When Deepseek swept the world, XR technology is also impacting the traditional consumer electronics market with unprecedented momentum. XR, or extended reality, includes VR, AR, MR and other technologies, and is ushering in an unprecedented period of explosion, with a terminal market size of over one trillion yuan.
2025 is the first year of AI glasses, and the “hundred-mirror war” broke out. Taking the sales of one million units of Ray-Ban Meta in 2024 as an opportunity, the global AI glasses market has begun to enter a golden track of rapid growth.
Entering the year of XR breakthrough
Not only that, the current popular track AR glasses, etc., also belong to XR, providing users with a richer visual experience and expanding more dimensional application scenarios. It is expected to stir up the global industrial chain and promote the accelerated popularization of XR consumer products.
Industry insiders analyzed that from the perspective of the end game, AI and AR glasses, as the next generation computing platform, contain disruptive innovation opportunities. Its spatial display technology, spatial perception interaction, etc., and AI+AR glasses cover a variety of scenarios, AI smart assistants and virtual reality integration, which is an opportunity for disruptive innovation.
In addition, in the process of development, smart wearable devices are ushering in a new round of outlets, and industry companies are also moving. In the future, more than half of the successful companies in the market may not be traditional giants. Some emerging companies continue to accelerate the construction of AI+AR machines and ecosystems, and improve the comprehensive strength of supply chain, hardware, software, application ecology, sales channels and brand marketing, which will greatly benefit the development of the entire industry.
More and more companies are actively participating
Meta (META)
Previously, there have been many reports that Meta will release a screen version of smart glasses this year, code-named Hypernova. According to new reports from Bloomberg, Hypernova will adopt a monocular display solution with the screen located below the right lens, which means that the eyes need to look down to see the screen clearly.
It is said that the price of Hypernova may exceed $1,000, or even as high as $1,300-1,400. In addition to Hypernova, Hypernova 2 has also begun development. The device further realizes binocular display and is expected to be launched in 2027.
In other aspects, Meta also plans to release an AI glasses for the cycling market this year, code-named Supernova 2, in collaboration with the Oakley brand.
Apple (AAPL)
At the beginning of the year, Apple was exposed to be adjusting its product route and improving the research and development of AI+AR glasses products. Cook has also been optimistic about the future of AR and has made high comments on AR, “AR is one of the very few technologies that will completely change people’s lives.” It is reported that Apple plans to apply a display screen that deposits micro OLEDs on a glass substrate on a popular XR headset to develop a 2-inch medium-sized display screen with a pixel density of more than 1500PPI.
In addition, Apple is studying how to add physical components similar to the “operation button” on the iPhone to the Apple Vision Pro. A newly granted patent shows that Apple has fully studied the operation buttons in the form of touch areas for Apple Vision Pro. Providing output and collecting input in wearable electronic devices such as head-mounted devices may encounter challenges.
Google (GOOG)
As an old player in smart glasses, the advanced concept of Google Glass has enlightened many people’s understanding of smart glasses. It is understood that Google has been continuously developing new smart glasses projects in recent years, releasing the AR glasses concept product “One More Thing”, cooperating with Samsung to develop new head displays, etc.
This year, it has taken another step forward. Google quietly strengthened its XR team. First, earlier, it spent US$250 million (about RMB 1.8 billion) to acquire part of HTC’s XR R&D team. After the transaction is completed, some members of HTC’s XR R&D team will join Google. At the same time, Google went a step further and announced that it would acquire Canadian eye tracking technology manufacturer AdHawk Microsystems for a total of US$115 million (about RMB 800 million). Obviously, Google is very determined in making AR glasses.
Samsung (SSNGY)
According to reports, Samsung is preparing to launch its first Android smart glasses later this year, codenamed “Haean”, which are designed for long-term use and can adapt to various face shapes.
In addition, it was learned from Korean media that Samsung plans to launch its first XR head-mounted device “Project Infinity”, which is used for OLEDoS (silicon-based OLED) with a size of 1.3 inches and a pixel density of 3800PPI. OLEDoS is a display that deposits micro-organic light-emitting diodes on a silicon substrate.
WIMI Hologram (WIMI)
According to the data, as a pioneer in the XR field, WIMI Hologram has deeply laid out the XR track through technology research and development, ecological construction and strategic investment in recent years. At present, WIMI Hologram has developed an intelligent content recommendation system by combining AI algorithms with AR scenes, which can generate personalized XR content based on user behavior and enhance the XR immersive interactive experience.
On the one hand, WIMI Hologram has independent intellectual property rights in the fields of AR display technology, 3D modeling, holographic imaging, etc., and holds a number of technical patents and software copyrights, covering key links such as AI image processing and model input/output. On the other hand, WIMI Hologram’s technical reserves and application scenario coverage capabilities are considered to have first-mover advantages. It actively expands the metaverse ecosystem, explores applications such as digital virtual people and social entertainment, and forms a technical synergy effect. In the future, it is expected to occupy an important position in the 100 billion-level XR market.
Conclusion
At present, the XR track is ushering in a critical period of technological breakthroughs and market explosion. It is necessary to grasp that at the beginning of 2025, at the International Consumer Electronics Show held in the United States, global manufacturers intensively released a number of “AI+AR” glasses products, which continuously attracted market attention. The mainstream view in the industry is that with the decline in costs and technological advances, XR will be the trend of future smart wearable devices. In the era of great technological changes, XR devices will eventually usher in its “just in time”.
