- XR applications consist of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mix Reality (MR)
- The report expects the near-eye display for the XR application to cross the $1 billion revenue mark this year
As per the latest research by Omdia, the total shipments of near-eye displays for XR applications, including AR, VR and MR are expected to be 24 million in 2023 with a 67% YoY growth rate. The report stated that in terms of revenues, the near-eye display for XR application revenues touched $620 million in 2022. This year, it expected the near-eye display for the XR application to cross the $1 billion revenue mark for the first time ever, by increasing to $1.15 billion.
The report noted that displays for VR applications still formed the bulk of shipments. Omdia believed that the maturity of AR display technology would still need three to five years for development, given the complexity of AR displays and optical engines.
As is well known that a majority of consumer electronic devices performed poorly in 2022 due to worldwide inflation, pandemic-induced lockdowns in some Chinese cities, geopolitical instability and weak demand, Omdia added that XR products were no exception. It must be noted that the XR device is represented in both the amount device and smart glasses forms.
A senior research analyst with Omdia, Kimi Lin commented on the new data, “Shipments of near-eye terminal devices declined in 2022 to 14,382 thousand units, a 1.3% decline year-over-year (YoY) and under expectations. While Omdia has significantly revised long-term forecasts, we are optimistic for 2023 due to key products such as the Sony PSVR 2, Apple’s mixed reality headset, and Meta Quest 3 as well new product launches expected from HTC, which will all bring a new round of growth.”
Calling TFT LCD (thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display) and AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) as still the ‘mainstream’ in VR applications and the most mature display technologies for near-eye displays, the research pointed out that OLEDoS (also known as Micro OLED) has better visual performance than TFT LCD and AMOLED. However, its high costs make it less attractive and hence, its market share remains limited. According to Omdia, only a few XR devices have adopted OLEDoS as of now, but shipments are very small due to its high-end positioning.
As Apple is expected to adopt OLEDoS on its commercial-oriented MR device that will be released in 2023, it should increase the OLEDoS display shipment substantially in 2023 and 2024. However, Omdia believes the share growth of OLEDoS will slow down after 2024 unless OLEDoS cost and prices can be reduced significantly to a level most brands can afford, especially in the high-resolution OLEDoS.
It further conveyed that for the smart glasses, displays for AR devices are silicon-based. Although OLEDoS is the mainstream now, the brightness of OLEDoS does not meet the requirements for outdoor use of AR devices. This brings a huge opportunity for Micro LED on Silicon or known as LEDoS. Omdia projects that the LEDoS technology matures in three to five years, and LEDoS will finally become mainstream in the AR application market.
Omdia, part of Informa Tech, is a technology research and advisory group which combines a deep knowledge of tech markets with actionable insights aimed to empower organizations to make smart growth decisions.
