Meta's new Ray-Ban glasses get an AI upgrade

Meta just dropped its second-generation smart glasses at Meta Connect, and they look like an actual product people might wear instead of a sci-fi prop.

Built in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses collection starts at $299. Pre-orders are live now, with retail and online availability beginning October 17 across 15 countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe.

Livestreaming straight from your eyes

The big party trick here is native hands-free livestreaming. You can broadcast your point of view directly to Facebook or Instagram without holding a phone. When viewers drop comments, you can see them in your preview or simply tap and hold the side of the glasses to have them read out loud.

Inside is Qualcomm's brand-new Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 platform, handling compute and image processing. The camera jumps to an ultra-wide 12 MP sensor that records 1080p video clips up to 60 seconds. You can also share shots instantly using a voice command like "send a photo."

Meta also redesigned the chassis to be lighter, slimmer, and rated IPX4 for water resistance. You get the classic Wayfarer frames alongside a new retro Headliner style, with transparent color options like Jeans, Rebel Black, and Caramel that show off the internals. They are prescription-lens compatible, and Ray-Ban Remix offers more than 150 custom frame and lens combos.

Audio received a serious overhaul as well. The new speakers boast deeper bass, higher volume, and tighter directional sound to keep calls private. A newly integrated five-microphone array captures immersive directional audio from all angles when shooting video. Meanwhile, the redesigned charging case holds eight extra charges, providing up to 36 hours of total operating time.

Meta also baked in Meta AI. By saying "Hey Meta," users can ask questions, spark creative ideas, and control settings via voice. However, the AI assistant will only be available as a beta feature in the US at launch.

Why it matters

For casual creators and travel vloggers, this is an impressive upgrade. At $299, it packages quality open-ear headphones, a hands-free 1080p camera, and conversational voice controls into iconic eyewear. The 60-second video limit means you are not replacing an action cam, but for spontaneous lifestyle snippets, it destroys the friction of pulling out a smartphone.

Meta's broader play here looks quite clever. Instead of pushing bulky AR waveguide displays that tank battery life and scream tech geek, Meta refined the invisible tech approach. By partnering with EssilorLuxottica, they prioritize fashion and comfort first, treating hardware capability as an ambient layer.

That said, privacy concerns around discreet face-mounted cameras have not vanished, and social pushback in public spaces remains a hurdle. Furthermore, gating Meta AI behind a US-only beta leaves international buyers with essentially an upgraded audio-and-camera peripheral on launch day.