Image Courtesy: Meta
Meta has unveiled a new lineup of smart glasses and a lightweight virtual reality device, including Ray-Ban glasses without cameras that focus on audio and artificial intelligence. The company also introduced a new generation of camera-equipped glasses and a 100-gram VR device designed to deliver a headset-like experience in a glasses-style form factor.
The announcements were made at Meta Connect in Menlo Park, California, as the company continues expanding its wearable technology portfolio. The camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio AI glasses are designed with microphones, speakers and Meta’s AI assistant, while retaining the familiar Clubmaster and Burbank designs.
The camera-free glasses could also address some of the privacy concerns surrounding smart glasses, which have faced criticism over their ability to discreetly record people. Meta said the glasses have been in development for several years. They offer up to 12 hours of battery life and start at £319, or €349 and A$529.
Meta also introduced the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3, which includes cameras and can run for up to nine hours on a charge. The glasses support Dolby Atmos audio and cost £409, or €449 and A$679. Meta said its smart glasses feature an LED that flashes during recording and that it has improved its systems for detecting attempts to interfere with the recording indicator.
The company is also expanding its Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses beyond the US. They will launch in the UK and Canada on September 23, priced at £749 and CA$1,149, before reaching France, Germany and Italy on October 13 for €899.
Meta’s new VR glasses take a different approach to virtual reality. Weighing just 100 grams, the magnesium-alloy device uses a 5K microOLED display with 37 pixels per degree. A separate 300-gram computing puck, connected by cable, houses the processing hardware and a three-hour battery, reducing the weight worn on the user’s head.
The glasses support multiple virtual displays, Mac and PC screen mirroring, eye tracking and hand gestures. Meta says they are intended primarily for productivity and entertainment rather than gaming and will support immersive 3D content, including a new Disney+ experience.
Priced at $1,299.99, the Meta VR glasses are scheduled to launch in spring 2027 across North America, Europe and Asia.
