If there’s anything faster than bullet trains in China, it’s the growth of China’s smart glass industry, with forecasts suggesting shipments to double in 2025. A new report from IDC suggests that shipments may reach 2.9 million units next year, reflecting a 121% year-on-year boost. The reason for such a high demand is the new AI-driven features, falling prices, and increasing consumer interest.
Shipments grew by 116% in the first quarter of 2025 alone, compared to last year. With major brands and startups’ aggressive investing, China is quickly positioning itself as a global leader in this market.
China Smart Glasses Sales Surge in 2025
As per the IDC data, 494,000 units were shipped in the first quarter of 2025, with audio and audio-capturing glasses ruling the sales. These models accounted for 359,000 units, almost triple that of the previous year’s figure.
The selling prices have dropped dramatically, from several thousand yuan to around 1,000 yuan (~$140). This price reduction has made smart glasses more accessible to the general audience, broadening the market.
Offline sales also showed strong gains, rising 75% year-on-year, showing that demand is not limited to online platforms.
Xiaomi, Huawei and AI Glasses Lead the Market
Big names like Xiaomi and Huawei continue to dominate the online sales, while smaller companies experiment with features such as real-time translation and health tracking. Tech giants like Huawei, Alibaba, and ByteDance are also investing heavily, intensifying competition.
As per reports from IDC, AI-powered smart glasses made up 78% of Q1 shipments, making them the primary growth driver. With better sales expected in the second half of 2025, analyst Wang Haoyu suggests, the market will soon expand into fitness, business, and accessibility sectors. As the lenses are much cheaper than before, it opened the door to a wider audience, and the demand is continuously rising.
Some are even predicting that the smart glasses market can spark the “Hundred Lens War” in 2026.
