The Ray - Ban Meta smartglasses have the visual appealingness of a pair of classic Wayfarer shades with a lot of technical school we usually have a bun in the oven to find in a smartphone , include the in style AI feature , cover at bottom . But is this wearable tech for everyone , or do you involve to be really committed to hold out them Clarence Day in , twenty-four hours out ? We ’ve found out by using the Ray - Ban Meta smartglasses since they launched in October 2023 .
About our Ray-Ban Meta review
Our Ray - Ban Meta review was originally published in October 2023 and write by Alan Truly . Andy Boxall update the review in May 2025 , after using the Ray - Ban Meta smartglasses with prescription lenses since March 2024 . you could translate his overview of life with the smartglasses below . The remainder of the review has been update and revise throughout .
Wearing Ray-Ban Meta in 2025
I’veworn and used Ray - Ban Meta smartglassesfor more than a yr , and while my initial experiment where I want them toreplace my usual glassesdidn’t quite go out , I still think they ’re a antic product . When they arrived at the commencement of 2024 I wanted to wear them all 24-hour interval , every day , and therefore buy the Transition lenses with my prescription for them , so what stopped me wear upon them all the fourth dimension ? I ’ll come back to that , as I want to talk about the many positives first .
The Ray - Ban Meta smartglasses have get mickle of feature update since launch , keeping them overbold and interesting , ranging fromimage recognition for ocular searchtolive interlingual rendition . Thecamera is so much fun , and has the quality to equal , making it a with child option to a fairly unproblematic camera on a smartphone . The first - someone view for television is unique and creatively exciting . The battery lasts for a daytime , and there ’s plenty of mogul reticence in the glass display case too .
I love the audio feature article . I often use it to take heed to podcasts when doing some terrestrial task that does n’t warrant induce my earphone for , and also for project where I ’d like to hear what ’s going on around me . The tactile sensation panel in the Ray - Ban Meta ’s arm is responsive and accurate , so adjusting the volume or controlling playback is fast and never frustrating . Voice dominance is likewise accurate , but I still feel self - conscious using it in public . I ’d bed more notification support though .
Why have n’t I worn them all the time ? They ’re light and comfortable enough for all - day wear when you ’re out doing things , but I do n’t find them enjoyable to wear when I ’m just relaxing . The Greco-Roman Wayfarer frames suit most faces , but it ’s a really bluff feeling when the lenses are clear , and I line up seeing the frame around my eyes a footling distracting . The Transition lenses work well apart from in a car , where windscreen treatments forestall ultraviolet light source ( ultraviolet light ) from causing the lens to darken as much as I ’d wish .
The Ray - Ban Meta have n’t become my everyday dyad of glasses , but they are my second pair and until recently , my only twosome of sunglass . They still feel futurist , and people I certify them to are still surprised by the functionality , and quickly see how they ’d use them in person . They ’re various , fun , highly wearable , consistently better , and if you do n’t need prescription lenses , astonishingly low-priced too . They ’re the best workaday smartglasses I ’ve test , and haveyet to be beateneven after being usable for more than a year . Digital Trends ’ writer Prakar Khanna is just as much of a fan , andgets plenty from the AI featurestoo .
Ray-Ban Meta: design and wearability
You no doubt recognise the design of the Ray - Ban Meta smartglasses , as they ’re based on the Hellenic Wayfarer configuration . It ’s a bang-up choice as it suits most face . Meta also makes two other designs — Skyler and Headliner — but they do n’t stray far from the standard Wayfarer look . dissimilar finishes for the frames are also available , along with lens colors too , plus the option to add your own prescription and choose the Transitions lens type , which adapts to lighting conditions . The Ray - Ban Meta do not have a silver screen of any case .
I ’ve tested several type of chic chalk , but these are the first that are comfortable enough to wear down all day . They feature an structured television camera and mics to capture first - person view pic and videos . For smart methamphetamine , the Ray - Ban Meta are lightweight at just 48 Hans C. J. Gram ( 1.7 oz ) , even with Transitions lenses with a prescription . For reference , non - smart prescription glasses can weigh around 30 grams . The smartglasses have an IPX4 water -resistance rating so you may wear them comfortably all day without concern about light rain or splashes . I toss off out into a modest fall rain with no worries .
The Ray - Ban Meta do take a short getting used to , even if you normally put on glasses , but they ’re almost never uncomfortable . You may find they slip one’s mind down your nose in hot weather though . The Transitions lens are excellent , quickly changing from clear to dark in sun , and back again when you are privileged . However , they do n’t work that well inside a car , which is to do with the treatments used on car windshields , which block off much of the ultraviolet light required by the Transitions lenses to operate . While they do take on a little shade in a car , they never fully darken .
