In 2025, the battle for the next dominant computing platform shifted from pockets to faces. Smart glasses, once a punchline from the Google Glass era, turned into the focal point of a high-stakes contest among the world’s biggest tech companies, each racing to own the interface that could eventually rival the smartphone.
What changed was not just hardware, but the fusion of lightweight eyewear with always-on artificial intelligence, spatial computing, and a maturing market that now sees glasses as more than a gadget. The result is a new kind of tech war, one that plays out in fashion boutiques, chip fabs, and app ecosystems as much as in traditional device launches.
The year the giants all moved at once
The clearest sign that 2025 marked a turning point is that nearly every major platform company moved in the same direction at the same time. Earlier this year, reporting showed that Google and its rivals converged on smart glasses as the next big consumer bet, treating them not as experimental accessories but as core products that will sit alongside or eventually replace phones. That shift reframed glasses from a niche wearable into the front line of a platform struggle, with operating systems, app stores, and AI assistants all being redesigned for a world where the screen is no longer in your hand.
At the same time, the broader market context hardened that conviction. Analysts tracking AI glasses, a type of smart eyewear that blends audio and visual capabilities, have noted that these devices are gaining traction as people grow more comfortable with AI tools in daily life and as a large share of the population already wears prescription frames. Projections that this category could reach significant revenue by 2030 give the big players a clear financial incentive to move now, even if the hardware is still heavier and more expensive than ideal.
Meta’s head start and the “3.5 m” signal
Among the combatants, Meta entered 2025 with a crucial advantage: real-world usage. From late 2023 to the second quarter of 2025, the company shipped more than 3.5 m pairs of its Ray-Ban smart glasses, a figure that instantly separated Meta from rivals still in prototype mode. Those Ray-Ban devices, built with Ray and Ban branding front and center, turned out to be more than a fashion collaboration, they were a live test bed for how people might actually use AI-enhanced cameras and microphones in public.
Inside Meta, that traction has been treated as validation of a long-running bet. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has spent many billions of dollars trying to build computers people will wear on their faces, and he has repeatedly described AI glasses as “the next computing platform.” In earnings conversations highlighted by Follow Peter Kafka, he framed 2025 as a pivotal year for AI glasses, arguing that the company’s early lead in hardware and software integration could pay off as the category matures.
Why Meta thinks glasses can outgrow the phone
Meta’s strategy is not just about selling more hardware, it is about loosening the grip of the smartphone itself. Internal thinking, reflected in outside reporting, suggests that smart glasses could eventually let Meta reach consumers directly, potentially reducing its dependence on mobile operating systems controlled by others. Analysts have noted that while Smart glasses are not likely to become as ubiquitous as smartphones in the near term, they could still give Meta a powerful new way to reach consumers directly, especially if AI assistants become the primary interface.
That ambition is visible in Meta’s product roadmap. At Meta Connect, the company used its flagship event to unveil new AI and AR glasses, positioning them as part of a broader ecosystem that spans headsets, glasses, and services. Reporting on Meta Connect detailed how the company is rolling out these products in stages, starting in select markets and then expanding in the US at the end of September, a cadence that mirrors how smartphones once seeded their own ecosystems.
Apple’s countermove: from Vision Pro to Vision Air to glasses
Apple, which helped define the smartphone era, has been more cautious in public but no less aggressive behind the scenes. Earlier this year, internal priorities shifted as Apple paused a Vision Pro revamp to prioritize smart glasses work, reassigning teams that had been focused on its high-end headset. That decision signaled that the company sees lightweight eyewear, not bulky mixed reality rigs, as the more promising path to mainstream adoption.
Further reporting underscored the scale of that pivot. Apple shelved its Vision Air project and shifted focus to next-gen smart glasses designed explicitly to rival Meta, a move described as a direct response to Meta’s momentum in AI eyewear. The company’s decision to put Vision Air on hold and redeploy resources into glasses suggests that Apple is preparing a head-to-head contest over who defines the next generation of personal computing.
Google’s second chance and the Warby Parker alliance
Google, which stumbled with the original Glass, is now trying to reenter the fight with a more measured approach. Late in the year, the company unveiled plans to try again with smart glasses in 2026, positioning the effort as a fresh start that learns from past missteps. Reporting on those plans highlighted how Google is preparing both software and hardware updates, with Technology reporter Liv McMahon noting that the company is betting on a more mature AI ecosystem and better miniaturized components to make the new devices viable.
