Why is Meta shifting to LCoS, while domestic AI glasses brands are flocking to Micro LED?

1. Meta’s AI glasses, featuring a 1080P LCoS display, are making significant industry impact.

The long-awaited AI glasses with a display from Meta (code-named Hypernova) are set to make their official debut at the Connect event on September 17, 2025, with pre-orders opening in October. The device features a 12-megapixel camera that supports 4K HDR, a full-color LCoS microdisplay with 1080P resolution, and an array-based optical waveguide solution, delivering a peak eye-level brightness of 2000 nits. Weighing approximately 70 grams, the glasses will be priced at $800.

According to reports from several market analysis firms, the global smart glasses market is expected to grow by 110% year-on-year in 2025, with AI glasses co-branded by Meta and Ray-Ban capturing over 70% of the global share. Paired with Meta’s pioneering sEMG neural wristband, the Hypernova model will further solidify Meta’s leadership position. Compared to traditional touch, tap, or button-based interactions, sEMG gesture control significantly enhances the convenience and efficiency of human-machine interaction when using AI glasses. By 2028, global shipments of AI/AR glasses are projected to reach 35 million units, representing a remarkable annual compound growth rate of 119%.

Meta's Hypernova smart glasses represent a significant departure from Orion, the high-cost AR concept product unveiled at last year's Connect event—and they underscore Meta's ambitious push into the consumer market.

First, Meta has abandoned the high-cost, full-color HD Micro LED display paired with diffractive optical waveguides—a solution that was impractical for consumer-grade products due to its prolonged development timeline. Instead, the company is now adopting a new, cost-effective approach featuring high-brightness, high-resolution (PIC) LCoS displays combined with arrayed optical waveguide technology. Second, the device is powered by the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 2 chip, enabling local execution of the Llama 3-8B model, as well as on-device AI capabilities such as real-time translation and scene recognition.

However, since the PIC LCoS display has relatively high power consumption, Hypernova has opted for a single display to ensure longer battery life and reduce overall system power usage. Meta’s upcoming Hypernova 2, slated for release in 2027, will feature an upgraded dual-display setup, leveraging a new-generation, high-brightness, low-power Micro OLED panel to deliver an even sharper, AR-like visual experience.

Meta's newly unveiled Hypernova represents a significant upgrade in the global AI glasses arena. Beyond incorporating highly innovative neural interaction technology, the choice of its display and optical solutions also reflects leading international manufacturers' keen understanding of consumer needs. This is expected to influence a wave of domestic AI glasses makers eager to follow suit, with the next batch of domestically produced AI glasses featuring LCoS displays and arrayed optical waveguide technology set to hit the market soon. However, what exactly are the must-have features for AI glasses? And how should manufacturers strategically align their hardware choices, market positioning, and pricing strategies to meet these demands? These are critical questions that domestic AI glasses companies need to carefully consider.

2. What is the essential need of consumers for AI glasses? What kind of software and hardware configuration do they require?

Actually, this is the primary question that all AI glasses manufacturers need to answer. If you’re already a glasses wearer, there’s definitely motivation to swap your regular pair for an AI-powered one—provided it doesn’t add discomfort and comes at a reasonable cost. But in an era where mobile devices are already drowning us in information overload, and people are starting to look for ways to reduce digital clutter, consumers will only genuinely embrace AI glasses—and move beyond just trying them out briefly—if these devices meet real-world needs. Otherwise, they’ll likely end up gathering dust on a shelf.

Glasses offer a better visual experience than smartphones.

For example: Ultra-large screens, 3D effects, high-definition cameras, and stunning HD visuals.

Hardware requirements: HD camera, full-color HD microdisplay.

Wearing it on your head feels more natural and convenient than holding it in your hand.

For example: video communication during socializing, traveling, exercising, or working; as well as video interactions.

Hardware requirements: A non-invasive brain-computer interface and a neural wristband (which uses electromyography signals to recognize subtle gestures like pinching or rotating the palm) for contactless operation; meanwhile, the capacitive touch on the temple arms remains available as an alternative option.

Consumers are willing to wear them voluntarily and reuse them.

For example: Stylish and trendy in design, it frees your hands while ensuring privacy—and comes equipped with an AI-powered smart assistant that’s even more efficient than your phone.

Software: Just like mobile phones, it features killer apps that cater to socializing, entertainment, gaming, fitness, and more—alongside highly efficient AI models, open APIs, and a robust, mature software ecosystem.

Based on the above requirements, it’s easy to see why Meta Hypernova features hardware configurations such as a high-definition LCoS microdisplay and a neural interaction wristband, setting it apart from the previous-generation Ray-Ban AI glasses in terms of functionality. This innovative approach redefines the user experience of AI-powered eyewear, enhancing multi-modal AI capabilities like real-time visual search, deep integration with voice assistants, and seamless Instagram Live streaming—ultimately aiming to replace some of the use cases currently handled by smartphones.

A critical question in AI glasses applications: Will consumers wear AI glasses for extended periods, or will AI glasses eventually replace smartphones as the mainstream digital gateway?

Meta Hypernova has provided the answer: weighing in at 70 grams and offering around 4 hours of battery life, it’s clear that the current version of Hypernova isn’t designed for extended wear. In short, AI glasses—at least at this stage—still resemble the bulky, feature-phone-era "big brother" of early mobile devices, let alone the ambitious vision of replacing smartphones as the primary gateway to the digital world.

However, the future is already here. Hypernova signals that AI glasses have taken a crucial step—moving beyond being just a "smartphone accessory," like those from Ray-Ban, and firmly establishing themselves as true "AI-powered devices." In fact, when smartphones first hit the market, consumers initially limited their usage to lightweight "voice + text" apps, with usage duration and frequency vastly different from what we see today.

Additionally, Meta wisely reduced the price of Hypernova to $800. Excluding inflation, this price is almost identical to what early Apple smartphones initially retailed for. For consumer electronics aimed at end-users, pricing is undeniably a decisive factor—from concept launch to becoming a bestseller. For domestic AI glasses manufacturers that prioritize thinness and brightness above all else—yet struggle with a lack of innovation while often charging over $1,000—abandoning the costly, low-resolution Micro LED display paired with diffraction-based lightwaveguide optics has become an urgent necessity.

First, make sure consumers are willing to buy—only then can you start discussing how to change the world. MetaHypernova’s strategy is to first deliver the core functionality of "AI glasses," focusing on scenarios where users are genuinely ready to wear them for the sake of "intelligence." Only after that will the company continue refining and enhancing the product—rather than blindly chasing features like 6,000 nits of eye-popping brightness or ultra-light, ultra-thin designs, while losing sight of what initially drives consumers to purchase AI glasses in the first place.

AI glasses may not replace phones or computers as the gateway to the digital world anytime soon, but they could very well start replacing the screens of both devices—and soon. The combination of "glasses + phone" or "glasses + computer" offers a superior visual experience and enhanced ease of human-computer interaction, seamlessly blending the digital and physical realms. This is precisely what makes AI glasses an irresistible draw for consumers eager to embrace this new technology.