Best Smart Glasses of 2026: Meta, XREAL, Even and More
The best smart glasses of 2026 compared: Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley, Meta Ray-Ban Display, Even G2, XREAL, VITURE and Snap SPECS, with U.S. prices and specs.
Even Realities
TrendForce Sees AR Glasses Shipments Doubling to 1.31 Million in 2026, With Meta Holding Only About 20%
TrendForce forecasts AR glasses shipments rising 111.1% to 1.31 million in 2026. Meta leads at about 20%, while XREAL, Even Realities, Rokid and RayNeo hold 53.2% combined.
A Third-Party Even G2 Web Flasher Now Serves Only Even’s Official Firmware, and Calls Its Own Case Write Path Experimental
An independent browser tool for Even Realities G2 and R1 began publishing 16 official G2 and 12 official R1 firmware images on October 9, excludes custom builds, and warns its case write path has not been validated on sacrificial hardware.
Even Documents the G2’s Display as 576×288, but a Warranty-Voiding Firmware Patch Says the Panels Are 640×480
Even Realities documents a 576×288 canvas for the G2. The unofficial g2flash and Faceclaw projects say the panels are 640×480, and reaching the rest requires firmware that voids the warranty.
Even Realities App 2.3.2 Adds QuickNote and Long-Press Shortcuts, but Only After Firmware Updates on Both G2 and R1
Even Realities’ October 2 app update brings QuickNote and customizable long-press shortcuts to the G2 glasses and R1 ring, but the release notes require firmware updates on both devices first, and no firmware version numbers are published.
Omdia: Meta Held 81.3% of AI Glasses Shipments in First Half of 2026
Omdia says Meta shipped 3.4 million of 4.2 million AI glasses worldwide in 1H26 — an 81.3% share — while camera-free Even Realities climbed to second place with 102,000 pairs.
TechRadar’s Even G2 Review: Camera-Free Wins. Software Still Half-Smart.
Lance Ulanoff’s TechRadar review of Even Realities G2, published September 13, praises the camera-free waveguide design and teleprompter, then scores the software and price as unfinished for a $599 frame.
Even Realities Sues XGIMI Over MemoMind Design. Kickstarter Dies First.
Even Realities’ parent sued XGIMI and Kickstarter in EDNY over MemoMind One’s look. The $1.27M Kickstarter campaign was suspended before any ruling on infringement.
Even Realities G2 Leans Into Camera-Free Privacy at IFA. $599 and 36 Grams.
At IFA 2026, Even Realities positions the camera-less G2 — ~36g, ~two-day battery, $599 — as a privacy-first AI glasses alternative amid Meta camera-glasses backlash.