Augmented reality (AR), when viewed holistically, spans many markets, technologies, and services. Consumers and enterprises are participating, with use cases spanning from heavy industry to media and entertainment. At the heart of all of these use cases are the hardware components making up AR devices, whether they be head-worn or mobile devices. While each component is critical to device functionality, the most user-facing and noticeable component to AR is the display.
Mobile devices are currently in the AR spotlight on the back of Apple ARKit and Google ARCore SDKs, and with the expected uptick in AR usage for these mobile devices, discussions surrounding display types, benefits/drawbacks, and novel mobile display paths will come into play. With head-worn devices, the discussion surrounding displays is more varied. Microdisplays and waveguides, glanceable and direct see-through displays, OLED and LCOS, and more are examined along with the impact and use cases surrounding these technologies and ideas.
This research looks at some of the primary display types for both mobile devices and smart glasses. Technical details, current trends, market sizing, companies to watch, and future market potential are covered.