Meta's 'Hypernova' Smart Glasses with Built-In Display Set to Launch at $800

Meta's Smart Glasses With Built-In Display May Launch Next Month

Meta's display-equipped smart glasses may launch next month and cost less than previous estimates, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. The wearable, codenamed Hypernova, has been rumored for some time. It is expected to be a high-end version of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, with a small display at the bottom of the right lens. The display will only be visible to the wearer, and it can be controlled using a wrist accessory called Ceres -- something Meta first teased in 2022. Additionally, the device will use a Qualcomm chip and run a customized version of Android. On the home screen, users would see apps laid out horizontally, with dedicated ones for camera, gallery, and AI. For smoother navigation, the device will also have capacitive touch controls on either side of the glasses. In April, Gurman reported this wearable could cost anywhere between $1000 and $1400 at launch, but that's not the case anymore. Sources familiar with the development tell Gurman that Meta has slashed the prices significantly to boost demand. Hypernova will now start at $800, the same as the iPhone 16. Those who need style variations and prescription lenses, however, will have to pay for those separately. Additionally, the earlier report offered only a vague timeline, suggesting a launch sometime this year. The new report is more specific, with Gurman saying it will be "unveiled next month." The report arrives close to two months after Meta launched its first Oakley-branded Smart Glasses. Starting at $499, the alternative has a spec bump over the Ray-Ban Smart Glasses ($200-$400) and they're designed to boost athlete performance. Meta is also working on Project Orion. Previewed at last year's Meta Connect conference, the smart glasses fold the benefits of the Quest 3 VR headsets into a more lightweight and fashionable piece of eyewear. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has touted the wearable as the future of computing and the "most advanced glasses that the world has ever seen."

Meta smart glasses with a built-in display might cost as much as an iPhone

The "Hypernova" smart glasses will run a customized version of Android. See where this is going, right? Over the past few years, XR devices have exploded in popularity, and while at it, the costs have also gone up dramatically as the underlying tech keeps pushing new boundaries. For example, Apple's Vision Pro costs $3,500, while the Meta Quest Pro hit the shelves at $1,500. Smart glasses, especially those with a built-in display unit, are also slowly climbing up the price ladder. It seems Meta will buck that trend, or at least beat initial estimates for its next-gen smart glasses that are set to arrive later this year. "Meta recently figured out a way to slash the price for consumers down to about $800, I'm told. The move stems in part from the company accepting lower margins to boost demand -- a common tactic for new products," says a report by Bloomberg. How do Meta's smart glasses work? Currently in development under the codename "Hypernova," Meta had initially planned to hawk the smart glasses at roughly $1,000, while some estimates put the price at $1,400. With the purported $800 asking price, it seems Meta is essentially matching the iPhone 16's sticker value in the market, and possibly, the upcoming iPhone 17, as well. It's pretty obvious that Meta will push these glasses as the next-gen personal computing device, one that is an alternative to smartphones, especially the ubiquitous iPhones in its home market. For comparison, display-equipped smart glasses made by the likes of Xreal and Viture usually fall in the $400-600 bracket, and so do next-gen AI glasses with optical projectors, such as the Even G1. Recommended Videos Meta is essentially pulling off the same formula as Google Glass. Instead of a dual-display system that you will find on smart glasses sold by RayNeo, Viture, and Xreal, Meta's "Hypernova" smart glasses will only feature a monocular display fitted in the lower portion of the right lens. "Information will only be displayed in front of the wearer's right eye and will appear most clearly when they are looking downward," says a Bloomberg report. Powered by Qualcomm silicon, the upcoming Meta smart glasses will feature apps for capturing photos, viewing media, launching maps, and checking notifications. How can they stand out? For more intuitive controls, Meta will reportedly offer a neural wristband that will allow users to control the glasses using wrist gestures and hand movements. Smartwatches such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 have already implemented a gesture-based system for navigating the UI. Notably, the wristband will come bundled in the retail package of the "Hypernova" smart glasses. Interestingly, the glasses will run a customized version of Android, though there might not be a dedicated app store installed on the wearable. Controls will reportedly be handled by a mix of tap and swipe inputs on the side frame. This is going to be a huge driving force for adoption if Meta and Google can somehow figure out a way to at least access and respond to app notifications coming from your connected phone. But it appears that Meta won't let Google enjoy that cake, especially with Google already working on its own AR glasses built atop the Android XR platform. "The new version will continue to rely heavily on the Meta View phone app," reports Bloomberg. The Hypernova smart glasses are expected to arrive in a month from now, and it would be worth waiting to see how they explore AI integration when compared to Google's Gemini on the wearable platform.

Meta Is Cutting Margins And Launching Its First Display-Equipped Smart Glasses At $800 To Attract Early Adopters And Strengthen Its Position Before Rivals Release Competing Wearables

Meta is getting serious about its next big wearable move with the company's first pair of smart glasses with a built-in display, expected to launch next month. The latest reports confirm a surprise, suggesting that the price will be dropped as the social media giant wants to secure a position in the market before competitors introduce their own versions. Instead of the previously expected $1,000+ price tag, Meta will now sell the smart glasses starting at $800, cutting down its own margins to create acceptance in the market. The shift in pricing is more than just a discount, as it shows how Meta is positioning itself to win over early adopters in a competitive market, as per reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. By accepting lower margins to drive demand, the company is following a classic consumer electronics strategy, which we have previously seen Apple and Samsung use. Moreover, Meta has also used the same strategy in the past, which makes the company familiar with the mechanics and the outcome. At $1,000, Meta's display-equipped smart glasses risked being labeled as a niche luxury product, and by cutting the entry point down to $800, the company makes them more accessible to enthusiasts who want a step into augmented reality without dropping thousands of dollars. The lower price also makes the Meta smart glasses an alternative to high-end smartwatches, iPads, and even some entry-level laptops, which consumers already weigh carefully when making a buying decision. If you are not keeping up with the latest news, Meta's smart glasses are internally codenamed "Hypernova," which will reportedly include a small display overlay. The display will allow users to view notifications, Maps, and mini apps right in their field of vision. As for control, users will potentially be given a neural wristband accessory, a technology that Meta has been developing for years. This makes the forthcoming model more advanced than the current Ray-Ban and Oakley collaborations, which have an AI assistant and cameras but no display for overlaying information. The $800 glasses are just one part of Meta's broader AI wearable strategy. The company has already released its Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, priced between $399 and $499, and continues to expand and refine the Ray-Ban line. Meta's decision to keep the price at bay would allow it to bridge the gap toward a full AR headset, but without the bulky heft, much like the Apple Vision Pro. The reason for the reduced price could also be narrowed down to the fact that the company wants to sell the smart glasses in meaningful numbers, which would allow them to become a mainstream product. We will share additional details on the subject, so be sure to keep an eye out.