Will AI glasses usher in an 'iPhone moment'? The Meta launch event is set for September; which concept stocks are likely to benefit?

From September 17 to 18, the global tech community will focus on a major launch event—Meta Connect 2025.This is not just a routine launch,but is seen by the market as the "iPhone moment" for the AI glasses sector.

$Meta Platforms (META.US)$Significant announcements regarding "major wearable device releases" and "breakthroughs in metaverse software" are anticipated.According to market sources, the supply chain has now entered the mass production and inventory preparation phase, and the shipment volume of AI glasses is expected to far exceed expectations.

Driven by the strong functionality of artificial intelligence, the global smart glasses market is experiencing explosive growth.Meta currently holds an absolute dominant position (with a market share soaring to over 70%).The entry of new players such as Xiaomi has also added new vitality to the market.

According to the latest data released by the research firm Counterpoint, the global smart glasses market shipment volume is expected to grow by as much as 110% year-on-year in the first half of 2025.

Source: Counterpoint

Market growth momentum is expected to continue in the second half of the year. Counterpoint has revised its forecasts for the smart glasses market for 2025 and 2026, predicting a compound annual growth rate of over 60% from 2024 to 2029. Analysts believe that technology giants, including Meta and Alibaba, are expected to launch more new products, further driving market expansion.

Having seen this, many mooers are likely eager to learn what highlights will emerge from Meta's upcoming launch event and which companies are expected to benefit. The following will analyze these points in detail.

What are the highlights of Meta Connect?

According to a research report from Tianfeng Securities, at the beginning of the year, Zuckerberg declared that "2025 is the decisive year for AI glasses," with approximately 30 AI glasses expected to be released globally. The main highlights of this event can be categorized into hardware and software aspects, specifically:

Key hardware highlights include:

(1) The high-end, single-lens smart glasses Meta Celeste (codename Hypernova), priced in the thousand-yuan range.According to available information, one of the core highlights of Meta Celeste is its unique single-eye full-color display, which utilizes Lcos+ full-color array waveguides. This display is located in the lower right corner of the right lens and is used to show time, weather, notifications, navigation translation, photo previews, and Meta AI text responses (non-voice). Meta Celeste also features a matching wristband controller, codenamed "Ceres." This device employs electromyography (EMG) technology, allowing users to control the glasses through gestures, such as turning their hand or pinching their fingers to scroll and select items.

(2) The launch of the third-generation Ray-Ban Meta products includes options for prescription glasses and pilot sunglasses.According to industry insiders, Meta will officially launch two new Ray-Ban-Meta products in September this year, codenamed after two cocktails, Aperol and Bellini. The product codenamed Bellini will be officially named Ray-Ban Meta 3 Optical, primarily targeting prescription eyewear. The product codenamed Aperol will be the Ray-Ban Meta 3, designed in the aviator style and still categorized as sunglasses;

(3) More specialized sports AI glasses: Oakley Meta Sphaera:This product is developed based on the Oakley Sphaera sports eyewear frame, featuring PRIZM Lens optical technology, equipped with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera supporting 3K video recording, and has an IPX4 waterproof rating along with open-ear design speakers. This product is positioned for sports scenarios, designed for outdoor activities such as cycling and running, integrating Meta AI interaction features with real-time weather alerts and AR navigation; the collaboration with Prada focuses on the high-end luxury market. Additionally, ** media reported that Meta is collaborating with domestic manufacturer Huakin to develop a smart watch equipped with a camera, which is said to be able to interact with devices like Quest XR headsets and future Meta AR glasses, further expanding Meta's "metaverse" vision.

Software aspect:

Meta has released new generative AI features for its social platform Horizon Worlds desktop editor,including two main tools: "Creator Assistant" and "Style Reference,"which will accelerate and simplify the world-building process for creators;

Meta announced that it will rename its Quest software platform to Meta Horizon OS, aiming to create a more open ecosystem for developers; Meta is also preparing to launch its long-researched Codec Avatars technology, designed to provide social presence.

According to current reports, Meta may initially launch a basic tablet version of Codec Avatars with AI-simulated facial tracking capabilities, allowing users to engage in video calls on WhatsApp and Messenger in a more realistic form than Meta Avatar.

Overall,Meta is first transitioning to true AR glasses through hardware with Celeste (screened AI glasses), circumventing the mass production dilemma of Orion due to material costs exceeding $10,000; secondly, a revolution in interaction is underway: replacing controllers with myoelectric wristbands to resolve control pain points in AR scenarios and establish technological barriers; finally, the development of the ecosystem is lowering entry barriers: further reducing the cost of metaverse creation through more open and advanced metaverse development software.

Which concept stocks are likely to benefit?

