AI Smart Glasses Sales Projected to Exceed VR Headsets by 2030

According to Omdia's forecasts, global shipments of AI smart glasses are expected to surpass those of VR headsets for the first time in 2030. The research firm predicts that 21 million units of smart glasses will ship that year, compared with 19 million VR headsets.

This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward lightweight wearable designs. Manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing smart glasses formfactors over the heavier, more cumbersome VR headset designs that have dominated the extended-reality market to date. As the smart glasses category matures, suppliers are allocating resources and innovation capacity to meet growing demand in this segment.

What This Means for AV Integrators

AV integrators should begin monitoring the smart glasses market and assessing how this category may integrate into future workplace, hospitality, and retail environments. While the 2030 forecast remains several years away, early awareness of this market shift could help integrators evaluate partnerships, training needs, and potential use cases for lightweight AR and AI-enabled eyewear solutions in their project portfolios.