Meta announced a smart glasses tsunami on Wednesday, confirming that its first consumer-ready smart glasses with a display will hit the market as early as later this month, as the social media giant continues to pitch artificial intelligence-powered wearables as the next big thing after smartphones.
“These are glasses with the classic style that you would expect from Ray-Ban, but they are the first AI glasses with a high resolution display and a fully weighted Meta neural band,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.
The biggest news from Menlo Park, California, was the Ray-Ban Meta Display smart glasses, which feature a small display controlled by a wristband worn by the user. However, Connect 2025, Meta’s annual developer conference, had plenty of surprises including the updated second-generation Ray-Ban AI glasses, as well as the Oakley Meta Vanguard, a new line of performance AI glasses aimed at athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
During Wednesday’s keynote, Meta doubled down on smart glasses, which the company says are the next step in human-computer interaction, combining hardware, software, and artificial intelligence all into one. And analysts were impressed.
Here’s everything Meta announced during its Connect 2025.
Ray-Ban Meta Display glasses
Perhaps the star of the show was a new pair of consumer-focused smart glasses, a first for Meta, with a display. Dubbed the Ray-Ban Meta Display, these glasses fall somewhere between the existing Ray-Ban AI glasses and the Project Orion augmented reality glasses that Meta showcased during last year’s Connect conference.
The glasses are slightly thicker than the standard Ray-Ban AI glasses, with large temples on the sides, but they feel light when worn. They feature cameras, multiple microphones and speakers, allowing users to command the Meta AI voice assistant to take photos, shoot videos, play music, and more. The small display provides notifications, turn-by-turn directions, live translation, and other functions. The biggest difference between the Ray-Ban Meta Display and other smart glasses is the way users interact with them. While they work similar to how Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta smart glasses, the Ray-Ban Meta Display is controlled by an sEMG bracelet for precise gesture tracking.
Smart glasses remain a niche product category, but Meta wants to change that. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The design of the Ray-Ban Meta Display glasses requires some sacrifices. For starters, they feature a “monocular panel” located in the bottom right-hand corner of the right lens. Because of this panel’s position, on-screen information is only displayed over your right eye, and you will need to look down to see the home screen. The glasses lack cellular modem, which means they are not independent and still need to be paired with a smartphone app. Still, they are a step up the existing Ray-Ban AI glasses and a move forward to a smartphone-less word.
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Meta’s new high-tech smart glasses cost $799 and will be available to purchase on September 30 in the US. There is no information on when Meta brings these glasses to India but Meta is targeting international release in 2026.
Oakley Vanguard glasses
Meta and EssilorLuxottica’s latest smart glasses are part of a new line of Oakley eyewear aimed at athletes, with a starting price of $499. The glasses feature a center-mounted camera and leverage Oakley’s Sphaera curved lens design. They include an action-ready 12MP camera with 3K video recording, along with capture modes like Slow Motion and Hyperlapse.
Additional features include Oakley’s Three-Point Fit system with customisable nose pads, compatibility with helmets and hats, IP67-rated dust and water resistance, powerful open-ear speakers, and a five-microphone array optimised to reduce wind noise. The glasses offer up to 9 hours of battery life, with a charging case that provides an additional 36 hours and supports fast charging.
Okaley Vanguard glasses feature a center-mounted camera and curved lens design. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The glasses integrate with popular fitness platforms like Garmin and Strava, enabling hands-free access to real-time stats and automatic video capture based on workout milestones. Users can overlay performance metrics onto videos and photos for sharing directly with their communities. Activity summaries also sync with Apple Health and other fitness apps through the Meta AI app.
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Oakley Meta Vanguard will initially be available in select international markets, including the US, Canada, and the UK, with plans to launch in Mexico, India, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates later this year.
Ray-Ban AI glasses (Gen 2)
At Connect 2025, Meta also unveiled an updated version of its popular Ray-Ban AI glasses. The second-generation glasses shares a similar design and functionality as its predecessor. They still servce as camera-first glasses with more generalised improvements, such as battery life and comfort. For starters, the new improved model features to 8 hours of battery life, 3K Ultra HD video capture with HDR and up to 60fps, and fast charging (50 per cent in 20 minutes, with a case providing an additional 48 hours). New camera features like hyperlapse and slow motion are also coming soon, according to Meta.
The second-generation Ray-Ban AI glasses now come improved battery life. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The glasses will be available in both classic and new frame styles, including Wayfarer, Skyler, and Headliner, starting at $379 USD. Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) will launch in select international markets including the US, Canada, and the UK, followed by Mexico, India, and Brazil later this year.
