XR headwear shipments fall 39% in 1H26 as glasses gain share

Global shipments of extended reality (XR) headwear declined 38.7% year-on-year to 1.9 million units in the first half of 2026, according to data from Omdia. This decline follows a downward trend that began after a pandemic-induced peak in 2021.

While the overall market is shrinking, XR glasses are gaining traction. Their share of total shipments rose to 25.8% in 1H26, up from 10.2% in 1H25. This growth was primarily driven by tethered display glasses, a segment dominated by RayNeo, VITURE, and XREAL, which collectively captured 93.1% of that market. RayNeo and VITURE secured second and third place in the overall XR market with shares of 9.9% and 8.6%, respectively.

Meta remains the market leader, though its share dropped significantly from 71.3% in 1H25 to 48.2% in 1H26 due to weakening demand for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S. Analysts suggest that while XR glasses are seeing momentum due to lighter designs and lower friction for use cases like gaming and video, bulky headsets continue to struggle to expand beyond a core enthusiast base.