EssilorLuxottica CEO Predicts Smart Glasses Will Replace Smartphones, Despite Discrepancies in Market Data

EssilorLuxottica, a prominent player in the eyewear industry known for its ophthalmic lenses, frames, and sunglasses, is undergoing a strategic transformation alongside Meta. The company envisions a future where AI-powered smart glasses could render smartphones obsolete. However, significant discrepancies exist between these ambitious goals and actual consumer demand.

EssilorLuxottica’s CEO Envisions a Shift: “Smart Glasses Poised to Eclipse Smartphones”

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Francesco Milleri, the Chairman and CEO of EssilorLuxottica, stirred conversation by suggesting that smartphones may soon fade into obsolescence. He predicts a future saturated with interconnected smart glasses, describing a scenario where “hundreds of millions”of these devices will forge vast communities among users.

Milleri also disclosed plans to ramp up smart glasses production to 10 million units annually by the end of 2026, aligning with Meta’s increasing demand. This will bolster not only Meta’s smart glasses initiatives but also support EssilorLuxottica’s own innovations, such as Nuance Audio glasses, which blend advanced audio technology with hearing aids.

Barclays projected that the collaboration with Meta could bring EssilorLuxottica up to €6 billion by 2030. Analysts also see room for total annual smart glasses shipments to rise to 60 million units by 2035. But if smart glasses are supposed to partially replace smartphones, … https://t.co/uFW9JWPdIJ pic.twitter.com/k0sVCF5sEQ

— Jukan (@Jukanlosreve) October 9, 2025

Despite this optimistic outlook, a closer examination reveals a disconnect between Milleri’s vision and the current market dynamics. Analysts estimate that the Total Addressable Market (TAM) for smart glasses is projected to reach only 60 million units by 2035, a stark contrast to the staggering smartphone sales figures. For instance, Apple alone sold 232 million iPhones in 2024.

This discrepancy signifies that while smart glasses have potential, they are not yet on the verge of becoming the dominant technology. A substantial paradigm shift in consumer behavior is essential for this evolution, and based on current trends, such a transition appears unlikely in the immediate future.

Meta’s Advancements in Smart Glass Technology

As reported earlier this month, Meta leads the smart glasses market, prompting Apple to halt development of a high-end version of its Vision Pro headset in favor of focusing on AI-enabled smart glasses.

Recently, Meta has unveiled the next generation of Ray-Ban smart glasses, equipped with innovative features:

A large in-built display capable of displaying text, videos, directions, and real-time translations.
An impressive 42 pixels per degree (ppd) resolution, surpassing all of Meta’s existing consumer VR headsets.
A custom light engine combined with a waveguide delivering brightness up to 5, 000 nits, making the glasses suitable for various environments.
The Meta Neural Band serves as a control interface, allowing users to navigate apps through hand gestures detected via electromyography (EMG).
The Ray-Ban Display smart glasses retail for $799, now available for purchase.

As the competition intensifies, the future of smart glasses holds considerable intrigue, paving the way for potential transformation alongside established smartphone technology.

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