Promises of expanded AR technology by Meta and Google were highlighted at AWE, yet the future of AR glasses remains complex and uncertain.
Future of Smart Glasses: expects, disagreements, and hard truths from 2025's AWE panels
Smarter than a bionic sunglasses trend is here, and it's growing fast! At the Augmented World Expo 2025, smart glasses' future was passionately discussed by industry giants, including Google, Meta, and others. However, when drilling down to augmented reality (AR) displays in glasses, visions got too complicated and polarized, as the following insights reveal.
During the "What does it take to achieve mass market adoption of AR products?" panel, tech giants zoomed in on AI and questioned whether "AR glasses" even need a visual display. Among the usual suspects like Google, Meta, and Qualcomm, dialogue was invigorating yet divisive.
Google, Meta, and Qualcomm concurred that the future of smart glasses would be inevitable, even morphing into everyday accessories for future generations, potentially dethroning phones. Yet, the tools they propose to emulate smart glasses' success are strikingly different due to their varying costs, trends, and focus areas.
AR glasses have already carved a niche for home entertainment with popular gaming and streaming hardware like Viture and XREAL. However, Big Tech's ambitions extend beyond the recreational realm, aiming at stylish, all-day AR accessories for the average consumer. That tall order will present some technical challenges, as noted by XREAL's Ralph Jodice, who recently crafted Android-XR powered AR glasses.
Indeed, there's a discordant mix of form factors, with displays on the narrower side for notifications and widening up to 70-degrees for full-blown entertainment. Could there be one clear blueprint for success similar to smart glasses? Apparently not. According to Meta VP of AR Devices, Kelly Ingham, there will be multiple categories, from minimal display requirements to full-form factor, full-color glasses capable of providing a computer on your head.
In the State of Smart Glasses and What's Around the Corner panel, Ingham admitted that today's AR displays are still heavy and uncomfortable, with monocular and binocular displays posing their own set of challenges. For XREAL's part, they've made great strides in widening the Field of View (FoV) to 57-degrees, soon poised to go even wider at 70-degrees, but customers still clamor for a smaller, more comfortable design.
The Google AR team, particularly Bernard Kress, echoed Ingham's sentiment in the forenamed mass market adoption of AR panel. Kress outlined several potential AR market segments, each with varying technical and design requirements. These include:
- Monocolor AR glasses with modest visual output
- Full-color single-display glasses for understated aesthetics
- Binocular, full FoV glasses capable of handling higher power demands and bigger bodies
- More affordable "smart goggles" with contemporary styles
- Full optical see-through headsets like Hololens for high-end users
Unfortunately, this smorgasbord of possibilities makes it difficult to envision AR glasses' future for non-tech-savvy users. Smart glasses, by comparison, are more straightforward, with Ray-Ban Meta glasses as the guiding example. With built-in AI assistance, cameras, speakers, and phone connectivity wrapped in a stylish design, smart glasses seem ready to deliver easier, everyday adoption.
Google, in comparison, believes that AR glasses must have a display and provide additional capabilities beyond just audio. They ultimately see AR success hinging on “killer apps” before widespread adoption. Google, with prior experience developing smart glasses, recalls disappointment when consumers could not find a real use for the technology once they grew past the novelty stage. Thus, they affirm that AR glasses' visual capabilities only become necessary once the technology can accurately pinpoint a physical element in a user's environment, known as “World Locking.” Another requirement? Affordable, power-efficient microLEDs for optimal image clarity and energy efficiency, with software being the ultimate key to unlocking AR glasses' potential.
Meta, meanwhile, insists that mainstream adoption of smart glasses and AR hardware is crucial for AR glasses' success. Meta has already sold two million smart glasses and expects the total glasses market to surpass double-digit millions by 2027. Only then can retailers fully embrace smart glasses and supercharge marketing efforts to boost wider consumer adoption. According to Meta, once consumers embrace AI glasses and are educated about short-term audio interfaces, they'll gradually develop higher expectations for more sophisticated AR glasses. However, Meta predicts this won't happen until after 2030.
Meta is strategizing to build early prototypes to tackle market challenges, focusing on reducing weight, improving audio quality, increasing stylistic variety (especially for women), and driving down costs. They have ignored the elephant in the room: battery life. No one at AWE could really offer a plausible solution for petite, high-performance AR glasses with all-day battery life. Despite the continuation of debates and theories, the ultimate success of AR glasses still appears an enticing, yet challenging elixir for Big Tech.
Google wants AR hardware and software synergy
Google emphasizes the vital role of both AR hardware and software in unlocking the full potential of smart glasses. It's a testament to Google's commitment to Android XR, a platform developed alongside Samsung and Qualcomm, while leaving hardware creation to third parties. Android XR promises all-day wear, scalable development across diverse form factors, and multimodal input capabilities. It's a solid foundation for developers to build apps optimized for various AR hardware, hastening the eventual industry crossover.
Meta persists in focusing on immersive XR experiences
Though specific details about Meta's AWE 2025 keynote are scarce, it's clear that Meta's focus remains on immersive spatial computing within its extensive XR ecosystem. Investment in mixed reality headsets with advanced spatial computing lay the foundation for a seamless integration of the digital and physical worlds across social and work contexts. Though Meta hasn't unveiled any new announcements for AR glasses at this year's expo, their presence signals a continued focus on immersive, AI-powered AR experiences. Whether Meta will further advance its AR glasses offerings in the coming years remains to be seen.
Snap ears smart glasses for everyday use
Snap has rolled out plans to make AR glasses mainstream with its new, lightweight Spectacles featuring immersive, AI-enhanced design aligned with everyday use. Snap is also empowering creators and developers to craft immersive AR experiences within their ecosystem, making its glasses a popular choice for artists, advertisers, and app developers. In a few years, Snap may become a readily-recognized leader in the AR glasses space, provided it addresses concerns about cost and user-friendliness.
- Google, Meta, and Qualcomm contend that the future of smart glasses may replace the dominance of smartphones, as they envision these devices becoming everyday accessories for future generations.
- In the world of AR displays, there seems to be a diversity of opinions among tech giants like Google, Meta, and Qualcomm, with discussions ranging from the necessity of visual displays in AR glasses to the potential of killer apps for widespread AR adoption.
