Smart Glasses Are About to Have a Big Year

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The expected release of glasses from huge players like Apple and Google has industry analysts predicting sales of smart glasses will rise from six million units in 2025 to 20 million in 2026. In other words, this year is looking like an inflection point, where tech-enabled spectacles make the transformation from tech wear for early adopters to everyday gear for regular folks. Whether you're looking for a pair of audio-first glasses, display glasses, or full augmented reality, here's what to expect from the major players and smaller operators in the smart-glasses space.

CES's major smart glasses announcements

This year's Consumer Electronics Show saw a ton of companies introducing new smart glasses, including "been in the space forever" firms like XReal and "these are the first smart glasses for us" companies like XGimi. Below are four of the most notable new smart glasses announced at CES.

XReal 1S

Credit: XReal

XReal was an early player in the smart glasses space. They've been releasing high-end, display-first glasses like the Xreal One Pro since 2019. They're the go-to if you want specs that put a high-def display in your pocket. At CES, the company unveiled the 1S: Glasses that promise a massive virtual display as large as 500", 3Dof augmented reality capability, and a smooth as silk refresh rate of 120Hz, all powered by an onboard X1 chip. XReal 1S is available now for $449.

Even Reality G2

Credit: Even Reality

Even Reality is aiming for people who wanted fashionable glasses that do extraordinary things. The company followed its excellent G1 smart glasses with the G2, a new model with a bigger, sharper monochrome display, "contextual AI" that can flash helpful conversation suggestions to users, and an integrated smart ring to make all of it easier to control. They also don't look dorky, so no one needs to know you're wearing smart glasses. Even Reality G2 glasses are available now for $599 and up.

RayNeo Air 4 Pro

Credit: Stephen Johnson

Released in 2025, RayNeo's impressive X3 glasses provided a glimpse into the future, where we'll have instantly available HUDs. The Air 4 Pro, on the other hand, is more about the present. Display glasses that are for streaming games and movies instead of wearing all the time, Air 4 Pros feature dual Micro-OLEDs creating a virtual 200-inch screen, HDR10 support for high dynamic range video, a Vision 4000 custom processor for upscaling, and Bang & Olufsen-tuned audio. They're aggressively priced at $299 and set to be released on Jan. 25.

XGimi Memomind Air Display

Credit: XGimi

XGimi is known for projectors, but its first line of smart glasses, dubbed Memomind Air Display, made waves at CES for their lightweight, stylish frames, monochrome display integrated with AI, and a battery that lasts all day. Memomind glasses are available with a dual lens display, single lens display, and audio-only. There's no set release date for these, but the company is expecting them to hit the market around March.

Upcoming smart glasses releases

As the year rolls on, we'll be seeing new models of smart glasses dropping from huge companies like Google and Snap, not to mention smaller companies that are likely to surprise us with something unexpected.

Google and Samsung

Google was the first company on the smart glasses scene with the release of Google Glass, and in 2026, it's getting back in the game. Google is collaborating with Samsung, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker to release two different Android-powered smart glasses: an audio-first pair that will allow users to access Gemini AI, and glasses with an in-lens display that displays things like directions and language translations.

Apple

After the relatively lukewarm response to Apple's VR gear, the company is rumored to be shifting its resources into smart glasses. The company hasn't officially announced anything, but the rumor mill says Apple's glasses will include camera, microphone, and AI capabilities, and could be released this year.

Snap

The company behind Snapchat is planning to release some high-powered augmented reality smart glasses sometime 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, gesture, and touch."

Amazon

If you were hoping for a consumer release of Amazon smart glasses in 2026, it's not happening, but the company is planning to equip its army of nearly 400,000 delivery drivers with smart delivery glasses designed to help them "identify hazards, seamlessly navigate to customers’ doorsteps, and improve customer deliveries."

Meta

All the companies above are essentially gunning for Meta, whose smart glasses make up about 73% of the total market in 2025, a dominant position it earned by making smart glasses feel normal and futuristic. Meta hasn't announced any plans for 2026, as its Meta Display glasses and second generation of Ray-Bans and Oakleys came out in late 2025.

The end goal for smart glasses: replacing your phone

If you combined the best features from each kind of smart glasses, you'd have a wearable that essentially does everything your phone does and corrects your vision. Replacing phones is the game behind the game, and it explains the number of companies fighting for the same real estate.

Maybe a pair of smart glasses will eventually come out that's so easy to use, cool-looking, and powerful that everyone ditches their smart phone, but probably not in 2026—the tech is not quite there and neither is the public acceptance. Still, a lot more people will be using smart glasses this year.

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