Meta leaps into the next generation of smart glasses

• Available September 30 and starting at $799, the glasses bring a significant price bump but also a clear leap in capability.
• Also introduced Oakley-branded Vanguard glasses targeting athletes. Priced at $499 and launching on October 21.

Meta Platforms has just made a bold move in wearable technology, taking the wraps off its first consumer smart glasses equipped with a built-in display. These new glasses, dubbed the Meta Ray-Ban Display, mark an evolution from the brand’s previous collaborations and signal Meta’s intention to maintain momentum as a contender in the age of artificial intelligence.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg took centre stage at Meta’s annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, using real-time demos to showcase the device’s capabilities. The demonstration wasn’t entirely smooth—a failed call left Zuckerberg joking with the audience—but the mood stayed upbeat. These moments served to humanise the launch and illustrate what’s at stake when pioneering cutting-edge tech.

Supercharging intelligence and presence

Zuckerberg painted an ambitious vision: smart glasses as the doorway to what he calls “personal superintelligence.” According to him, the glasses are an ideal platform—they free up your hands and senses, allowing you to stay present while an embedded AI assistant helps you remember more, communicate smarter, and heighten your awareness and productivity, all in real time.

The new Ray-Ban Display glasses pack a discreet digital screen into the right lens, primarily for quick-bite tasks like displaying notifications. They promise:

• Resolution: 600 × 600 pixels
• Field of view: 20 degrees (42 pixels per degree)
• Refresh rate: 90Hz (with content refreshing at 30Hz)
• Brightness range: From 30 up to 5,000 nits
• UV detection to automatically adjust brightness

Meta highlights the privacy of this miniature display, noting that less than two per cent of light leaks out—so nobody nearby can easily see what you’re viewing.

Available September 30 and starting at $799, the glasses bring a significant price bump but also a clear leap in capability.

A trio of wearable innovations

Meta didn’t stop at one reveal. It also introduced Oakley-branded Vanguard glasses targeting athletes. Priced at $499 and launching on October 21, Vanguard offers:

• Integration with major fitness tracking platforms (Garmin, Strava)
• Real-time performance feedback and post-workout summaries
• Up to nine hours of battery life

Additionally, the classic Ray-Ban line sees notable upgrades—a near doubling of battery life and improved camera performance, though with a new $379 price tag.

All wearables in this launch lineup support Meta’s AI assistant, hands-free commands, integrated cameras, and direct livestreaming to Facebook and Instagram.

Context and competition

Meta’s smart glasses have become something of a standout in the burgeoning field of wearable AI, but the company faces stiff competition from industry heavyweights like OpenAI and Google. To keep pace, Zuckerberg has spearheaded a “talent arms race” in Silicon Valley and committed enormous resources toward specialised AI chips.

Not everything is rosy, however. As the company pushes further into hardware and artificial intelligence, it continues to face scrutiny over broader issues—especially content moderation and child safety across its vast social media footprint.

This isn’t Meta’s final form in smart eyewear. Industry analysts see the Ray-Ban Display as a stepping stone, pointing toward the grander vision of “Orion”—Meta’s ambitious project slated for 2027.

Orion, teased as a prototype last year and billed by Zuckerberg as “the time machine to the future,” represents Meta’s bet on an all-in-one AR device.

Market watchers expect the overall market for AR, VR, and display-less smart glasses to skyrocket by nearly 40 per cent in 2025, with Meta driving much of this surge. Enthusiasm for the Ray-Bans produced in partnership with EssilorLuxottica is expected to play a significant role.

For now, Meta’s unveiling is both a statement of intent and a glimpse into a future where AI quietly, and stylishly, augments everyday life—one lens at a time.