Q1 AR/VR headset market up 18.1% | Electronics Weekly

“While Meta continues to lead, the rise of brands like Viture and XREAL shows that innovation in form factor and user experience is resonating with consumers,” says IDC’s Jitesh Ubrani, “the next wave of growth will be driven by mixed and extended reality, especially as AI and Android XR platforms mature.”

XREAL was second driven by shipments of its One series.

Viture stood out with 268.4% y-o-y growth.

TCL grew 91.6%.

The “Others” category experienced a sharp decline of 47.2%, underscoring a market shift toward both established and emerging leaders with focused product strategies.

Notably, Sony and Apple—typically strong players in the AR/VR space—were absent from the top rankings this quarter, as channels maintained healthy inventory of their products. This shift also marked the first time that three of the top five vendors—XREAL, Viture, and TCL—specialized in optical-see-through (OST) glasses, collectively capturing a significant 22.5% share of the market.

IDC expects VR shipments are  to decline sharply while  Mixed Reality (MR) and Extended Reality (ER) are poised to dominate.

Despite the growth in MR, the category will largely remain as a means of gaming and content consumption for consumers. However, smart glasses like those that are part of the ER category will have broader appeal in both consumer and enterprise segments.

MR shipments are projected to grow from 3.3 million units in 2025 to over 15.2 million units by 2029

ER is expected to surge from 2.2 million to 8.6 million units over the same period

Augmented Reality (AR) will also see steady growth, reaching 457,000 units by 2029.

Despite a forecasted 12% decline in total shipments for 2025 due to delayed product launches, IDC expects a strong rebound in 2026 with 87% growth, ultimately surpassing the pandemic-era peak of 11.2 million units. From 2025 to 2029, the market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.6%.