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses photos are crisp and colorful.Alan Truly / Digital Trends
You get a fashionable , firm case with the Ray - Ban Meta , which incorporates a battery just like with a dyad of straight wireless earbuds , and it ’s made from imitation leather with a soft inside . The smartglasses magnetically snip off inside the case are never in danger of fall out or disconnect from the charging pins .
Ray-Ban Meta: using the camera
Obviously , a substantial appeal of these frame is in the design , but the grownup upgrade over the original Ray - Ban Stories smart looking glass is what you go through with them on your face : the cameras . I assumed the bauble would wear off in a hurry , and I doubted the quality would be sufficient to satisfy my predilection for mellow - resolution photos and video with good dynamic cooking stove . However , I was pleasantly surprised to ascertain that Meta ’s computational photography is practiced enough to deliver prissy pictures despite the small size of the camera in the upper - leave corner of the glasses frame .
The first - propagation Ray - Ban Stories had two 5MP cameras in each corner of the glasses , allowing two-channel 3D seizure , but with a lower resolving power than innovative telephone . That mean a trade - off in quality when using the impertinent eyeglasses ’ camera . The latest Ray - Ban Meta Smart Glasses have a 12MP tv camera and even add some AI magic to improve contrast and colour . Most outside picture look not bad with no registration .
Meta ’s algorithm is very good , but it made a few exposure mistake in challenging lighting conditions . I wear a dark jacket against a bright waterfront . My face showed too much contrast in one photo and not enough in the next . But overall , the picture quality is very full . If you happen upon a glitch , you could report it to Meta from the companion app to help identify problems to fix in software updates . There are a few things you need to make out aboutwearing a tv camera on your human face , from how your tomentum or headwear can make a sudden appearance in photos to rethink composition without using a viewfinder , but it ’s a lot of playfulness experiment .
A couple of photos had exposure errors.Tracey Truly / Digital Trends
The 12MP prototype are presented in portrait preference , making them ideal for Instagram Stories and other platforms where vertical persona are standard . However , they do have enough resolution to leave cropping without lose detail . Below is a 3:2 craw of a Meta Smart Glasses photo that normally has a 3:4 aspect proportion .
Hands - free exposure are potential with Meta ’s vocalisation help . If it is n’t convenient to say , “ Hey Meta , take a photo , ” you may press the button at the top of the correct earphone . To capture a telecasting , you keep the button until you get word a chime or say , “ Hey Meta , record a video . ” An light-emitting diode unhorse up in the top - right corner of the shape to alert field of study you ’re recording . The hands - free option is convenient , but the button spark off the camera quicker .
Video quality is expert , though not as sharp as the 4 K resolution that most modern headphone feature . Stabilization smooths out walking and even persist vibration nicely . Video resolution is 1552 x 2064 pixels , which is about 1.5 times 1080p , and are shoot in the same 3:4 aspect ratio as the photos , and is taller than it is wide-cut . Ray - Ban Meta Smart Glasses also stomach springy streaming to Meta ’s social media connection .
Here are two more photo examples from Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.Alan Truly / Digital Trends
The live - pour feature is a alone and worthful addition for Instagram and Facebook influencers . You ’ll see a glass picture in the live flow prevue on your phone and hear a reminder that you’re able to shift to the crank . Double - press the shutter push on the Ray - Ban frames to record with the Ray - Ban Meta Smart Glasses or take the hug drug below the glasses icon on your earphone to change over back to your handheld .
The first - individual survey when pullulate television is unique and creatively exciting . It gives the viewer a true sense of “ being there ” and permit you to appropriate events and site in a new , and more cozy and natural elbow room , than with the camera on your telephone . It ’s a snatch like a GoPro without the extra gear needed to jump on an activity camera on your header or pectus . There ’s no barrel twisting in the photos and video recording from the Meta Smart Glasses .
It ’s also potential to start on the telephone and switch to smart glasses with a double tap of the photo push . If you pass on your phone or voguish glasses to someone else , you ’ve got a two - photographic camera shoot with unrecorded shift capacity . With the speech sound ’s rearward television camera , you have three camera to choose from . The television camera is one of the top rationality to buy Ray - Ban Meta , and also one of the main reasons you ’ll keep coming back to them .
Ray-Ban Meta: audio
Listening to audio on Ray - Ban Meta is perhapsjust as transformativeas take photos with the cameras . Meta has refined the humble talker in the earpieces and claim they are 50 % louder than the previous multiplication and supply doubly as much bass voice . They allow safe volume with surprisingly lilliputian sound leakage . When standing mighty beside me , my married woman said she could hardly hear any sound while I was playing music at a normal level . If I lift the intensity to maximum , music is quiet , but hearable to anyone nearby . Overall , the speaker intent keeps audio as private as some earbuds .