Crucially, Google is not going it alone on design. In New York, Warby Parker Partners with Google To Develop Intelligent Eyewear, bringing fashion credibility and retail reach to a category that has often struggled to look like something people actually want to wear. The collaboration, announced by Warby Parker Partners and Warby Parker Inc (NYSE), aims to blend prescription-ready frames with embedded Google To Develop Intelligent Eyewear technology, a pairing that could help normalize smart glasses for everyday use rather than just tech enthusiasts.
Samsung, displays, and the component arms race
While platform companies fight over software and ecosystems, another battle is unfolding at the component level. Samsung has been preparing its own display-free smart glasses and AR headset, with plans that intersect directly with Apple and Google’s timelines. Reporting on those efforts notes that the wearable will house micro-LED displays, the same panels that Apple uses in the Vision Pro for richer visuals, underscoring how display technology has become a strategic asset in its own right. By investing in LED panels that can fit into glasses, Samsung is positioning itself as both a competitor and a supplier in this new market.
These component advances matter because they determine what kinds of experiences are possible. Microdisplays that match or exceed the clarity of Apple’s Vision Pro for near-eye use, combined with low-power chips and compact batteries, are what make it feasible to move from bulky headsets to something that looks like a normal pair of frames. As more companies chase similar display and optics breakthroughs, the supply chain itself becomes part of the tech war, with access to cutting-edge panels and lenses shaping which brands can deliver truly immersive yet socially acceptable glasses.
AI in your line of sight: why glasses, why now
Underpinning all of this is a simple idea: the next major computing shift will be driven by AI that is always within your line of sight. Analysts have argued that The Next Computing Platform Is Already On Your Face, drawing a parallel to how smartphones, Twenty years ago, did not just arrive but rewired how people communicate, shop, and work. In that framing, smart glasses are not just another gadget, they are the hardware shell for ambient AI that can see what you see and hear what you hear, a concept explored in depth in The Next Computing Platform Is Already On Your Face.
Consumer appetite for AI has also shifted. For those who have grown increasingly comfortable using AI tools every day, the idea of having that assistance available through glasses feels less like science fiction and more like a logical next step. Reporting on this trend notes that a large share of the population already wears glasses, and that the market for AI-enabled eyewear could reach about $8.2 billion US by 2030, a projection tied to rising Consumer comfort with AI and the ubiquity of eyewear. That combination of behavioral readiness and technological capability is what makes 2025 feel like an inflection point rather than another hype cycle.
From niche gadget to mainstream market
Behind the headlines, the numbers show a market that is still small but growing fast. The global smart glasses market, driven by North America, was worth almost $2 billion last year, according to Grand Vi projections, and is projected to top $8 billion by 2030. That trajectory, highlighted in North America focused analysis, suggests that while glasses will not replace phones overnight, they are moving from experimental to commercially meaningful territory.
Banking and economic research has started to treat AI glasses as a distinct category, noting that these devices provide audio and visual capabilities that enable media consumption and real-time interaction in ways phones cannot easily match. The Key takeaways from that work emphasize that although current models are heavier and more expensive than ideal, they are already finding footholds in productivity, navigation, and entertainment, especially among early adopters who value hands-free access to information.
Shopping, media, and the “less screen, more world” pitch
One of the most immediate battlegrounds for smart glasses is retail and media. Thanks to AI-powered smart glasses and spatial computing, digital content no longer lives solely behind screens, it can be layered onto the physical world in real time. Companies building these experiences argue that this shift will transform both daily life and e-commerce, with virtual try-ons, in-store navigation, and personalized recommendations appearing directly in a shopper’s field of view. That vision is captured in work that frames the trend as “Less Screen, More World,” a phrase used to describe how Thanks to AI and smart glasses, immersive shopping is becoming a practical reality.
Media consumption is evolving alongside retail. AI glasses can already capture short video clips, translate text in real time, and overlay contextual information on live events, from sports games to concerts. As more content platforms build native experiences for glasses, the fight will not just be over who sells the hardware but over who controls the formats, ad models, and creator tools that define how people watch and share through their eyewear.
