Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: A Blend of Style and AI Technology

My long weekend with Ray-Ban Meta reminded me why I love them

Table of Contents Table of Contents Why not just use them in the first place? On the drive Using the camera again Would I buy them again? When I got a phone call telling me my newly purchased sunglasses wouldn't be ready to collect until after a short break I'd organized, due to a quality control issue, I was a little frustrated. I was left with my Ray-Ban Meta, which wasn't a huge problem, just not what I expected to wear. What happened afterwards was an adventure where I rediscovered what makes these smart glasses so special. Why not just use them in the first place? If there is nothing wrong with my Ray-Ban Meta, why had I bought another pair of sunglasses? The reason isn't anything to do with the smartglasses, but with the lenses. I have the Ray-Ban Transition lenses with my own prescription fitted, meaning they lighten and darken according to the amount of sunlight, and I can wear them inside and outside. Recommended Videos The trouble wass, the main focus of my time away was driving, and the Transition lenses don't operate very well inside a car. It's something to do with the coating on a car windscreen which cuts out ultraviolet (UV) light, and the Transition lenses rely on UV to go from light to dark. The situation becomes the glasses don't darken very much inside the car, and when you expect to spend hours per day in the car, this isn't very helpful. I also find that while in general the Ray-Ban Meta are very comfortable to wear, after four or five hours they can feel quite heavy on my nose. There are two grippy pads on the inside of the bridge, and eventually these start to slip and cause the smart glasses to weigh down on your face. It's not something I notice unless I wear them for very long periods of time. These two points contributed to my decision to buy another pair of sunglasses for the trip. On the drive Sure enough, these two issues became apparent on my initial six hour drive. The Transition lenses do gain a slight tint inside the car, but they're far from dark, and I can still see my eyes through the lenses. It's enough to take the edge off harsh sunlight, but it's definitely a compromise. I chose the Transition lenses so I could see what it was like to live with the Ray-Ban Meta all the time, but if I didn't care about wearing them as much as possible, I'd choose standard sunglass lenses with my prescription next time. I wore the Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses for at least seven hours per day, over the course of four days, and for the most part of that time they were very comfortable and I never felt they were anything other than normal sunglasses. I feel this is a testament to the superb design and attention to wearability on Meta and Ray-Ban's part. It's hard to pin down exactly when they cross over to become a bit uncomfortable. It's likely when it's hotter, and my face sweats a bit, as I find pushing the smart glasses up my nose alleviates the problem for a short while. While they're fairly light for tech-laden smart glasses, they are heavier than non-tech sunglasses, and you will eventually notice them. However, these are two quite specific issues which may only really affect me, but it should give you a good idea of just how easy these smart glasses are to live with each day. Using the camera again If my new sunglasses had arrived, I'm fairly sure I would have worn them all the time, just because they were new, and this would have meant I missed out on my favorite part of the Ray-Ban Meta -- the fantastic camera and its first-person video mode. Because driving was the whole point of the trip, and the roads and scenery were breathtaking, the Ray-Ban Meta's camera allowed me to capture and therefore remember it in a way that would be impossible with another device. The "Hey Meta, shoot a video" voice command worked flawlessly every time, even over the sound of the car and with the convertible roof down, allowing me to record videos of the beautiful surroundings, all from a first-person viewpoint. I love the way the videos look. They're bright and colorful, the stabilization is excellent, and it's so quick and easy to import them from the glasses to your phone. I use them connected to the Meta AI app for iOS, and the each video is stored in the phone's Gallery for easy viewing. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses complemented my phone in a nice way, as I used them only for video, and shot stills with my phone. It allowed me to be present and enjoy everything around me in a far more natural way than holding up a phone to record video. Would I buy them again? The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have been available for about 18 months, which considering the technology is quite surprising, especially as they still feel fresh and delightfully futuristic. People I show them to remain amazed by what they can do, and often immediately see how they would it into their lives, whether it's using the camera or the equally helpful audio system. I rarely use the AI features, but this is true for all mobile AI applications, but can see how the visual search feature can be useful. Its accuracy is often uncanny, and it doesn't take long to return any results either. I haven't had the chance to test the translation feature in the real world yet, but because you don't need to hold a device up to use, it's likely to feel quite natural, aside from requiring a voice command to activate. I've used Ray-Ban Meta for more than a year now, and even though I've got a new pair of sunglasses coming, it won't stop me using them. Wearing them over the last few days reminded me why they're one of my favorite pieces of tech. In the future I'd like them to have more notification support, and I'd love a small display for heads-up information, but these are wishlist features. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are brilliant at what they do, and I'm really rather glad my new sunglasses didn't arrive before I went away.

