AI glasses shipments more than tripled during the first half of 2026, giving Apple a much larger market to enter if its reported eyewear project reaches consumers. The surge is concentrated in glasses without a display, the same simpler category Apple is reportedly exploring first.
Counterpoint Research reports that global AI glasses shipments rose 263% year over year in the first half of 2026. Display-less models accounted for 96% of shipments, showing that cameras, microphones, speakers, and an AI assistant currently matter more to buyers than an image projected in front of their eyes.
Meta leads while Apple remains unannounced
Counterpoint says shipments of display-less AI glasses grew 258% from a year earlier and 22% from the second half of 2025. Meta held 94% of that segment. AR and AI-display glasses grew even faster at 449%, but from a much smaller base and with only 4% of total volume.
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The public summary does not disclose an absolute shipment total, so the percentage should not be read as proof that AI glasses are already a mass-market product. It does show strong momentum for the lightweight, screen-free approach led by Meta’s eyewear, including the company’s new $299 models.
Apple has not announced smart glasses. Reporting summarized in our Apple smart glasses roundup points to an iPhone-connected product built around cameras, audio, and Apple Intelligence rather than a full augmented-reality display. That description broadly matches the category driving Counterpoint’s growth figures.
Apple’s experience with Vision Pro could help with sensors and spatial software, but glasses designed for all-day use involve different tradeoffs in battery life, weight, privacy, and price. No release window, specification, or price is official.
The market data therefore strengthens the commercial case for Apple’s reported project without confirming the product itself. Meta has the early lead, and Apple would enter a category that is growing quickly but remains defined mainly by one dominant supplier.
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