AI glasses market set for explosive 158% growth

The artificial intelligence-powered glasses market is on track to experience strong growth, with shipments expected to increase by 158 percent year-on-year, reaching 5.1 million units globally this year, according to market research company Omdia.

China is set to become the second-largest market for AI glasses after the United States, with shipments projected to reach 1.2 million units by 2026, representing 12 percent of the global market share, the consultancy said.

To capitalize on this immense growth potential, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province-based smart glasses manufacturer Rokid, has unveiled a lightweight AI-powered eyewear in partnership with domestic eyewear brand Bolon.

The new device integrates leading Chinese AI models, including Alibaba's Qwen, DeepSeek and ByteDance's Doubao, to offer a voice-activated digital assistant capable of recording videos, taking photos, playing music and providing navigation.

Zhu Mingming, founder and CEO of Rokid, predicts that within the next three to five years, AI-enabled glasses will undergo dramatic changes, with more interactions shifting to smart glasses while smartphones serve as terminal devices for communication, computing and storage.

The company aims to sell more than 1 million units of AI glasses next year, with shipments expected to reach 2 to 3 million units by 2027, and surpass 10 million units by 2028, he said, adding that "AI glasses are approaching their iPhone moment."

In addition, plans to invest heavily in developing its ecosystem, with third-party developers already designing accessories for its glasses.

AI glasses have witnessed explosive growth in sales during this year's Singles Day shopping carnival. Data from e-commerce platform Tmall showed that the turnover of smart glasses surged 2,500 percent year-on-year, while JD said the transaction volume of smart glasses rose 346 percent from a year earlier, making it the fastest-growing category among all digital products.