Meta Launches 799 Dollar Smart Glasses with AI Capabilities

Meta, the company behind the popular social media platform Facebook, has launched its latest innovation: smart glasses with a built-in screen and integrated AI capabilities. Priced at 799 dollars, the new product, named Meta Ray-Ban Display, features a screen embedded in the right lens. This screen can display messages, video call interfaces, maps for navigation, and visual results from queries made to Meta's AI services. The screen can also function as a viewfinder for the user's phone camera or display the music playback interface.

The announcement was made during Meta's annual Connect event, where the company's CEO highlighted the potential of these smart glasses to become a platform for advanced AI technologies, referred to as "superintelligence." This term is used to describe the development of sophisticated AI technologies and is also the name of an internal team at Meta. The CEO emphasized that AI should serve humanity rather than just being a tool for automation in various sectors of society.

For Meta's smart glasses, the screen is a crucial feature. Over time, this configuration could enable consumers to transfer some of the functions they currently rely on their phones for to their glasses. Before the product's launch, Meta's Chief Technology Officer described the new glasses as the "first truly mature product" in this category. This launch is a key step in Meta's efforts to build its own consumer electronics ecosystem and compete with rivals such as Apple and Google.

Since introducing its first virtual reality headset in 2016, Meta has been working to attract users to its own ecosystem. The new smart glasses feature a novel control system. While users can still operate them by sliding along the frame, the primary interaction method is now gesture control, facilitated by a "neural wristband" worn on the user's dominant hand. This wristband captures hand movements, allowing users to pinch their thumb and index finger to select items, swipe their thumb on the back of their fist to switch between items, double-tap their thumb to activate Meta's AI voice assistant, or rotate their hand in the air to adjust the volume and other controls.

In addition to supporting app interactions and AI queries, the glasses come with real-time captioning, displaying spoken content (including translations) similar to subtitles on TV. The video call feature allows the wearer to see the caller while sharing their own perspective. Users can reply to messages by sending voice recordings or dictating text. Later this year, the wristband will gain the ability to input text by writing in the air. Future updates will enable the glasses to focus on the person the wearer is talking to and filter out background noise.

The new glasses will go on sale on September 30th, complete with the wristband accessory. Meta offers two sizes and two color options: black and a brown shade called "sandstone brown." The product will be available through various retailers, including EssilorLuxottica's Ray-Ban, Lenscrafters International, Best Buy, and Verizon Communications. Initially, the glasses will support Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and a music app powered by Spotify. Instagram will initially only support private messaging, with Reels viewing functionality planned for later this year.

The glasses' screen has a limited field of view of 20 degrees and a resolution of 600x600 pixels. The brightness range is between 30 and 5000 nits, making it visible in most outdoor environments but less effective in direct sunlight. The product supports some prescription lenses but only offers customization options. The external camera is the same as in the previous Ray-Ban smart glasses, with a 12-megapixel sensor, but it falls short in video resolution and battery life compared to the new screenless version released on the same day. The screen-equipped glasses can record 1080P video and offer 6 hours of battery life per charge, with an external charging case providing an additional 30 hours of use, equivalent to four full charges.

During the event, the CEO attempted to demonstrate the new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the AI display version, but both products experienced technical issues. Despite this, the CEO joked that he had practiced the demonstration hundreds of times. The "Meta Neural Wristband" accessory comes in three sizes and offers 18 hours of battery life. Initially, Meta recommends that consumers visit physical stores for fitting and usage guidance before online sales begin.

Meta faced challenges not only in technology development but also in brand partnerships. Initially, EssilorLuxottica was reluctant to use the Ray-Ban brand for the screen-equipped glasses, prompting Meta to accelerate its efforts to secure the support of its long-term partner. The 799 dollar price tag also raised concerns, as it is comparable to the cost of a smartphone that pairs with the glasses. Meta expressed confidence in the product's competitiveness and its ability to withstand market scrutiny. The company has invested tens of billions of dollars in hardware, betting that smart glasses will become the primary device for experiencing Meta's AI products and social services. Recently, Meta invested 35 billion dollars in EssilorLuxottica, acquiring approximately 3% of the company's shares.

In addition to the screen-equipped glasses, Meta also released an upgraded version of the standard Ray-Ban smart glasses, which now includes styles from the Oakley brand. This follows Meta's product strategy from June, when it launched the high-end Oakley HSTN smart glasses. The new Ray-Ban smart glasses feature a navy blue color option, support for 3K video recording (up from 1080P in the previous model), and a 40% increase in battery life. Meta raised the starting price of the upgraded Ray-Ban smart glasses from 299 dollars to 379 dollars, citing increased component costs and the need to improve profit margins, not tariffs. The previous lower-priced model will continue to be sold.

Meta also introduced the "Meta Oakley Vanguard" glasses, designed for sports scenarios with a wraparound frame and improved water resistance. These glasses feature a centrally located camera, clearer audio with deeper bass, and multiple shooting modes, including 60 frames per second video recording, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. The Chief Technology Officer hinted that future updates might include a walkie-talkie mode, allowing groups, such as skiers, to communicate without making traditional phone calls.

The new display version glasses serve as a stepping stone to fully functional augmented reality (AR) glasses, which are immersive wearable devices that overlay interactive content on both lenses. Meta is reportedly developing its first consumer-grade AR glasses, with plans to release them by 2027. While Meta is a leader in this field and the first major consumer brand to launch display-equipped smart glasses, it is not the first company to explore this area. Google Glass, launched in 2012 at a price of 1500 dollars, faced criticism for its high cost, limited functionality, and privacy concerns, ultimately failing to gain market acceptance. Meta may face competition from other tech giants like Google, Samsung, and Apple, as well as Chinese startups like Xreal, which are rapidly entering the market. The Chief Technology Officer predicted that by the end of next year, Meta's display-equipped smart glasses will sell over 100,000 units, with every produced unit finding a buyer. He emphasized that Meta aims to ensure that the glasses are used by those who will genuinely wear and utilize them, rather than by tech enthusiasts who might purchase them for novelty but rarely use them.

Looking ahead, Meta is exploring future iterations of display-equipped glasses, including versions with cellular network connectivity and dual-display models (with screens in both lenses). The company envisions offering multiple products across the no-screen, screen-equipped, and AR categories. While the idea of a dedicated app store is being considered, it is not a near-term goal due to the need to upgrade the initial product's Qualcomm chipset. Currently, the screenless version of the glasses is open to developers. On a broader scale, the trend may shift towards eliminating apps altogether, with AI handling all tasks. Meta's Reality Labs team is also experimenting with other hardware forms, including smartwatches to compete with Apple and potentially smart contact lenses that could replace glasses for AR functionality. However, due to technological barriers, such products may never become a reality. The company is also exploring other innovative directions with promising prospects, having made significant progress in user experience in recent weeks.