My first thought when learning about Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses was, “Man, they are going all in.”
This week at Connect, Meta unveiled a refreshed lineup of smart glasses, including Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 and Ray-Ban Meta Audio, the company’s first pair with no cameras.
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It’s also launching new styles for its Meta-branded glasses, including one in collaboration with Blackpink’s Lisa, and opening the Ray-Ban Displays to international markets. Again: they’re going all in.
Ahead of the day’s keynote, I spent the afternoon trying every pair launching this fall, and it’s safe to say that Meta is continuing to advance its AI-enhanced product vision, even amid ongoing privacy concerns about its smart glasses. Here’s what that all looks like.
It’s all about refinement in year three
We’re now in year three for the flagship Ray-Ban Meta glasses, so the latest changes are more about refinement and tying up loose ends. The latest model, which starts at $449, may be the most customizable yet, with three frame styles to choose from — Aviator, Zena, and Wayfarer — as well as 27 color and lens combinations.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETMost people will likely be drawn to the classic Wayfarer style, but I actually quite like the Aviator, with its teardrop-shaped lenses that droop just enough to sit against my face.
That said, these glasses are still ideal for fans of thicker frames, as they’re fitted with camera sensors and processing units similar to those in the second-generation models. For something thinner and lighter, the audio-only glasses may be the play. More on that later.
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Meta’s introducing some quality-of-life changes to the third-generation Ray-Bans, including new temple tips that are more flexible and adjustable than those on the previous models, a longer nine-hour battery life rating (up from last year’s eight), a programmable action button, and a six-mic array that should make your voice sound clearer during calls.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETAs far as content capture goes, not much is changing in terms of recording quality, but Meta is pushing a new Dynamic Photos feature that captures bursts of photos from which you can pull an ideal frame. After all, capturing with glasses has never been as fast or as reliable as with a smartphone or a traditional camera.
Lastly, Meta isn’t physically changing anything about the Ray-Bans’ camera LED or sensors; instead, it continues to lean into software lockdowns if it detects that the glasses have been tampered with or covered. Meta says it will also continue to surveil users who abuse modifications by banning accounts associated with nonconsensual filming.
Audio-only smart glasses are finally here (sort of)
I say that because Meta isn’t necessarily the first to market with these — Amazon, Solos, and several other brands have tried to popularize audio-only glasses in the past, but never to the extent of mainstream acceptance. Can Meta be more successful?
It’s possible, as the audio-only glasses arrive at a time when people are more concerned about camera-enabled wearables. By omitting the sensors and components required for photo and video capture, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses are much lighter and thinner. They’re about the same weight as a deck of playing cards, I’m told.
kerry Wan/ZDNETThey also last much longer than traditional Ray-Ban Meta glasses, with the company touting up to 12 hours per charge. Focusing on audio means these glasses are better suited to less power-hungry tasks, such as listening to Bluetooth music, taking calls, and communicating with the Meta AI assistant. With the included charging case, you’re looking at roughly 48 hours of total usage.
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I can see myself wearing these more than the camera-equipped glasses, even if I lose the ability to freely take pictures and videos of my surroundings. Frankly, I’ve found myself listening to podcasts and shows more often than recording content, and many others may be in a similar boat.
As far as privacy and security go, Meta tells me the glasses will only passively listen for “Hey Meta” cues and nothing else. Should you want to err on the side of caution, there’s a microphone-disable toggle in the right frame that physically shuts off all audio inputs.
The Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses come in Clubmaster and Burbank styles and will start shipping on Oct. 13. They’re available for preorder today, starting at $349.
I took a video call with my hologram, and it was trippy
The big news with the Ray-Ban Meta Display is that it’ll soon become available outside of the US, with Meta expanding availability to the UK, Canada, France, Italy, and Germany. And the display-embedded glasses continue to represent the company’s wilder ambitions.
Ahead of Connect, I got to demo an upcoming hologram feature that allows you to make video calls on WhatsApp with digital clones. The setup process involved taking a face scan and saying a couple of phrases as expressively as I could. And the actual hologram functions by reacting to your voice, not through any cameras or sensors on the wearable. You can see an example of a hologram below.
The result was what looked like an artificially generated version of myself appearing on screen as I walked around a conference room wearing the glasses. Some characteristics, such as the lack of head tilts and turns, made the generated hologram less realistic, but the lighting and occasional blinks and smirks helped make it appear a little more natural.
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The experience was trippy, and the use cases here are quite limited for now; I was told it would come in handy when you’re rushing through an airport with bags in your hands and need to take a video call with a family member or friend. A more realistic example may be joining a work video call when you don’t have the time to put on makeup or do your hair.
I’m interested to see how this feature expands and whether the public is ready for holograms to replace real-time video feeds, but I can say that, for a moment this week, it actually felt like I was living in a sci-fi dream.
More options for existing models
Besides the two new models, Meta is adding more styles to existing ones, including Meta Glasses by Lisa, a collaboration with the popular Thai artist. The special edition pair comes with a custom star-studded charging case, temple tips for the frame, and thematic charms that fans will likely enjoy.
Meta Glasses are also getting a “Fury” style with a clear frame and mirrored lenses, as well as an “Adventurer” style with a standard black frame and gray lenses. The latter of the two will become Meta’s most affordable pair of smart glasses, with a starting price of $249.