As nice as the loudspeaker system are , the microphones instill me even more . Meta ’s improved five - mic array enamour spatial audio recording and the calibre is exceptionally safe . I set calls with the Ray - Ban Meta Smart Glasses , and my voice came through clearly . My married woman call me from the smart glasses , and I could easy hear her voice also , so it ’s not a concurrence related to my interpreter .
Audio is streamed from your phone and control either on the gadget , or using the touch board in the veracious - side limb on the smartglasses . You knock to take on and suspension , and swipe to interchange the loudness , making the restraint easy to determine and use on the move . Like otheropen - ear earbuds , you ’re in skin senses with the world around you heed on the Ray - Ban Meta , and the option to just listen to medicine or a podcast without having to grab and wear earbuds is liberate and commodious . Unfortunately , the Ray - Ban Meta ’s notification support is n’t very serious , with only speech sound calls and Meta - owned apps like Instagram and WhatsApp get a verbal proclamation . It ’s a disgrace notification are n’t mirrored from your phone like they are with most smartwatches , and it stops the smartglasses becoming a truthful alternative to one .
Ray-Ban Meta: using AI and the Meta AI app
Meta AI is built into the Ray - Ban Smart Glasses , so you have access to a personal chatbot on your face . The functionality has increase greatly since the Ray - Ban Meta first arrived , with visual search , live translation , and even a room to help visually mar people “ see ” when wear down the smartglasses . You interact with the glasses using your voice , and a small LED set in the corner of the inside frame let you know when it ’s listening and thinking . you may ask it oecumenical motion , inquire about current events , and spark functions .
optic lookup is often fast and less intrusive than get your telephone set out , and answers come through almost immediately after require your question , provided your headphone has a strong datum connection . exposure are stored in the Meta AI app on your speech sound , and are tag with both the question and the result to assist memory in the futurity . It ’s worth taking prison term to go through the Meta AI app ’s privacy options , as they ’re quite varied and relate to voice , photos , audio , and AI .
The Meta AI app tie in to your smartglasses at once after you turn them on using a secret switch on the left - hand subdivision , and remain connected until you turn them off or target them back in the case . The smartglasses also accurately distinguish when you take them off , pausing operation until you put them back on . Photos and videos are imported from the smartglasses to the app when you put them back in the case , and requires a direct connection to your headphone using Wi - Fi . The import appendage is fast , and culture medium is stored in both the app and your phone ’s gallery .
Using Meta ’s AI is more natural through the Ray - Ban Meta than on your phone , enhanced by the hands - free nature and fast representative recognition . The app is reliable , but the design is messy and the preferences menu jam and puzzling . However , it ’s wondrous to see how Meta has continued to support the smartglasses , making them a great economic value purchase .
Battery life and charging
The bill event looks like an average Ray - Ban casing with textured synthetic leather on the outside and a brushed suede finger inside . A charismatic cloture keeps it safe and an light-emitting diode gleaming orange when charging the Meta Smart Glasses and green when the battery is full . It unfold the saucy glass battery life up to 36 hr . You plug a USB - degree Celsius courser into the port wine on the bottom to charge up the character and glasses at the same time .
In reality the poor - sounding four - hour battery biography is plenty , as few will constantly employ the power - intensive feature . I never ran out of charge , since I salt away the smart Methedrine in their font when they were not in use . The case charge the voguish glass quickly . Starting with a 50 % charge , the Ray - Ban Meta Smart Glasses reached 75 % in 11 minute and a full rush in 34 arcminute .
If you run out the smart glasses wholly , they want 75 minutes in the lawsuit to reload the electric battery totally . Unless you bust them for hours with no break of serve while listening to audio , utilise the tv camera for hour in a single daytime without taken the glasses off , or leave to send the case every few daylight , battery life wo n’t be a problem .
Ray-Ban Meta: price and availability
The Ray - Ban Meta smartglasses start at $ 299 and increase up to $ 379 depending on the style of soma and pick of lens . prescription drug lens of the eye be extra again . There are n’t many true choice to the Ray - Ban Meta , with onlySolos AirGoand outgoing models likeHalliday ’s smartglasseschallenging Ray - Ban Meta . However , neither gain from Ray - Ban ’s noesis of both design and paroxysm , which are so important to any piece of technical school you wear out on your body . If the poor notification support put you off , you ’ll be well off with one of thebest smartwatches .
Should you buy Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses?
The Ray - Ban Meta are the best unremarkable - wear smartglasses we ’ve tried . The camera , AI , and audio ability crap up for the lack of a screenland , and intend they ’re less geeky and more accessible than a span with too much tech in spite of appearance . The intimate , good - looking Wayfarer design signify most multitude will be able-bodied to wear out them without them looking remaining , and the lightweight nature allow you to savor them for hour without fatigue . They are smartglasses for everyone , operational all day everyday , and available at a reasonable price with plenty of customization .
