China's PC monitor market is entering a period of sharper structural divergence, with commercial demand offsetting part of a weakening consumer segment while rising component costs push manufacturers toward higher-value products.
The industry has converged on a single precondition for consumer adoption of augmented reality (AR) glasses: the product must look like ordinary eyewear. The China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE) 2026 showed how differently the two critical component groups — microdisplays and waveguides — are responding to that constraint. Microdisplay makers are trading away a modest amount of resolution for smaller Micro LED panel areas, pushing light engines below 0.1cc, and pairing those engines with geometric, surface-relief, and volume-holographic waveguides from multiple suppliers to demonstrate complete near-eye modules and, in some cases, complete glasses. Taken together, the show indicates that AR display technology has reached a workable level of maturity.
Suppliers in China's AR glasses supply chain see the approximately 2 billion people worldwide with myopia as a potential market and said shipments are set to double year after year, even as the industry continues to sift winners from losers. At this year's China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE), smart glasses remained a standout theme alongside optical communications.
S&P Global Mobility senior research analyst for connected cars and user experience in Asia-Pacific Quan Zhang shared the latest forecasts for the cockpit display and head-up display (HUD) markets.
