Meta's Next-Gen AR Glasses: Blending Fashion with Advanced Technology

Meta wears Prada? Why its next-gen AR glasses may be even more fashionable than Ray-Bans

There are reports that Meta will also launch a new line of AR smart glasses that have a display and that it will partner with a different EssilorLuxotica brand: Prada. Multiple reports continue to stream in about Meta launching its next generation smart glasses -- the successors to its Meta Ray-Bans, which have far exceeded sales expectations over the past two years. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and CTO Andrew Bosworth have largely confirmed that Meta will release multiple wearable products this fall. But one of the things flying under the radar is that Meta will reportedly introduce a new brand partner: Prada. This has been known since a June report from CNBC. It makes sense, not only because Prada glasses tend to be large and bulky enough to hold plenty of technology, but Prada's glasses are under the umbrella of EssilorLuxotica, the same company that runs the Ray-Ban and Oakley brands. Meta reportedly acquired a 3% stake in EssilorLuxotica in June to officially extend and expand the partnership -- and presumably freeze out other tech brands from making similar deals with them. There's been plenty of confusion and speculation about the smart glasses Meta will announce at its Meta Connect event on September 17. Because Meta is launching multiple products, some of the wires have gotten crossed by reporters -- for example, conflating features in Meta's "Hypernova" or "Celeste" glasses (the two codenames most associated with Meta AR glasses) with the next iteration of Meta Ray-Bans AI glasses. So let's break it down. Also: I tried smart glasses with a built-in display, and they made my Meta Ray-Bans feel outdated We expect Meta to launch two products: 1.) The 3.0 version of Meta Ray-Bans audio-only AI glasses -- These will potentially come with longer battery life and upgraded cameras to match the recent Meta Oakley glasses, and we have to expect some new AI features as well. These will likely cost $300-$500. 2.) Next-gen AR glasses with a display -- It's widely reported that Meta will also unveil a set of future-facing smart glasses that will include a color display in the right eye, will use a neural wristband for controls with hand gestures, and will cost around $800. It's the second pair that's likely to get the most attention since it would be a completely new product line. So let's double-click on it. These AR glasses won't be the consumer version of the Orion glasses prototype that Meta showed off at Meta Connect 2024 last year. Those reportedly cost over $10,000 to make, were very thick and heavy, and not practical for everyday wear. However, they did include a neural wristband (codenamed "Ceres") that's likely to be similar to one that's reportedly in the upcoming Hypernova glasses. Also: Samsung 'Galaxy Glasses' powered by Android XR are reportedly on track to be unveiled this month This is where Prada comes in. The popular luxury brand is known for its thick-rimmed glasses, such as the Prada Linea Rossa line. In fact, these might even be thicker than Ray-Bans, which would provide extra room for Meta to pack in the latest technologies needed to run cameras, speakers, AI-powered chips, and a color display. Getting back to the wristband, it doesn't make a lot of sense for Meta to include a wristband in a consumer product when it doesn't do anything else except control your glasses. However, Meta has also long been rumored to be working on a smartwatch, and now a report from DigiTimes expects Meta to also launch a smartwatch at Meta Connect as a companion to its smart glasses and VR headsets. The neural wristband technology would potentially be embedded into the watch. Also: 5 Meta Ray-Ban upgrades that have me excited for September 17 It makes a lot more sense for Meta to launch a smartwatch that pairs with smart glasses than it does to launch a pair of smart glasses that require a wristband in order to operate them. Prada makes luxury watches as well. So there's always the possibility that Meta could offer a Prada-branded watch that goes with the glasses. To be clear, this still leaves plenty of questions. Would the watch be sold separately from the $800 AR glasses? Would the watch be a required or an optional accessory? Could it also be used to control Meta Quest headsets in XR? ZDNET will be in-person at Meta Connect on September 17 to get the answers and to go hands-on with whatever products Meta unveils.

Meta Hypernova smart glasses: Rumors, leaks and everything we know so far

Meta Connect 2025 kicks off on September 17 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET and September 18 at 1 a.m. BST, and we're anticipating the Hypernova smart glasses to make their debut -- rumored to be called "Meta Celeste." I've always said that the future of smart specs will happen when AI and AR technology merge, and leaks are pointing to these glasses doing exactly that. We got a preview of the fully-fledged face computer Meta sees as the future in Project Orion last year, and Hypernova is set to be the first step towards that with a built-in display and a wristband controller. Fair warning -- they won't come cheap, and Zuck & Co. seems to know this with rumored limited production. Nonetheless, there are plenty of leaked reasons to get hyped. Let's get into them. So let's tear off the price tag band-aid. Rumors suggest that the Celeste glasses will cost $799. That will be for the specs, including the gesture wristband (more on that later). As for when you'll be able to pick these up, reports are pointing to a launch date later in the fall. If you want a pair, be sure to pick them up quickly, as Meta looks set to produce 150,000 units only -- anticipating demand may be lower due to the price. It's looking like the classic Ray-Ban Wayfarer design is going to make a comeback for Hypernova. Leaked by Luna on X, you can expect them to be a bit bigger and to house all the new tech -- more compute power, a bigger battery and that waveguide display in one eye. For those uninitiated, waveguide technology differs greatly from the prisms you see on the likes of the Viture Luma Pro. Rather than projecting the image into the glass just behind the lens, there's a surface imprinted directly onto the lens of the glasses that the image is projected to. This eliminates the need for a prism and means you can get anything blocking the view out of the way. But it does require more computing horsepower to do it. A good frame of reference is the Rokid Glasses I tested recently, and you can see the additional bulk needed to house what is needed. As for controlling it, you'll probably have the same touchpad on the side of the specs, but that's where the sEMG wristband (rumored to be codenamed "Ceres") comes into play. We saw this in action with Meta Orion -- reading electrical impulses in your wrist muscles to identify the tiniest of movements as inputs. This is going to be significant for controlling smart glasses of the future, and we're going to get a taste of this future real soon in easy interactions. Instead of trying to do 6DoF tracking, something that takes a lot of processing power and your hand needing to be in front of the camera at all times, the wristband will take care of it subtly. Not much is known on the software side of things, except that rumors point to a bunch of dedicated apps coming with Hypernova. Think of it like Meta's own suite, like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Meta AI bringing everything together. Given there's only one waveguide display in operation here, all of this looks set to be presented in a super simplistic six-app grid that users can interact with using the wristband -- alongside gestures to move their hand in four different directions. And that's the story of Hypernova (or Celeste) -- essentially the next generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses from what we're seeing so far. With Android XR and Xreal's Project Aura coming soon, the competition for the best smart glasses of the next couple of years is really starting to heat up. With Meta AI bringing multimodal help, a display to augment information in front of you and a wristband controller to bring much more accurate interactions over voice, these look set to be something special.