Newflex to Exclusively Supply Core Components for 'Meta Glasses'... Poised to Benefit from $200 Billion Smart Glasses Market

Newflex, a company specializing in flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs), is emerging as a key beneficiary amid the expansion of the global smart glasses market. The company is attracting market attention as the only domestic supplier providing core components exclusively for Meta's AI glasses, a major U.S. big tech company.

Newflex is currently supplying major components for the Samsung Galaxy S26, and with the success of this product, the company's performance turnaround is gaining momentum this year. In addition, its growing presence in the smart glasses sector is further boosting growth expectations.

The securities industry is also giving high marks to this competitive edge. In a report published late last year, Meritz Securities highlighted that Newflex is the only domestic component supplier providing essential FPCBs for Meta's AI glasses, citing this as evidence of its technological capabilities. The report also analyzed that Newflex is solely developing two Meta glasses models scheduled for release in 2026. Furthermore, the report projected that Newflex products are highly likely to be adopted in the AI glasses currently being prepared by domestic customers, indicating that the company’s supply base is expected to expand further going forward.

The Meta Glasses, scheduled for release in Korea in July, currently hold a 78% share of the global market. Meta plans to increase production to more than 10 million units by the end of 2026. Meta stated, "Since their launch last fall, the response has been overwhelming, with the waitlist now extending into 2026." The company also explained, "Due to unprecedented demand and limited inventory, we have suspended our initial plans to expand into overseas markets such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada in early 2026, and will focus exclusively on fulfilling orders within the United States."

Market prospects remain positive. According to market research firm TrendForce and others, global shipments of smart glasses this year are projected to surge by 97% compared to last year, reaching 10 million units for the first time. The related market size is also estimated to reach 200 billion dollars (about 291 trillion won) by 2040. It is expected that the next major battleground for global IT companies will shift from mobile phones to AI smart glasses.

Additionally, as the automotive industry undergoes a paradigm shift toward electric vehicles and autonomous driving, demand for FPCBs used in automotive electronics and electric vehicle batteries is rapidly increasing. Newflex is actively expanding its business beyond its traditional mobile-focused structure into the automotive component market and FPCBs for wearable robots.

A Newflex representative stated, "We established a Vietnamese subsidiary dedicated to post-processing in 2015 and another local subsidiary capable of full processing in 2018. To meet surging demand, we are currently constructing our third plant in Vietnam," adding, "The explosive demand for Meta Glasses and the structural growth driver of 'diversifying FPCB applications' are combining to accelerate our growth."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.