Meta has officially launched a new line of smart glasses without the iconic Ray-Ban branding. The move marks a strategic shift for the company, which had partnered with EssilorLuxottica to produce the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses over the past three years. The new Meta Glasses start at $299, roughly $80 cheaper than the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2, and come in three distinct styles: Fury, Adventurer, and a special collaboration with socialite Kylie Jenner.
The decision to drop the Ray-Ban name was driven primarily by pricing. Alex Himel, Meta’s vice president of wearables, explained that the company wanted to offer a more affordable option. While EssilorLuxottica does have lower-priced brands, none carry the same recognition as Ray-Ban. By creating their own line, Meta can offer a lower entry point while still leveraging EssilorLuxottica’s manufacturing and design expertise. The new glasses still carry the EssilorLuxottica name, stamped discreetly on the inside temple.
From a design perspective, the Meta Glasses borrow heavily from the Ray-Ban silhouettes but introduce notable improvements. The internal hardware is identical to the recently released Ray-Ban Meta Optics Styles, with slightly extended battery life. The Adventurer model features thinner rims, while the Fury is chunkier and more squared. The Kylie Jenner collaboration adopts a Y2K-inspired aesthetic, designed to be worn lower on the nose, complete with a tiny gem on the upper left lens for personality.
For lifelong glasses wearers, the adjustable nose pads and temple tips are a significant upgrade. The nose pads click into three positions, and the temple tips feature a bendable wire for a customized fit. Overextension hinges accommodate wider faces, and prescription support ranges from -12 to +2.25, though prescriptions stronger than -6 require a visit to an optician.
Meta’s move comes at a time when privacy concerns continue to shadow the smart glasses category. Recent reports from The New York Times and Wired revealed that Meta is developing facial recognition features for its glasses. Additionally, incidents of harassment using the glasses have prompted backlash. Himel acknowledged the problem, stating that Meta is working on privacy updates to be released soon. He emphasized that if people are not comfortable with the glasses, Meta’s business is at risk. However, he did not divulge specific details about the upcoming changes.
On the AI front, Meta is betting heavily on its Muse Spark model, which will be available on the new glasses and via software updates on older Ray-Ban and Oakley models. The AI is designed to be more conversational, supporting 14 additional languages including Arabic, Japanese, Mandarin, Hindi, and Korean. New features include pedestrian turn-by-turn navigation and a dynamic photo mode that selects the best frame from multiple captures. During hands-on testing, live Mandarin translations were smooth, though latency was noticeable in crowded demo spaces. The AI also provided decent recommendations and calorie estimates, though it admitted uncertainty about some items.
Despite these advancements, the core challenge remains: convincing consumers to accept the privacy trade-offs for a device that is still finding its killer use case. Meta hopes that lower pricing and improved AI will broaden the appeal, but the company must deliver on privacy promises to avoid bans in public spaces. Himel expressed a desire for consistent policies across states and countries, warning that fragmented regulations complicate development. He drew parallels to the early smartphone era, but noted that smartphones had obvious value propositions that made privacy concerns secondary.
The Meta Glasses are now available in seven colors across three styles. While they represent a solid piece of hardware, the ultimate success will depend on Meta’s ability to address privacy and deliver compelling AI experiences that outweigh societal discomfort.
Source:The Verge News