Meta has unveiled three innovative pairs of AI-powered smart glasses, marking a significant advancement in wearable technology. The standout product is the Meta Ray-Ban Display, the first mainstream smart glasses featuring a built-in augmented reality heads-up display since the discontinued Google Glass. Announced at the Meta Connect event, these glasses blend classic Wayfarer-style frames with cutting-edge features, including a camera, speakers, and microphone, to seamlessly integrate AI into everyday life.
The Meta Ray-Ban Display projects a small, bright, and crisp color display onto the inside of the right lens, positioned just below the wearer’s eye line. This display, visible only to the user during interactions, can render text, images, and even live video calls. It supports practical applications such as real-time conversation translations, landmark information, and turn-by-turn walking directions. An LED indicator on the frame notifies others when the camera is active, addressing privacy concerns. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated the glasses at the event in Menlo Park, California, emphasizing their potential: “Glasses are the only form factor where you can let AI see what you see, hear what you hear,” and eventually generate content like images or videos. The demo encountered minor technical issues, which Zuckerberg attributed to event Wi-Fi limitations.
Control options for the Ray-Ban Display include a touch panel on the arms and voice commands, similar to previous Ray-Ban Meta models. A key addition is the water-resistant Neural Band bracelet, which functions like a screenless smartwatch. It detects electrical impulses from the forearm to enable gesture-based interactions, such as pinches, swipes, taps, rotations, and thumb-operated virtual d-pad navigation. Future updates will incorporate handwriting recognition using a finger. The glasses connect via Bluetooth to Android or iPhone devices and integrate with Meta’s ecosystem, facilitating messaging and video calls through WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. Additional features encompass live captions for conversations, music playback controls, and a viewfinder mode for composing photos before sharing.
In parallel, Meta introduced the Oakley Meta Vanguard, a display-free line of smart sports glasses tailored for athletes. Drawing inspiration from Oakley’s Radar and M-Frame designs, these wrap-around glasses weigh just 66 grams and feature a central nose-mounted camera, microphones, and speakers for capturing content, making calls, listening to music, and interacting with AI during workouts. They boast swappable lenses, water resistance, up to nine hours of battery life, and replaceable nose pads in various sizes for a secure fit.
A notable collaboration with Garmin enhances the Vanguard’s utility for fitness enthusiasts. The glasses sync with Garmin watches and bike computers, allowing users to query real-time metrics like speed, pace, heart rate, and distance via voice commands. An internal LED flashes to signal achievement of target metrics, providing instant feedback. The built-in camera automates video clip capture at key milestones—such as every kilometer, specific speeds, elevation gains, or heart rate thresholds—automatically stitching them into highlight reels with data overlays. Users can share these directly to the Strava social network, streamlining post-activity documentation.
Pricing and availability details underscore Meta’s push into accessible wearables. The Oakley Meta Vanguard is priced at £499 (€549/$499) and will begin shipping on October 21. Meanwhile, a second-generation update to the original Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses offers improvements like doubled battery life and a higher-resolution video camera, retailing for £379 (€419/$379/A$599). These launches position Meta at the forefront of AI-integrated eyewear, potentially reshaping how users interact with digital information in both casual and high-performance scenarios.
