2026 is all set to be a breakout year for smartglasses

Interest and excitement is growing around smartglasses, and companies are responding to it. Both Meta and Samsung are making waves, and the wider industry is seeing the benefit, indicating we may be set for a fascinating year for smartglasses.

Meta is arguably the most important player in smartglasses right now, with its affordable yet feature-packed Ray-Ban Meta model being highly wearable and easy for newcomers to see value in.

It launched the Meta Ray-Ban Display smartglasses, which have a display in the lens, last year in the US, which have a more high-tech look.

Demand continues to be high for both versions, encouraging Meta and Ray-Ban parent company EssilorLuxottica to double production by the end of this year, according to a Bloomberg report.

This would take EssilorLuxottica’s production to 20 million pairs by the end of 2026, as the manufacturer is apparently close to meeting its target of 10 million pairs for 2026 already.

Current demand in the US has been high enough, and production strained enough, for Meta to delay the international launch of the Meta Ray-Ban Display smartglasses so it can fulfill existing orders. However, despite the popularity, Meta is likely to cut a further 10% of its Reality Labs’ workforce, which oversees not only the Ray-Ban Display glasses, but also the Metaverse and associated hardware.

Industry reacts

Credit: Rokid

The news of Meta’s plans, and evidence of high demand for smartglasses, had an effect on the wider market.

Warby Parker saw a 10% increase in its stock price following the news. It is currently best known for its range of normal spectacles, but crucially, Warby Parker is one of Google’s partners for its incoming smartglasses. This market acrivity shows the high level of expectation around not just Warby Parker’s efforts, but smartglasses in general.

Elsewhere, Rokid, which produces three different sets of smart glasses, announced it will start selling them in various retail stores in the UK, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

Yuanfong Long, Rokid’s head of global operations made it clear why this is important:

Samsung wants some of the action

Samsung introduced the Galaxy XR headset in 2025, but has also teased that it’s working on more standard smartglasses too. Like Google, it has partnered with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster on at least two pairs.

Since the confirmation of the news, two model reference numbers have emerged. The SM-O200P and SM-O200J may not refer to the same device just released in two different locations, but two distinct individual models.

The model numbers may refer to pairs designed by Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, or indicate different technical features, with the SM-O200P being linked to smartglasses with light-reacting photochromic lenses.

Breakout growth phase

Meta, Samsung, Google, and Rokid’s ambitious plans, along with the many other companies exploring smartglasses, back up the latest market forecasts made by industry analysts.

Following CES 2026, Smart Analytics Global reported it expects smartglasses to have a “breakout growth phase” in 2026, with Meta and Samsung at the forefront, and Apple joining in 2027.

Sales volumes will increase from six million pairs to 20 million pairs this year, according to the analysts, along with the expectation that the US and China together will control 80% of the global demand.

Samsung and Google are both expected to launch smartglasses in 2026, although exact dates have not been confirmed. It’s possible Samsung will reveal more with the Galaxy S26 series launch in late February, and Google may discuss its first products at Google I/O around May 2026.