On September 8, a significant document integrating the leading forces across the entire AR glasses industry chain was unveiled at the "Xingjiashuo Micro AR Glasses and Mini LED Backlight Image Quality Advancement Trend Analysis Conference"—the 2026 AR Glasses Optical Display Research White Paper was officially released.
Covering everything from micro-display light sources and substrate materials to optical solutions and end-use applications, multiple key enterprises—including Synlight Semiconductor, BOE HC SemiTek Corporation, Sanan Semiconductor, SRI-I, TechnoOptis, Koutan Semiconductor, and Raphael Optech—were deeply involved in the compilation. This provides a valuable phased review for the application of SiC and Micro LED in AR glasses, offering reference for technology route selection and market commercialization.
▋ Micro LED AR Glasses Shipments Expected to Reach Approximately 1.6 to 2 Million Units in 2026
According to the White Paper, the shipment volume of AR glasses with display functions is expected to reach approximately 3.5 million units in 2026, of which the shipment volume of AR glasses equipped with Micro LED micro-displays is projected to be around 1.6 to 2 million units. This is because from 2024 to 2026, Micro LED AR glasses are in the validation and small-batch production stage, primarily consisting of representative products from selected manufacturers.
Looking ahead to the next five years, the shipment volume of AR glasses with display functions is expected to continue growing. Although the absolute scale will be smaller than that of the overall AI glasses, the growth rate will be higher, reaching approximately 35 million units in five years. The slope of the growth curve is expected to gradually increase in the future, aligning with the release of applications for core components and materials such as Micro LED micro-displays and SiC optical waveguides. Over the next five years, the improvement in upstream technology maturity and the expansion of the AR glasses market space will complement each other.
After 2028, with the realization of micro-display production capacity and the maturation of full-color solutions, Micro LED AR glasses are expected to scale up rapidly.
Analysis of Micro LED AR Glasses Shipments from 2024 to 2031, Source: 2026 AR Glasses Optical Display Research White Paper
▋ LCoS / Micro OLED / Micro LED Form a Clear Tiered Competitive Landscape
By 2026, the three technology routes of LCoS, Micro OLED, and Micro LED will have formed a clear tiered competitive landscape, each adapting to different product positioning and usage scenarios.
- LCoS, leveraging the combined advantages of 'single-chip full-color + mature supply chain + low-to-medium light engine cost,' has achieved consumer-grade mass production validation in AI prompt glasses. LCoS still holds advantages in maturity and full-color capabilities, and has regained market attention, especially with the endorsement of leading brands like Meta.
- The main line of Micro OLED technology evolution is the process migration from 'White OLED + Color Filter (WOLED + CF)' to 'Direct Lithography RGB.' Overall, it maintains a high-quality existing basic market, with the focus of competition shifting to full-color processes.
- In the short term (1-2 years), Micro OLED + BirdBath / freeform surface is the current cost-effective first choice for the entry-level immersive viewing AR market, but its market share is accelerating its shift towards 'single-green Micro LED + SRG waveguide.'
- Monochrome Micro LED (especially single-green) has crossed the threshold of mass production and formed product value. From the perspective of optical solution synergy, the combination of Micro LED + diffractive optical waveguide is accelerating the evolution of AR glasses towards 'all-day wearable.'
- Full-color solutions are moving from the 'technology validation' stage to the 'product validation' stage. Among them, Micro LED + SiC, with a light engine volume of <0.5cc and high matching with SiC, is the standard configuration direction for the next generation of thin and light AR glasses.
In summary, the White Paper believes that the optical and display technology routes for AR glasses are advancing on two fronts. On the display side, it starts from mature solutions such as LCoS and gradually transitions to Micro LED as brightness and power consumption requirements increase; on the optical side, it upgrades from glass optical waveguides to SiC optical waveguides with higher refractive indices.
Meanwhile, during the evolution process, a differentiation in the requirements for different technology routes across various application scenarios has formed: the combination of BirdBath + Micro OLED is adopted in low-brightness scenarios such as movie viewing. The combination of Micro LED + SiC optical waveguide is expected to become the ultimate technology route for AR glasses.
AR Glasses Technology Route Path, Source: 2026 AR Glasses Optical Display Research White Paper
The volume ramp-up of Micro LED and SiC in AR glasses is expected to occur in sequence, forming a certain synergistic effect. AR glasses will first adopt a single-green Micro LED display solution, gradually transition to full-color Micro LED display, and progressively adopt the SiC optical waveguide solution paired with Micro LED full-color display.
The combination of SiC and Micro LED will create a synergistic effect: the expansion of the FOV by SiC will reduce system optical efficiency, but the high-brightness output of Micro LED can compensate for it; the local hotspots generated by Micro LED can be helped with heat dissipation by the high thermal conductivity of SiC; Micro LED reduces the light engine volume, and SiC reduces multi-layer waveguides, jointly contributing to making AR glasses thinner and lighter.
Empowered by the synergy of SiC and Micro LED, their combined solution is expected to first scale up by entering the high-end flagship AR glasses market. Subsequently, benefiting from yield improvement, economies of scale, and cost reduction and efficiency enhancement, the price of the whole machine will gradually decrease, application scenarios will continue to expand, and ultimately drive the comprehensive release of market space.