Review: Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Work Great and Don't Look Dorky

All this to say that Meta's smart glasses are 1980s-syndicated-TV-show, living-in-the-future kind of cool. Not just cool for their impressive technology, but cool because they're actually useful; maybe not for outsmarting government agents, but for solving everyday mysteries, like "where did I park my car?" For the three people who haven't seen Meta's ubiquitous advertising campaign: Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are sunglasses/eyeglasses with a built-in camera, speakers, and AI that can be controlled with your voice and simple gestures. They do not have a display screen, though, so you'll need to look elsewhere if that's your bag. Meta is working on true AR smart glasses with a built-in display (Orion), but that's likely far off. The design of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses may prove to be the "killer feature" that elevates them above the competition. With glasses, looks are important -- you're wearing them on your face, after all -- and unlike the infamous Google Glasses of years ago or other brands of smart glasses on the market, Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are stylish enough that I'd wear them if they didn't have built-in technology. They come in three time-tested Ray-Ban frame shapes -- Skyler, Wayfarer, and Headliner -- and offer multiple colors and lens combinations, including the option of prescription lenses. Ray-Ban Metas weigh 49 grams (10 more than my regular specs) and the built-in camera is unobtrusive, so you can wear them all day and not look like a dork (until you say "Hey Meta, what's the score of the Eagles game?" to yourself on a crowded bus.) There has been a lot of talk in techie circles lately about the possibilities of wearable AI assistants like Humane's AI Pin or the Rabbit R1, but early reviews have not been positive about either. The idea of replacing your phone with a phone-sized gadget (but only for some tasks, so you still need to carry your phone) just isn't appealing to most. But cramming AI into your eyeglasses means there's no extra gadget to take up pocket space, and, because it's voice activated, it can be operated hands-free. The set-up and pairing with the companion app, Meta View, was uneventful. A lot of thought seems to have gone into making the user experience as easy as possible. After a brief tutorial, you're on your own, but if you forget the gesture controls or something, you can ask your glasses to explain them to you again. In basic terms, Ray-Ban Meta's AI assistant can see what you're seeing, translate text, and answer questions. If you're looking at a cool flower, you can say, "Hey, Meta, what kind of flower is that?" Or you can ask, "Hey, Meta, what am I looking at?" And it will describe your view with scary accuracy. Meta's AI can translate signs and other text into multiple languages, tell you what the breakfast hours are of the McDonald's you're looking at, tell you whether it gets good reviews, and give you a suggestion for what to order. (Meta recommends the Egg McMuffin.) You can ask it general questions too, like "When does the new season of Severance premiere?" or "What's the address of Circus Liquor in North Hollywood?" It can even tell jokes -- not funny jokes necessarily, but things that are technically jokes. You can use it to remember things for you, too. Tell it "remember that I have a doctor's appointment on the 12th" or "remember that my car is parked in the orange section in space 435," then later have it recall the information. But they can't do everything. As cool as it would be to say, "Hey, Meta, book me a room at the MGM Grand Hotel for this Saturday," it's not there yet. Complex tasks that would involve potentially using other apps on your phone aren't possible. It also can't give you turn-based-directions, identify the song you're listening to, or remember the name of the person you're looking at. Also: It only responds to "hey Meta," not "Hey SPEX" as I'd prefer. For influencers and other perpetually-online folks, the Ray-Ban Meta's main selling point is likely its ability to capture images and video, then instantly upload them to Instagram or Facebook with a word. You can also livestream, but only to Instagram and Facebook. A click of the button on the glasses arm, or saying "Hey, Meta, take a picture," will take a snapshot of what you're looking at, so you can capture a still or a video while you're riding a bike or driving. The resolution of the Ray-Ban's photos doesn't equal a modern smartphone, but a 12 MP camera that takes 3024x4032 still images and 1080p video isn't potato-quality, either. It does a fairly nice job with lower light situations, too. Speaking of the video: I was impressed with the Meta-Ray Ban's image stabilization and the wide field of view, but bummed that it only shoots in one, vertical aspect ratio: perfect for TikTok but bad for a feature film. Check it out yourself: Because there's no viewfinder, it's difficult to frame shots, so it's best used for casual, on-the-fly images instead