Smart glasses sales explode 167% year-over-year in Q1 2026, with 2.25 million units shipped in a single quarter as Meta dominates with a 69.2% market share, while Google, Snap, and Chinese rivals intensify competition in a race toward mainstream adoption projected to hit 13.6 million units by year's end.
Google unveils AI-powered smart glasses at Google I/O, partnering with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker for a fall release, featuring Gemini AI integration via smartphone and audio-only output, as the tech giant moves to compete in the rapidly expanding smart glasses market.
Google unveils AI-powered smart glasses at Google I/O, partnering with Samsung, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker to deliver Gemini-powered voice navigation, real-time translation, and hands-free photo capture, with a fall release on the horizon.
Google launches AI-powered smart glasses this fall alongside Samsung, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker, offering hands-free navigation, real-time translation, calls, and food ordering through Gemini-powered voice commands on the Android XR platform.
Google I/O 2026 kicks off with massive announcements including Gemini 4, AI-powered glasses built with Warby Parker featuring maps and real-time translation, and Project Aura, a spatial computing device developed with XREAL, signaling Google's boldest push yet into AI hardware and agents.
A new open-source AI voice translator called PuriPuly is revolutionizing real-time two-way communication in VRChat, supporting slang, context memory, and VR subtitles at near-zero cost with free credits for new users.
Apple's camera-equipped AirPods enter near-final testing, featuring low-resolution cameras that act as Siri's eyes for visual AI tasks like object identification and navigation, with a 2026 launch now back on track after early delays tied to Siri's AI overhaul.
Anker unveils the Thus processor, the world's first neural-net compute-in-memory AI audio chip, set to power next-gen Soundcore earbuds with eight MEMS microphones, two bone conduction sensors, and millions of parameters for dramatically improved noise cancellation — with the Liberty 5 Pro Max and Liberty 5 Pro debuting at Anker Day on May 21.
Snap's eyewear subsidiary, Specs, partners with Qualcomm to power future AR glasses with Snapdragon technology, promising true spatial AR capabilities that accurately overlay digital content onto the real world — setting it apart from Meta and Google's competing devices ahead of a consumer launch later this year.
Snap's fifth-generation AR Spectacles impress with crisp visuals, gesture controls, and real-time multi-user AR experiences powered by four cameras and dual Snapdragon processors, but a bulky design and $99/month developer-only price tag stand between these glasses and mainstream adoption.