Looking ahead, the AR and AI technologies of smart glasses may potentially merge. Mooers have compiled a list of AI+AR concept stocks for your reference:

Among these, In addition to the well-known technology giants, equipment manufacturers $Apple (AAPL.US)$ 、 $Meta Platforms (META.US)$、 $Alphabet-A (GOOGL.US)$ 、 $XIAOMI-W (01810.HK)$ 、 $BIDU-SW (09888.HK)$ 、 $BABA-W (09988.HK)$In addition, it also includes:

Social giant$Snap Inc (SNAP.US)$The company released the fifth generation of Spectacles smart glasses last year, integrating OpenAI's multimodal AI model, allowing wearers to request the generation of AI images as AR filters or interact with Snap's AI chatbot MyAI to obtain relevant information about objects within their field of view.

Camera giant $Sony (SONY.US)$ ，The company released a pre- CES 2025 video on YouTube, featuring a glimpse of a pair of smart glasses and a smart pen designed for spatial drawing, suggesting that Sony may showcase related new products during CES.

AR smart glasses manufacturer $Vuzix (VUZI.US)$ ，The company announced that its latest generation of waveguide and smart glasses reference designs will be unveiled at CES. Notably, the company had announced last November that it successfully secured a six-figure dollar order from a U.S. defense contractor for custom waveguide products, aimed at advancing the research and production of lightweight head-up displays (HUDs). This collaboration further solidifies Vuzix's market position in the defense sector and provides strong support for its ongoing innovations in XR technology.

A global leader in the development and supply of novel wearable technologies and modules. $Kopin (KOPN.US)$，The company has a broad coverage in the military AR/VR field, providing core display technologies for the F35 fighter jet helmets, gun sights, night vision devices, and more. The product line includes various advanced micro-display technologies such as AMLCD, LCoS, MicroOLED, and MicroLED.

The first publicly listed company in the holographic AR sector. $WiMi Hologram Cloud (WIMI.US)$ ，In addition to its self-developed AI+AR holographic glasses, the company has launched several innovative products based on AI+AR technology. Currently, Micro美 Hologram is also striving to enhance its investment in AR glasses, focusing on issues related to interactive generation with AR smart glasses. It envisions cutting-edge application scenarios such as AI-XR digital humans, AI-AR live streaming, AI-metaverse social interactions, and AI-AR digital humans, which are expected to accelerate the company's future development across multiple fields.

The first smart glasses company to support ChatGPT. $Innovative Eyewear (LUCY.US)$ ，The company announced as early as 2023 the launch of smart glasses Lucyd Lyte 2.0, which can utilize ChatGPT through a voice interface.

$TCL ELECTRONICS (01070.HK)$ Its subsidiary, Thunderbird Innovations,the AI glasses series launched in recent years, particularly the Thunderbird V3 AI shooting glasses, has become a focal point in the industry.

Solution providers include $NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$ 、 $Himax Technologies (HIMX.US)$ 、 $Microvision (MVIS.US)$ 、 $zSpace (ZSPC.US)$ 、 $LENS (06613.HK)$ ；

Among these, Himax Technologies has developed technology for augmented reality (AR) glasses,including its proprietary "structured light vision" AI technology, which can perform 3D image processing with extremely low power consumption.

Lens Technology has become one of the most sought-after targets due to its full-stack capabilities in "materials + modules + complete systems."Earlier this year, Lens Technology reached a deep strategic cooperation with leading AI interaction company Hangzhou Lingban Technology (Rokid). In June of this year, the AI + AR glasses developed jointly by Lens Technology and Rokid, the Rokid Glasses, were officially launched at Lens Technology's Xiangtan base. Most notably, there were previous reports thatLens Technology will exclusively supply three core components for Meta's new AI glasses, and the related components are currently in production.

Software providerincludes $Microsoft (MSFT.US)$ 、 $Autodesk (ADSK.US)$ 、 $Roblox (RBLX.US)$ 、 $PTC Inc (PTC.US)$ 、、 $Unity Software (U.US)$ 、 $Etsy Inc (ETSY.US)$ 、 $The Glimpse (GGRP.US)$ 、 $Autodesk (ADSK.US)$ ；

Semiconductorincluding $Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.US)$ 、 $Qualcomm (QCOM.US)$ 、 $KLA Corp (KLAC.US)$ ；Electronic componentsincluding $Universal Display (OLED.US)$ ；Haptic technology developerincluding $Immersion (IMMR.US)$ ；

Cameraincludes $SUNNY OPTICAL (02382.HK)$ ，Optical materialsThere are $SICC (02631.HK)$ 、 $CONANT OPTICAL (02276.HK)$ 。

In addition, related ETFs in the US stock market include $Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (METV.US)$ 、 $ISHARES FUTURE METAVERSE TECH AND COMMUNICATIONS ETF (IVRS.US)$ 、 $PROSHARES METAVERSE ETF (VERS.US)$ / $FIRST TRUST INDXX METAVERSE ETF (ARVR.US)$ and so on.

Overall, the year 2025 represents a critical year full of opportunities and challenges for the AI glasses market. AI glasses, regarded as "wearable smartphones," are being propelled by a triple drive of technological, policy, and consumer upgrades.

However, smart glasses products have not yet fully taken shape; whether AR glasses or AI glasses, there are still numerous technical issues that need to be addressed before the industry can truly explode.

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