Ban Display, which is expected to reshape the market landscape—Counterpoint predicts that the share of waveguide products in the global AR market will continue to rise.
Global AR Smart Glasses Shipment Forecast
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Source: Counterpoint Research &#34;Global XR (AR/VR) Headset Market Forecast,&#34; updated September 2025

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Counterpoint: In the first half of 2025, global VR headset shipments are expected to decline by 14% year-on-year, while AR smart glasses are likely to see strong growth