Big buzz, small market: Meta’s smartglasses attract holiday demand

NEW YORK — Early tech adopters are gobbling up smartglasses like Thanksgiving turkey — especially Meta’s new, retro-chic version with a visual display in the lens. But concerns about price, privacy, and the comfort of wearing a computer on one’s face are giving mainstream shoppers pause this holiday season.

Meta and partner EssilorLuxottica’s “smart” Ray-Bans and Oakleys, which first launched in 2023, have captured the tech world’s attention by answering calls, taking pictures and playing music. The latest model — the Meta Ray-Ban Display — includes a visual display in the right lens, and connects users to artificial intelligence (AI).

US smartglasses sales tripled year over year in 2025, according to market research firm Circana — great news for a type of gadget that crashed and burned after Google’s ill-fated “glass” experiment in 2013, and which has been trying to regain respect ever since.

Holiday sales this season will likely dwarf the $52.6-million US shoppers spent on smartglasses in the final quarter of 2024, said Ben Arnold, a consumer technology industry analyst with Circana. Analysts expect tech companies like Apple and Samsung to release their own smartglass products soon.

John Paul Stewart, a New York City resident, was intrigued enough to visit a Meta Lab store in Manhattan last week, one of dozens of consumers crowding around display cases or receiving demos of the glasses from Meta workers. But he found the glasses a little heavy.

“I don’t know how comfortable it’s going to be, like, to wear them for a long period of time,” said Mr. Stewart, 51. “I feel like I’m going to wait for one more generation.”

About 25% of respondents surveyed by CivicScience — a consumer research firm that embeds survey questions in news, lifestyle and entertainment websites — recently said they are interested in trying smartglasses, up from 20% early this year.

Smartglasses ownership now is about where smartwatches were in 2017, and interest is rising, CivicScience surveys show.

Still, “We’re not quite there” in terms of mainstream adoption, said Avi Greengart, a tech industry analyst who runs market analysis firm Techsponential.

“Long term, who knows? We’ll all be cyborgs.”

A spokeswoman for Meta declined to comment on how many Displays have been sold, or how many will be produced for the holidays. The Displays — which sell for $799 before adding prescription lenses — will not be discounted for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, the spokeswoman added.

EssilorLuxottica did not immediately respond to questions about the availability and pricing of the smartglasses this holiday season.

GROWTH SURGING
The Display — Meta’s most advanced AI-powered eyewear — comes with a smartphone-like display in the right lens, and an accompanying bracelet that tracks hand movements. With pinches and thumb flicks, users can scroll through apps to play music, converse with AI, record video, and even translate languages in real time.

Simpler and more widely available Ray-Ban Meta models, which lack a visual display, sell for $300 to $400. EssilorLuxottica said in February it had sold more than 2 million pairs of Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses since launching them in September 2023, and now says it’s on track to raise production capacity to 10 million units a year by the end of 2026.

User Silvia Rendon — speaking remotely on her “Displays” — says she uses the glasses in her job as a San Antonio school teacher. Ms. Rendon, 42, was so keen for hands-free access to AI during classroom lessons that she bought her Displays at a huge markup on eBay — spending $1,200 — after they sold out at stores.

Greg Dow, 62, said he is considering a purchase, but worries about who might be able to access tracking data. “I think there is big potential to misuse the technology,” Dow said.

For some, including 48-year-old Iliak Castro, price poses a barrier.

“Maybe,” he said with a smile, “I’ll ask Santa for some.” — Reuters