Global AR display shipments are forecast to reach 21 million units in 2030, surpassing VR display shipments of 19 million units, according to Omdia’s latest XR near-eye display market forecast.
This shift reflects a broader transformation in demand across the microdisplay industry as manufacturers increasingly prioritize lightweight smartglasses designs, notes the research group.
The AI/AR glasses market continues to face a fundamental trade-off between performance, device weight, and battery life, with manufacturers finding it difficult to optimize all three simultaneously. One approach, seen in products such as Ray-Ban Meta, is to remove the display module and focus instead on AI computing and audio-visual input capabilities.
Omdia says this reflects a broader industry effort to balance functionality with device weight and battery life, while prompting manufacturers to reassess the role of displays in smartglasses design.
The research group’s data reveals that the XR near-eye display market is undergoing a significant structural transformation:
- VR display market share is forecast to decline from 72% in 2026 to 43% by 2032
- AR display share will climb from 28% to 57%
“The shift towards lighter devices is redefining the design of smartglasses,” said Jay Shao, Principal Analyst in Omdia’s Displays practice. “As AI becomes an increasingly important part of the user experience, manufacturers are reconsidering the role of displays because of their impact on power consumption and device weight. Demand for AR glasses displays will continue to grow, although these design constraints are likely to moderate the pace of growth. In VR, lightweight silicon-based OLED display technology is expected to gain long-term advantages as manufacturers pursue more compact and comfortable devices.”