Design, fashion, and the Warby Parker effect
For all the talk of chips and AI models, the war over smart glasses will be won or lost on design. Consumers have shown little patience for devices that look overtly “techy,” a lesson that companies like Google learned the hard way with early prototypes. That is why partnerships with established eyewear brands matter. The collaboration in which Warby Parker Partners with Google To Develop Intelligent Eyewear, announced in NEW YORK by Warby Parker Inc (NYSE), is as much about aesthetics and fit as it is about sensors and software. By embedding technology into frames that already have cultural cachet, the partners hope to make NEW smart glasses feel like a natural upgrade rather than a costume.
Meta’s work with Ray-Ban follows a similar logic, using familiar silhouettes to mask the complexity inside. As more brands enter the space, I expect to see a split between overtly futuristic designs aimed at gamers and developers, and subtler frames that target office workers, commuters, and students. The companies that can bridge those worlds, offering both style and function, will have a structural advantage as the category matures.
The AI layer: assistants, context, and privacy tension
What makes this generation of smart glasses different from earlier attempts is the depth of the AI layer. Devices from Meta and others now ship with assistants that can describe surroundings, summarize notifications, and answer questions about whatever the wearer is looking at, all in real time. Reporting on Meta’s latest models notes that the smart glasses have been a bright spot in the company’s broader push into disruptive technologies, in part because they can interpret a user’s surroundings and respond conversationally, a capability highlighted in Meta focused coverage.
That power comes with obvious privacy questions. Always-on cameras and microphones, combined with cloud-based AI processing, raise concerns about bystander consent, data retention, and surveillance. While companies have added visible recording indicators and on-device processing options, the social norms around wearing AI glasses in public are still unsettled. How regulators and communities respond to those tensions will shape not only adoption rates but also which features survive into the next generation of products.
Hypernova, Meta Glasses 2025, and the next wave of hardware
The hardware roadmap for the next few years is already taking shape. Meta is preparing new models, including devices referred to as Hypernova, that aim to push smart glasses deeper into the mainstream with better displays, longer battery life, and tighter integration with its AI services. Coverage of these plans, framed within a broader look at coming products, ties them to a global market that is rapidly expanding and to projections that the category will be worth several billion dollars by the end of the decade, as detailed in Grand Vi estimates.
Other manufacturers are not standing still. Meta Glasses 2025: The Future of Smart Glasses AR and Immersive Reality has been used to describe a new generation of devices that treat immersive reality as the next frontier in wearable technology. Reporting on Meta Glasses emphasizes that The Future of Smart Glasses AR and Immersive Reality is not just about overlaying notifications but about building full spatial interfaces that can replace traditional screens for work, entertainment, and communication.
The quiet role of online marketplaces and early adopters
While the big brands battle for headlines, a quieter ecosystem of early products is already circulating through online marketplaces. Search listings for smart glasses show a growing range of options, from basic camera-equipped frames to more advanced models with heads-up displays and voice control. One such product listing illustrates how third-party manufacturers are experimenting with different form factors and price points, often targeting niche use cases like cycling, warehouse work, or live streaming.
Another product listing highlights how some models emphasize high-resolution imaging or ruggedized builds, catering to creators and professionals who need hands-free recording or heads-up data. These early adopters, while small in number compared with smartphone users, are providing valuable feedback that will shape the next wave of mainstream devices.
What 2025 tells us about the next decade
Looking across these developments, I see 2025 less as the year smart glasses “arrived” and more as the year the industry collectively decided they are worth fighting over. Meta’s early shipments, Apple’s pivot from Vision Pro and Vision Air to glasses, Google’s renewed push with Warby Parker, Samsung’s micro-LED investments, and the rise of AI-first experiences all point in the same direction. The companies that once battled over app stores and phone screens are now contesting who will own the interface that sits between our eyes and the world.
The outcome is far from settled. Smart glasses are still expensive, socially awkward in some contexts, and constrained by battery life and privacy concerns. Yet the momentum is unmistakable. As AI becomes more capable and less visible, and as hardware shrinks into frames that look like ordinary eyewear, the tech war of 2025 may be remembered as the moment when computing began to slip quietly off our desks and out of our pockets, and into something we wear without thinking about it at all.
More from MorningOverview