of careful compositions, and you'll probably need to crop everything later for best results. Here's a straight-from-the-glasses photo, taken in a lower-light hallway, to give you an idea of the image quality: Conversations with your eyeglasses are cool and all, but if you want to interact with other humans, you can use Ray-Bans to send texts, make and answer voice calls, and make video calls. You can switch between your glasses-camera and your phone's camera in a video call on WhatsApp and Messenger, so if you need to show someone something, your pal can see the world through your eyes. (It won't work on FaceTime or other non-Meta platforms.) Kind of creepy, but kind of cool. This all worked exactly as expected, with little hassle -- all I really want out of tech gadgets. Along with taking snapshots and telling jokes, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses pair directly with Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Calm through a connected device, and can be used as a Bluetooth speaker to play whatever you like. With a command of "play music" you can start the tunes, and then skip ahead with a tap on the glasses or a "skip song" command. The volume can be controlled the same way. Like the video quality, the audio is fine, but not near the level of a decent set of headphones or earbuds. The highs and mids are clear; the bass is weak, but it's adequate overall. Ray Ban Meta Glasses marketing material boasts a battery life of "up to four hours," but this varies based on usage. It's optimistic. While it might seem short, especially if this is your everyday wear, the Ray-Ban Meta case contains additional battery power, allowing for eight more charges on the go. This is usually sufficient, but it does mean changing them out for charging sometimes. Any discussion of what something is worth is subjective, but $329 for the base Wayfarer model is less than I paid for my last set of frames, and they don't ever answer me when I talk to them. For comparison, the cost of the cheapest Humane AI pin is $499 and requires a monthly subscription, while the Rabbit R1 runs $199. So the price is doable, if you plan to use them as your daily glasses. For sunglasses, it depends on your lifestyle, I guess.

Here's What I Learned After Six Months of Wearing Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

Six months ago, I reviewed the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. If you've been off-grid, these specs pack a camera, open-ear speakers, microphones, and voice-activated Meta AI inside a pair of Wayfarer-style frames, so they're basically science fiction glasses that look normal. I liked them so much, I had prescription lenses put in and made them part of my daily load out. But it's easy to love a tech product when it's new and shiny; the real test is how the Ray-Ban Metas fair after they've gone from novelty to another damn thing I have to remember to charge. Bottom line: I still really like them after half a year of wearing them while working, sitting around, biking, running errands, and generally living my boring life. But I like them in a more nuanced way. After the initial sugar rush wore off, I started noticing the weight of the Ray-Ban Metas. They're around 49 grams out of the box, fairly heavy for sunglasses, but prescription lenses bumped the weight up to 54 grams. My regular specs are pretty chunky and weigh 39 grams, and the difference is noticeable. They're slightly uncomfortable for extended use. I found myself wearing regular glasses when I didn't expect to use smart features, and going back to the Ray-Bans if I wanted to take photos, record video, or go hands-free. The main downside was forgetting which pair I was wearing and saying "Hey Meta" to my dumb glasses. (But that's a me problem.) I have to commend Ray-Ban, Meta, and whatever factory physically built these glasses, because they held up flawlessly. The tech works just as well now as it did when I got them, and the frames themselves held up, too: no warping, bent arms, or other malfunctions. (I didn't necessarily baby them or take special care of them.) They didn't go out of style in the last six months either, seeing as the Wayfarer design is timeless. If they're good enough for James Dean, they're good enough for me. Meta says their smart glasses have a battery life of "up to four hours," which is mildly optimistic -- these things need to be charged often. The solution of having a charger built into the glasses' case is acceptable most of the time because the main function of eyeglasses (ensuring I can see things) works even when the batteries run out. But longer outings where I wanted to take lots of photos or videos were a pain. Your choices are to only have pictures of the first half of the graduation ceremony, or pack a back-up pair of glasses so you can charge on the fly. Another battery related annoyance: You can't disable the low battery notification without disabling all notifications. While that's the case for many tech products, it would be great to have the option to disable it for these glasses. When I first started wearing the Ray-Ban Metas daily, they pretty much flew under people's radars, but as popular awareness of the product grew, so did the people who noticed I was wearing them. More than one person asked "are you taking pictures of me?" and I didn't love having my glasses spark conversations about surveillance or Meta's motives, but I get why some people are wary. They blur the line between fashion and tech in a way that's still new, and many people find them off-putting. