Global shipments of AI glasses more than doubled in the first half of 2026, reaching a record 4.2 million units, according to research firm Omdia. That’s 127% growth year over year. In mainland China shipments grew 306%.
Meta still dominates. It shipped 3.4 million units in the half, an 81.3% share, on the strength of its Ray-Ban and Oakley lines. “Growth in the AI glasses market in 1H26 was driven by Meta’s continued momentum and new entrants from China,” says Omdia analyst Qiran Ju.
A distant second place, and a different idea
The number two brand is Even Realities, with 102,000 units and a 2.4% share, up from fifth place. Its glasses take a very different approach. Meta and most rivals build around a camera for hands-free photos and video, plus open-ear speakers. Even Realities dropped both the camera and the speakers. Its frames are slimmer and focus on a small display for jobs like live transcription.
So the category is splitting in two. Camera glasses are really wearable cameras with an assistant attached. Display glasses are closer to a heads-up screen. For now the camera camp is winning on volume by a very wide margin.
China as the test lab
The US is still the largest market, but mainland China is where most of the experimenting happens. It’s the main supply chain hub and home to a crowded field of competing designs. Alibaba, INMO and Xiaomi together take 46.1% of Chinese shipments. The rest is split among many smaller brands.
Privacy is the open question
Cameras on faces bring privacy worries, and Omdia doesn’t think settings menus will be enough. “Tighter privacy settings alone won’t suffice,” says analyst Jason Low. He says companies must define what the cameras capture and guarantee that the content never reaches third parties. As these glasses move from early adopters to the mainstream, that promise may matter as much as battery life.