These new Meta Glasses are $80 cheaper if you don’t care about Ray-Ban branding – three new designs available
The Meta Glasses are made with Ray-Ban's parent company, but don't have the iconic branding.
Meta has announced a new pair of smart glasses that are a little less strenuous on the wallet because they lack the Ray-Ban branding.
The new wearable, simply titled Meta Glasses boast new designs – including my favourite, the one above – with a much more agreeable price tag of $299 (around £225), which is $80 cheaper than the second-gen Ray Ban models.
They may not carry the branding or the signature wayfarer design, but they have been built in partnership with EssilorLuxottica – Ray-Ban’s parent company. So your mum was right, you really are paying extra for the branding after all.
You’ll accomplish all of the same things too. They have cameras for shooting video and photos, personal speakers for tunes and voice feedback, and a microphone to make requests of the on-board AI. There’s a dedicated action button that allows you to call upon Meta AI, but it can also be customised to launch a feature of your choosing. There’s eight hours of battery and a charging case that offers 40 hours of additional life span.
The glasses are launching with a whopping 26 styles across colours, lenses and frames and you can get your prescription lenses sorted too. The three styles are the Meta Adventurer, Meta Fury and Meta Glasses by Kylie (below).
Just so you know, the latter is the fake Kylie. Kylie Jenner. Not the proper Kylie. Not our Kylie. Anyway, now we’ve got that off our chest, here’s the company’s description of the trio:
- Meta Adventurer — A clean rectangle shape for a timeless, versatile look. Available in Standard and Large.
- Meta Fury — A bold frame that makes a bold statement.
- Meta Glasses by Kylie — A unique slim oval frame designed in collaboration with Kylie Jenner and inspired by her personal style.
All variations are available from today in the United States.
It’s set to be a busy time when it comes to smart glasses. There are more of the basic (camera/mic/speaker) models in the works, while Apple, Google and Meta are all working on true AR specs with a built-in display. Earlier this month Snap introduced its $2,195 Snap Specs to get the ball rolling.
Chris Smith
