Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are the most practical glasses to launch lately. The biggest advantage that such smart glasses have is that they let you record a moment without having to take out your smartphone or a camera. It is worn on the body and records what you see from your perspective (or simplifying—really living in the moment). Launched in September last year as a partnership between EssilorLuxottica and Ray-Ban, the second-generation smart eyewear has many improvements over its predecessor. According to Meta, Chief Product Officer, Facebook Reality Labs, they reimagined every part of this device together with Ray-Ban. And after several weeks of using them, I can say for sure that they were right about most things.
However, this was the first time someone had the idea to create computerized eyeglasses. Other companies have also attempted this, like Google Glass, which launched in 2014; Snap Spectacles from Snapchat in 2016; Bose Frames Tempo introduced last year; and Amazon Echo Frames released in 2020, among others. Even Facebook (then still called Facebook) itself when it partnered with Ray-Ban Stories earlier this year, 2021.
Price and Availability
The starting price point for a pair of these new high-tech specs is $299 (approximately Rs 25,000), going up to $379 (roughly Rs 32,000), depending on the style chosen. It costs more if one requires prescription lenses, which can be done through the official site. That’s also available only for non-corrective wearers via wayfarer or headliner styles.
Charging Case
The limited availability of Meta Smart Glasses worldwide means that the activation or deactivation of features depends on the purchase location. Different countries have varying regulations regarding these devices. Generally, the functionalities remain cosmetic unless bought directly from foreign marketplaces, where these features might be enabled, unlike in other cases. Currently, 15 countries have access to purchase this product, including Australia, Canada, the US, and Europe, among others, through meta.com or Ray Ban stores both online & offline.
Review: The Package
The packaging of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses is pretty sleek, with nothing too fancy going on. What is interesting, however, is the case. Unlike regular sunglasses, which come in a regular hard or soft case, the Meta smart glass case is a charging one and it’s sortable too! We have designed it to be slim enough to fit even in the smallest backpack possible, ensuring that it is always charging up while also conserving battery life for longer usage periods when needed outside the home environment. These intelligent spectacles feature a 12MP ultra-wide camera and five-mic system; they can record at 1440×1920 resolution and store up to 32GBs worth of data internally.
Additionally, we have packed open-ear speakers inside each arm where you would typically expect them to be located. These speakers deliver decent bass response levels, although the volume could be improved when used in noisy environments. Nevertheless, considering their size constraints, these speakers perform adequately. Users would typically opt for earbuds if they desire a more immersive audio experience. On the right side, there’s a touchpad allowing tap actions like play/pause tracks as well swipe gestures controlling volume, while the power switch resides on the left side. The capture button has an ice feel and clicky feedback.
Capture Button
captureWe installed the capture LED on the right side arm near the camera for privacy reasons. This light blinks once every time the wearer takes a photo and then stays lit continuously throughout the entire duration of video recording mode, signalling to those nearby what the wearer is doing with the device. However, it doesn’t definitively indicate whether the wearer is capturing an image or footage, so it’s best to assume the latter unless explicitly communicated. These LEDs were designed for fun and entertainment purposes only.
The Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 is what powers the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Platfh is the first Snapdragon XR platform created for smart glasses. These glasses have dual ISPs for capturing photos and videos and support binocular displays that provide hands-free notifications and directions. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon not only makes the AR1 Gen 1 smart, but it is also capable of on-device AI, fast connectivity, and optimized thermals.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Review: Practical Everyday Wearable and useful too
The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses can be your daily wearable, depending on how they look with your style. You can add prescription glasses as well. After testing these indoors and outdoors, we can say that Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses could replace your action cameras easily. Although the target audience for action cameras is different than that of these glasses, it does not require anything additional to be carried around with you, nor does it need to be mounted anywhere. And it records what you see.
Considering looking at them from afar, nobody realizes that these are AR/VR-like huge Apple Vision Pro glass until they come close enough or look through the frame themselves. The 12-megapixel camera may not be the best among all other devices out there, but it works fine here because this lens is almost the same as any regular wayfarer lens in daily wear except slightly heavier than usual ones, so even after wearing them for hours, there are any complaints about weight bothering us users eyesight, etc. Snapping pictures or videos can easily done by tapping the Capture button located on the right side (top view).
