Apple is reportedly preparing for a significant expansion of its wearable product lineup, signaling a broader long-term push into spatial computing and AI-assisted consumer devices.
Highlights
- M5-Powered Vision Pro Coming in 2025: The next-gen Vision Pro will feature Apple’s new M5 chip for better performance, while keeping most other specs unchanged. Production starts in Q3 2025 with limited shipment estimates of 150,000–200,000 units.
- Vision Air Launching in 2027: A lighter, more affordable XR headset expected to weigh 40% less than Vision Pro. Key trade-offs include plastic optics and fewer sensors, with an estimated price range of $1,500–$2,000.
- Apple Smart Glasses in 2027: Display-free, AI-focused smart glasses emphasizing voice control, gestures, camera functionality, and audio playback. Projected first-year shipments between 3 million and 5 million units.
- XR Glasses with Built-In Displays by 2028: Apple plans XR glasses featuring LCoS waveguide displays, supporting voice and gesture controls. A more budget-friendly variant is also under consideration for a later launch.
- Paused Display Accessory Project: Apple has halted development on a planned display accessory (featuring Birdbath optics) that was initially targeted for 2026 release.
- Production Timeline Highlights: Vision Pro (Q3 2025), Smart Glasses (Q2 2027), XR Glasses (H2 2028). The display accessory remains on indefinite hold.
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company is working on at least seven new head-mounted products, falling broadly into two categories – XR headsets and smart glasses.
Next-Gen Vision Pro with M5 Chip Coming in 2025
The next iteration of the Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s flagship spatial computing headset, is expected to arrive as early as the third quarter of 2025. This updated model will feature Apple’s upcoming M5 chip, replacing the current M2 processor.
While the internal chipset upgrade promises better performance and efficiency, Kuo reports that most other specifications will remain largely unchanged.
Apple is projecting a limited production run, with shipment estimates ranging between 150,000 and 200,000 units in the first year, underscoring its continued focus on early adopters and ecosystem development.
A Lightweight XR Headset for 2027
In 2027, Apple plans to expand its XR lineup with a more affordable and lightweight device known as the Vision Air.
Slated for a third-quarter release that year, the Vision Air is expected to weigh approximately 40% less than the Vision Pro, thanks to design choices like plastic optics, a magnesium alloy frame, and a reduced number of onboard sensors.
While these compromises suggest that the device will lack some of the Vision Pro’s advanced features, the trade-off will likely be a lower price point, estimated between $1,500 and $2,000, compared to the Vision Pro’s starting price of $3,499.
Apple’s Smart Glasses
Beyond XR headsets, Apple is also developing its first pair of smart glasses, targeting a 2027 release with mass production scheduled for the second quarter. Unlike the Vision series, these glasses will not include a display.
Instead, they will focus on voice control, gesture-based navigation, AI-powered environmental sensing, camera functionality, and audio playback. Different material options will provide users with more personalization choices.
According to Kuo, Apple expects to ship between 3 million and 5 million units of these smart glasses in the first year.
The company sees them as a high-growth product with the potential to replace some functionalities currently handled by TWS earbuds and smartphone cameras, marking a new entry point into the wearable ecosystem.
XR Glasses with Built-In Display Targeted for 2028
Further down the roadmap, Apple is reportedly working on a pair of XR glasses equipped with integrated displays, using Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) waveguide technology.
This model, expected in the second half of 2028, will support voice and gesture control along with AI-centric features. A more affordable version with simplified specifications is also said to be under consideration for a later release.
Display Accessory Project Put on Hold
Apple was also developing a display accessory device designed to act as an external screen for iPhones and other Apple products.
Featuring Birdbath optics and electrochromic dimming technology, this accessory was initially targeted for Q2 2026, but the project was paused in late 2024 after internal discussions around its competitive viability and market fit.
Production Timelines and Manufacturing Plans
Production for the M5-powered Vision Pro is scheduled to begin in Q3 2025, while mass production for the display-less smart glasses will kick off in Q2 2027.
The XR glasses with built-in displays are on track for production in the second half of 2028. Timelines for the display accessory remain uncertain following the project’s pause.
Market Strategy
Apple’s wearable roadmap unfolds as competition in the spatial computing and smart glasses space intensifies. Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, for example, have already surpassed 1 million units sold and are scaling up production with a target of 10 million annual units.
In response, Apple’s more affordable smart glasses aim to stimulate mass-market adoption and could help push global smart glasses shipments beyond 10 million units in 2027.
Additionally, the Vision Air and other upcoming devices appear designed to complement Apple’s broader ecosystem strategy, bringing more consumers into its spatial computing platform while gradually introducing new AI-driven wearable experiences.
