California: Meta has unveiled a new generation of AI-powered smart glasses, headlined by the Meta Ray-Ban Display, the company’s first augmented reality eyewear featuring a built-in screen.
The launch marks a major step forward in wearable technology, positioning Meta as the first mainstream brand to release consumer smart glasses with a heads-up display since Google’s ill-fated Glass project.
Showcased by CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the Meta Connect event, the Ray-Ban Display blends advanced technology with Ray-Ban’s signature Wayfarer styling to ensure a familiar, discreet look. The glasses integrate a camera, microphone, and speakers, while a small, bright, color display projects onto the inside of the right lens.
The display, visible only to the wearer, can show texts, images, live captions, video calls, and real-time translations, as well as provide turn-by-turn navigation. It also doubles as a viewfinder for photos and video, with an LED indicator alerting others when the camera is in use.
Zuckerberg described glasses as the “only form factor where you can let AI see what you see, hear what you hear, and eventually generate what you want,” pointing to future possibilities such as AI-generated images or video.
The Ray-Ban Display features touch-sensitive arms, voice controls, and an innovative Neural Band wrist accessory. The water-resistant bracelet detects forearm electrical impulses, enabling gesture controls such as swipes, taps, pinches, and handwriting input later this year.
We go together like AI and glasses—is that not an expression? It will be. Check out all the news from Connect 2025. pic.twitter.com/PQfVQROS3u
— Meta (@Meta) September 18, 2025
Powered via Bluetooth connection to Android or iOS devices, the glasses support WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Meta’s AI assistant, which can answer questions with text or images, explain landmarks or artworks, and provide step-by-step guidance such as recipes.
Battery life reaches six hours of mixed use, with up to 30 additional hours via a collapsible charging case. The glasses will be available in the US from September 30, starting at $799, before rolling out to the UK, France, Italy, and Canada in early 2026.
Alongside its flagship AR eyewear, Meta introduced the Oakley Meta Vanguard, designed for athletes. Built in partnership with Oakley, the wraparound glasses feature a central nose-mounted camera, microphones, and speakers, weighing 66g and offering up to nine hours of battery life.
The Vanguard connects with Garmin sports watches and bike computers, delivering live performance data such as pace, speed, distance, or heart rate through voice prompts or an internal LED alert system.
The glasses can also auto-capture video clips at performance milestones, stitching highlights with data overlays for instant sharing on Strava. Priced at $499 (€549/£499), the Oakley Meta Vanguard ships globally from October 21.
Meta also announced the second generation of its Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses, featuring double the battery life and a higher-resolution video camera. The refreshed model will retail for $379 (€419/£379/A$599).