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are available in 150 combinations.
The images captured (see below) during the day come out really well & have enough details to make them perfect social media post material. One thing I noticed important here is that all pictures taken were vertical, which made me feel like they were targeted towards those people who love sharing each small moment of their life on social media. The good part is that once you click the photo, right away, you can post it on your Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp or Messenger.
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses camera samples
The video is the real deal here; shooting images and videos without taking out your phone is just cool. The Meta glasses can record up to 60 seconds of videos, which is fine for Instagram, Facebook Story, etc. What amazed me most about these was how stable they were while recording and the amount of detail captured. Also, after clicking a photo, there’s an option to anam, but the quality is not a great treat.
The company has made huge battery life claims; however, when tested, it was not close to those figures, so we will talk about battery performance later.
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses house the camera on the left side.
Now, coming onto the audio part: open-ear speakers are inside these Meta glasses, which means if you are capturing in the metro, then not only can people around you hear your private calls, but they will also be able to listen to music with this as their speaker while watching a clip on their phone. During review, sometimes I forgot my earbuds for meetings, but luckily enough, even without them, I could still hear music while going somewhere.
The treble is of high quality, but the bass is not. At home, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses could be your saviour.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Review: Meta View App Support
The Meta View app is the companion app for Meta glasses. It offers quick options to transfer files. The app has many features, including privacy, where you can tweak a few things for calls and voice commands and choose different video lengths. The app should be your quick reference point for checking the battery and changing settings. It also offers the option to share the clicked photo or video on social media.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Review: What Can Improve
There are many things we love about the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, but there are some that need improvement, too. When you put them on, a voice tells you about the battery status, which is very useful indeed because, well, ththat’sththat’sheththat’sththat’sheyte, such as voice commands. The entire meta-AI thing doesn’t do anything in most of the international markets, I guess. From the moment you want to click the picture or record a video and tap the Capture button on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, there’s a sudden delay.
While I was driving and attempting to capture the sunset just above Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, I missed a moment due to the shutter lag. Another feature that could have enhanced its usability was the ability to zoom and toggle using touch gestures before taking pictures or recording videos. This functionality might only be achievable in the next-generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
Smart glasses feature blinker light indicating snaps and video recording
Also, the photos and videos do come out excellent for social media when clicked in good lighting. The moment the light is slightly off, recorded images and videos turn slightly dark.
Another minor issue is undocking the glasses from the case. The glasses have a pin on the nose that docks into the charging case, necessitating you to put it back each time you want to take them out. This action is as straightforward as removing sunglasses from their case. We wish Ray Ban and Meta had simplified this on the smart glasses themselves, as customers may do this several times during the day, which hampers the overall user experience.
Battery life could have been improved. They claim the battery lasts up to four hours without a charging case, but during our review, it dropped to 20 percent after two continuous hours of wear. Yes, the charging case does help with the battery life exponentially, but it would have been great if Meta Glasses lived up to their numbers.
The charging case comes with Meta glasses.
In about 20 minutes, these glasses charge up to 50 percent, and approximately 65 minutes for a full charge of 100 percent. If you use them in short bursts (keep putting them back in the case), most times, you won’t battle. It only becomes a problem when you wear them for many hours.
But what? You can still use these as regular sunglasses without any smarts.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Review: Verdict
Whether worn all day everyday or used occasionally as sunglasses (prescription if needed), these Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are perfect. They come with a camera that records from a unique perspective. The best use of Meta glasses is that they are simply glasses but with speakers and cameras.
Ray-Ban Meta is currently the most functional smart glasses
What it offers are hands-free images and video recording, plus live streaming capability, among others. ThThere’ThThere’slsThThere’ThThere’slsoree Call quality is good, and gestures work well on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The design is fun yet lightweight.
At $299, these could be your new sunglasses with a camera so that you can take pictures or record videos anywhere without pulling out your phone—one of its biggest selling points! Unfortunately, though priced at this point, I do agree; that it lacks several features which other models might offer for more money.
