For the past three years, Meta and Ray-Ban have been inseparable in the smart glasses market. That changes now. The company has launched a trio of new smart glasses under its own name, dropping the iconic Ray-Ban branding to hit a lower price point. Starting at $299, the Meta Glasses — available in three styles and seven colors — are $80 cheaper than the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2. Among the new offerings is a collaboration with socialite and reality TV star Kylie Jenner, adding a touch of celebrity flair to the lineup.
Design and Fit Improvements
The new Meta Glasses come in three frame styles: the Fury, a thicker, more square frame; the Adventurer, which is slightly slimmer and available in standard and large sizes; and the Kylie Jenner glasses, which sport a Y2K aesthetic designed to sit lower on the nose. All three models are the result of continued partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear giant that also produces Ray-Ban. While the Ray-Ban name is absent, EssilorLuxottica's involvement remains — their logo is stamped on the inside temple of each pair.
One of the most practical upgrades is the adjustable nose pads, which can be clicked into three separate positions for a better fit, particularly helpful for those with lower nose bridges. The temple tips feature a bendable wire for custom shaping, and the glasses include overextension hinges to accommodate wider faces. Prescription support spans a wide range, from -12 to +2.25, though prescriptions stronger than -6 require a visit to an optician.
Why Drop Ray-Ban?
According to Alex Himel, Meta's vice president of wearables, the decision to go without Ray-Ban came down to cost. "We just feel like we need to have a pair of glasses at a lower price point, and we were trying to figure out what could work there," Himel explained during a hands-on event. While EssilorLuxottica owns other brands at lower price points, none have the same name recognition as Ray-Ban. By removing the licensing fees associated with the Ray-Ban name, Meta could reduce the retail price by roughly $80, making the glasses accessible to a broader audience.
This move also allows Meta to position the glasses as its own product line, potentially distancing itself from any negative associations with the Ray-Ban brand — though the timing is coincidental. Conspiracy theories aside, the internal specs remain identical to the recently released Ray-Ban Meta Optics Styles, with slightly longer battery life. The hardware is essentially the same, but the design language has shifted to emphasize Meta's own identity.
Privacy Concerns and Upcoming Updates
Privacy remains the elephant in the room. Recent reports from The New York Times and Wired have detailed Meta's active development of facial recognition features for its smart glasses. Combined with incidents of "glassholes" using the glasses to harass women, public trust is fragile. Himel acknowledged the issue, stating, "We know that there’s tampering today, and there are a handful of ways that people are doing it. If people aren’t comfortable with you wearing the glasses, not only do we personally think that’s bad, but we wouldn’t have a business anymore." He promised "updates really soon" to address privacy directly, though he did not disclose specifics.
The company is also grappling with inconsistent regulations across states and countries. Himel noted that varying rules make it difficult to build a single product that works everywhere. "We’re trying to be part of these conversations and try to steer them to a place where, ideally, policies are consistent," he said. The challenge is not just about privacy features but also about how AI integration is regulated. Himel compared the current situation to the early days of smartphones, which also sparked societal concern but eventually became accepted. Critics, however, point out that smartphones had obvious killer use cases that justified privacy trade-offs — something smart glasses are still working to define.
AI and Killing Features
Meta is doubling down on artificial intelligence as the key use case for its smart glasses. The new Meta Glasses will launch with Muse Spark, the first model from Meta's Superintelligence Labs. (This AI will also arrive on older Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses via a software update in the US and Canada.) During a live demo, the AI felt more natural, with smoother translations (including Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese, Hindi, and Korean) and improved recommendations. In one test, the AI — voiced by Kylie Jenner — estimated the caloric content of a plate of canapés and suggested a lavender donut charm when asked for a cute purple keychain. While still a bit generic, the responses were better than previous iterations.
Other AI features include pedestrian turn-by-turn navigation (coming to displayless glasses) and a "dynamic photo" feature that captures multiple frames and recommends the best one. The AI now supports 14 additional languages and is touted as less stiff and more conversational. However, the demos showed occasional latency, likely due to background noise. Ultimately, the hardware is solid — well-made, affordable, and available in a wider array of colors and fits than ever. But as the article noted, hardware hasn't been Meta's problem for some time. The real test is whether people will trust the company enough to wear its cameras and microphones in public.
Broader Context and Historical Background
Meta's journey into smart glasses began in 2021 with the launch of the first Ray-Ban Stories, marking the company's first foray into wearable cameras. The partnership with EssilorLuxottica was strategic: Ray-Ban's iconic silhouettes gave the glasses an air of legitimacy and style that previous smart glasses, from Google Glass to Snap's Spectacles, lacked. Google Glass, launched in 2013, faced widespread criticism for its overt camera and privacy implications, earning wearers the derisive label "Glassholes." Snap's Spectacles, while more fashionable, failed to achieve mainstream adoption due to limited functionality and lack of a clear value proposition.
Meta learned from both failures. By embedding a subtle camera and microphone into classic Wayfarer and Round frames, they made the tech almost invisible. The first generation sold modestly, but the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, released in 2023, saw improved battery life, better audio, and the integration of Meta AI in 2024. The company reported that AI queries were becoming a daily habit for many users, with features like hands-free messaging, object identification, and real-time translation gaining traction.
Now, with the new non-Ray-Ban line, Meta is aiming for an even broader demographic. The $299 price point undercuts many competing smart glasses, such as Google's upcoming Gemini-powered glasses (expected at around $499) and Amazon's discontinued Echo Frames. By collaborating with Kylie Jenner, Meta targets Gen Z and millennial consumers who value celebrity endorsement and fashion-forward design. The Y2K aesthetic of the Kylie glasses taps into nostalgia trends, similar to how Microsoft's Windows 11 embraced retro design elements.
The regulatory landscape is also shifting. In 2025, the FTC updated guidelines on facial recognition technology, requiring opt-in consent for commercial use. The European Union's AI Act, which took full effect in 2026, imposes strict requirements on biometric data collection. Meta will need to navigate these rules carefully, especially as it builds facial recognition features. The company's promise of privacy updates may include on-device processing, camera indicators, and automatic deletion of recordings, similar to what Apple implements on its devices.
Competition is heating up. Google and Samsung, in partnership with Gentle Monster, are expected to launch their own stylish smart glasses later this year with built-in Gemini AI. Apple is rumored to be exploring a future Apple Glass product, though analysts expect a 2028 debut. The race is not just about hardware but about ecosystems: Meta is building its AI assistant, Muse Spark, to integrate deeply with its social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), while Google will likely tie its glasses to Google Assistant and Maps. Samsung may leverage Bixby and its Galaxy ecosystem.
The success of Meta's cheaper smart glasses will hinge on two factors: trust and utility. Trust can be built through transparent privacy practices, such as prominent recording indicators and local processing. Utility depends on AI being genuinely helpful in everyday scenarios — navigation, translation, shopping, and information retrieval. If Meta can deliver on both, the $299 price point could make these glasses a mass-market entry point to wearable computing. If not, they risk becoming another niche gadget in a market that has yet to find its smartphone moment.
Source:The Verge News