While the debate rages over smart glasses, Meta sidestepped one of the form factor’s biggest criticisms by announcing a pair of smart glasses without a built-in camera. Dubbed the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, the specs are an audio-only pair that still offers many of the AI features seen in other smart glasses.
Smart glasses sales are on the up, but there’s concern over users misusing the built-in cameras. Meta’s answer is a clever one, relying purely on an onboard speaker and mic system to power the specs’ smarts.
Weighing 43 grams, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio is billed as an unintrusive alternative to headphones. Meta claims the glasses last for up to 12 hours of use on a single charge, with the included charging case supplying an additional 48 hours of battery life.
Via the glasses’ audio system, you can activate the AI assistant with your voice, listen to music, and make phone calls, all hands-free. Meta claims that because of how the glasses sit on your face, the microphone array picks up your voice more clearly than a pair of in-ear headphones would.
In addition to the company’s plans to bring its new Muse AI agent to glasses, Meta also announced some major accessibility features. One of the major features is ‘Hearing Enhancement’, which aims to help wearers with mild or moderate hearing loss to hear themselves and others more clearly. Hearing Enhancement launches across various Meta glasses in the US first, as either a one-off payment or included with a Meta One subscription.
Third-gen Ray-Ban Meta specs
Although its newest glasses don’t have a camera, Meta still has an extensive range of lens-equipped specs. Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) also debuted overnight, a slimmer version of both brands’ flagship AI wearable.
They also last longer, with a nine-hour battery life, an hour longer than the second-gen model. Meta also added a new six-mic system that helps pick up your voice clearly during calls or when using voice commands. According to Meta, these mics cut “more than 90% of
background noise”.
Like the Gen 2 model, the Gen 3 Ray-Ban Meta glasses let you take 12MP photos and 3K video via built-in cameras. In light of growing concerns over smart glasses’ privacy, Meta emphasised that its newest glasses follow previous models, sporting an LED that activates whenever the built-in camera is in use.
Meta also announced plenty of new styles and colours across its new and existing range, including a new look for the Kylie Jenner-inspired specs. Also coming is a pair of mixed-reality glasses that look like a much less chunky version of the Apple Vision Pro.
Meta’s new range of smart AI glasses starts launching today in the US. Once we’ve got all the Australian details, including pricing, we’ll let you know.
Valens Quinn attended Meta Connect in California as a guest of Meta.
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