Meta Unveils Smart Glasses: Oakley Vanguard for Athletes and Ray-Ban Display with AR Features.

Meta Platforms unveiled two smart glasses, the $499 Oakley Meta Vanguard for athletes and the $799 Ray-Ban Display with AR features. Investor Gene Munster praised the Ray-Ban Display as the "best bang for the buck." The Oakley Vanguard features a large unified lens, 12-megapixel camera, and 3K video recording. The Ray-Ban Display has a small digital display embedded in the right lens for notifications, navigation, and music playback.

Meta Platforms has announced the launch of two new smart glasses, the $499 Oakley Meta Vanguard for athletes and the $799 Ray-Ban Display with augmented reality (AR) features. The company is positioning these devices to cater to both mainstream and niche markets, leveraging partnerships with Oakley and Ray-Ban.

The Oakley Meta Vanguard is designed for athletes, featuring a large unified lens, 12-megapixel camera, and 3K video recording capabilities. This model is aimed at capturing first-person action footage, making it ideal for sports enthusiasts and outdoor activities Meta’s Leaked Ray-Ban HUD Glasses and ‘Oakley Orion’ Prototype Spark AR Showdown Ahead of Connect 2025^[1].

On the other hand, the Ray-Ban Display is a more versatile device, integrating a small digital display in the right lens for notifications, navigation, and music playback. This AR feature set includes turn-by-turn directions, live text translation, and AI-powered voice assistant responses, all projected onto the wearer's field of view. The device is expected to run on an Android-based platform, similar to Snap's Spectacles .

Investor Gene Munster has praised the Ray-Ban Display as offering the "best bang for the buck," highlighting its balance of advanced technology and affordability. The Oakley Vanguard, while more specialized, also offers compelling features for its target market .

Meta's strategy of leveraging well-known brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley is designed to capitalize on consumer interest in stylish smart eyewear. The company is also positioning these devices as part of its broader AR and XR roadmap, with the Ray-Ban Display serving as a stepping stone toward more advanced AR technology .

The launch of these smart glasses comes amidst growing competition in the smart glasses and extended reality (XR) market. Companies like Apple, Snap, and Google are all investing heavily in this space, with Apple's Vision Pro and Snap's Spectacles leading the way. However, Meta's focus on style and everyday utility with its Ray-Ban and Oakley partnerships could give it an edge in the market .

The success of the Ray-Ban Display will depend on consumer appetite for AR features in a lightweight, stylish device. Early indications suggest that the combination of familiar branding and advanced technology could drive adoption, but the $799 price point may limit mass appeal .

Overall, Meta's launch of the Oakley Meta Vanguard and Ray-Ban Display smart glasses represents a significant step forward in its AR and XR ambitions. The company's ability to balance style, functionality, and affordability will be crucial in determining the success of these devices in the competitive smart glasses market.