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have a ton of features, and they're not equally useful, so here's a quick feature list, organized from the ones I used most to ones I used least: The camera: Ray-Ban Metas' essential feature for me is the camera. It's weird to think of a smart phone camera as being inconvenient, but reaching in your pocket, unlocking the screen, clicking an app, and putting it up to your face is a lot of steps compared to pinching the arm of your glasses. The other way to turn on the camera, saying "Hey Meta, take a picture" or "Hey Meta, take video," can be incredibly useful too, as it lets you take videos while riding a bike and listening to Hawkwind, like so: While I found the quality of the photos to be surprisingly good, these glasses are best for casual snaps. There's no viewfinder, and if you're going for super high quality, or want to shoot in low-light situations, they won't replace a "real" camera. Text and calls: Getting a text and replying by voice is great when your hands are full. Initiating or responding to texts while driving is amazing and will probably save some people's lives. Call quality is solid, and the voice recognition is excellent, even in traffic or crowds. It's easy to use too, since you can just say "Hey Meta, how do I send a text?" if you forget. Music: Halfway down the list is the perfect time to talk about the Ray-Ban Meta's music and audio. It is mid. The sound quality isn't terrible, but it's podcast-while-cooking level. If you're into music at all, you'll quickly grow tired of the tinny sounds from the Ray-Ban meta glasses and throw in some ear buds. On the plus side, the ability to control Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music with just your voice is great. Saying "Hey Meta, play some funk" and having The Meters start playing is cool. Meta AI: Depending on your point of view, Meta's AI is the either the killer app or the Trojan horse of these glasses, but I almost never use it. When I first got the glasses, I was blown away by saying "Hey Meta, look" and having it describe what I was seeing accurately. But that wears off after eight minutes. Then, I started using it to clown on my friends by looking at their car or something and saying, "Hey, Meta, is this a nice car?" and relaying the answer. (Sadly, it won't roast people.) That was fun for three minutes. Then, I changed Meta's voice to Awkwafina. That was fun for 38 seconds. Then, I stopped using it altogether. Maybe your life is different, but mine is fine without an AI assistant. Translation: Meta recently rolled out the ability to translate from Spanish, French, and Italian to English, and vice-versa. This is too new to really rate, but my initial reaction to testing it out with a Spanish speaking pal was "santa mierda!" It's really good, and was able to translate spoken words at a conversational rate in real time, with a surprisingly amount of accuracy. It's like having a universal translator from Star Trek or something. These glasses are creeping toward being a true digital assistant, but they're not there. I want to say "Hey, Meta, book me a cheap hotel in Yonkers next weekend" and have it just happen. Right now, though, the glasses are limited to controlling music, sending messages, translating language in real time, and providing basic information -- which is a lot for a pair of glasses. Meta recently sent an email to Ray-Ban Meta users that said, in part, "Meta AI with camera use is always enabled on your glasses unless you turn off 'Hey Meta,'" and "the option to disable voice recordings storage is no longer available." Basically, Meta is vowing to look at what I'm looking at and store whatever I say, so you could argue there are some pretty big privacy concerns. It's not great, but honestly, I'm too boring to care. If Meta wants hours of footage of me folding laundry or playing Oblivion Remastered, that's their problem. If you're someone that does prioritize your privacy though, these glasses are probably not the product for you. Whether something is "worth it" really depends on the customer. But $299 seems like a good deal for a camera, AI agent, Bluetooth headset, and sunglasses, and if you're going for prescription Ray-Ban Metas, it's amazing. All told, these were actually cheaper than my regular glasses, and I can't ask my regular glasses to tell me a joke. I'm not a Meta fanboy by any stretch, but credit where it's due: these glasses are really good. The novelty wears off, but the usefulness doesn't. Unlike most gadgets, they've earned their spot in my semi-daily rotation. If they could shave a little more weight off, they'd be my everyday specs.