Smart glasses are getting good fast and 2026 could be their make-or-break year

Smart glasses had a moment in 2025. Not a full-blown cultural takeover, but a shift. They stopped feeling like science-fiction prototypes and started looking like real consumer tech you could actually wear outside without feeling like a beta tester.

Meta’s stylish eyewear helped set the tone. Suddenly, there were frames that looked like normal sunglasses, included surprisingly capable AI features, and didn’t cost the earth. For the first time, the idea of wearing tech on your face didn’t feel ridiculous.

It’s a long way from the early Google Glass era, when the hardware was fascinating and visionary, yet the world simply wasn’t ready. In 2025, the landscape has changed. LLMs are smarter, chips are more efficient, displays are better, and people are more comfortable with wearables in general. The idea is finally starting to make sense.

And still, we’re not there yet.

The year smart glasses started to make sense

Part of the momentum came from designs people actually want to wear.

I didn’t mind the Oakley Meta HSTN. They look good, and the AI features are surprisingly helpful, especially for hands-free queries and simple assistance on the go.

The Oakley Meta Vanguard takes things further with a sportier, cyclist-leaning design and Garmin watch integration. That combination hints at how smart eyewear could play a role in performance and training, without shouting “tech gadget” at everyone you pass.

Ray-Ban Meta glasses also found an audience because they look… like Ray-Bans. Add voice control, camera tools and AI features, and suddenly the concept feels natural rather than experimental.

Then there’s Even Realities’ G2 Display Smart Glasses, which move beyond cameras and into subtle, heads-up information. Notifications, navigation prompts and contextual info live quietly in your field of view.

Pair them with the R1 smart ring, and you get a wearable ecosystem working together rather than a single gadget doing everything. For the first time, smart glasses don’t feel like answers desperately searching for questions.

Useful, yes, but still frustrating

The tech remains expensive and occasionally clunky. Camera quality lags far behind even the smallest action cameras. Stabilisation, resolution and colour science still belong to the specialist devices, and I wouldn’t replace my DJI Nano or Insta360 GO Ultra with smart glasses just yet.

Durability is another sticking point. Drop an action camera, and you shrug. Do the same with smart glasses, and you may be shopping for new ones.

AI features are promising, but not flawless. You still rely heavily on your phone, and the experience rarely feels as robust as simply uploading a photo to a dedicated AI app.

Capturing still feels awkward. You can’t see framing. Angles go wrong. Moments look slightly off. It’s hands-free, yes, but also slightly blind.

And in sporty scenarios, I miss proper HUDs. Asking for data verbally breaks the flow. I’d love glasses that link directly to a watch and show live stats in my field of vision, just like Form’s swimming goggles. That feels like the logical direction.

Privacy, acceptance and the comfort problem

There’s also the reality that smart glasses are the most covert recording devices most people will ever wear.

Tiny indicators, small lenses, no obvious red light; not everyone knows when they’re being captured. Public acceptance is improving, but trust still lingers behind curiosity.

Then there’s battery life, weight and long-term comfort. Wearing something on your face all day needs to feel invisible. We’re getting closer, but not quite at the point where you forget the tech is even there.

Where smart glasses go next

Despite all of that, I still believe smart glasses are the future.

They consolidate functions we already use constantly: navigation, notifications, assistance, media capture, and coaching. They just need to feel natural, affordable and dependable.

If I worked at an action camera brand, I’d be nervous. DSLRs didn’t disappear overnight, but phones slowly replaced them for everyday shooting. Smart glasses could do the same to action cams once the optics, durability and AI truly catch up.

I want glasses that store and process more locally when my phone isn’t around. I also want smarter AI guidance when it is around. Imagine walking through a city, and your glasses quietly explain where you are, what you’re looking at and why it matters.

Pricing still needs to fall, too, and market saturation will help with that. And big brands like Samsung or Apple entering the space would accelerate innovation dramatically, even with Meta already pushing hard.

Mixed-reality headsets like Apple Vision Pro loom in the background, pointing to another possible future: immersive, powerful computing shrunk into something as light and unobtrusive as sunglasses. That day isn’t here yet. Smart glasses have a window to establish themselves before attention swings elsewhere.

For now, the tech is imperfect yet potent, and getting better fast. Watch this space.