A couple weeks ago I donned my Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses and glimpsed the future. Heavier and bulkier than my typical Warby Parker spectacles, but able to pass for typical Wayfarer sunglasses. They are imperfect, but they are the first pair of smart glasses worth owning.
It is important to compare wearing the Ray-Ban metas with regular glasses as an all day glasses wearer. While they do look like regular Wayfarer sunglasses they sit larger and bulkier than the “New Wayfarer” style that I have been used to wearing. When I switch back to my everyday Warby Parker glasses I find my face feeling a little bit of relief, even if I do not notice the weight while I’m wearing the Meta glasses. The prescription lens quality is optically fantastic as ordered direct from the Ray-Ban website. I do not think these are perfect as your only glasses but I find myself happy wearing them a lot more than I expected.
A big question with the cost of the frame being so high is whether it’s worth investing in Transitions lenses, or buying one or two pairs with clear and/or tinted lenses. I tried Transitions for the first time with these and have come away impressed. The latest generation changes tint quickly and in bright sunlight is sufficiently dark that I do not miss regular sunglasses. The only downside is the tint barely activates in cars due to their UV shielded glass. Allegedly the Xtractive line resolves this issue at the cost of maintaining a slight tint indoors, a trade off I did not want to make. The regular Transitions stay perfectly clear inside. I am happy with my choice here.
The camera is not amazing but it is good enough. Photos are usually clear at close and medium range, and Meta will smart crop them to account for the angle your head is at to make them look normal. Videos are a bit better than the photos. Even when you shake your head the stabilization of the video (presumably software based) is decent. Being able to quickly get first person perspective photos means you do not miss shots you might otherwise not take.
Meta AI is ironically the thing I find myself using the least. While the conversational aspect feels significantly more natural than speaking with Siri, Meta AI suffers from being disconnected. It cannot search the web for answers. There are no connections to have it interact with my smart home devices via HomeKit. It has a reminders system that is separate from the Apple app. The future will not arrive until Meta and Apple build bridges instead of walls between their ecosystems.
The stand out feature is the shockingly clear speakers. While audio is not as detailed as my AirPods Pro, it is more than sufficient for phone calls, gaming, and podcasts, and passable for casual music listening. It has been an incredible convenience to not have to take my AirPods Pro in and out of my ears while wearing these. While transparency mode for AirPods is nice, I feel less isolated from the world without AirPods in my ears. Less need to fumble with the AirPods means I find myself listening to podcasts in situations that I would normally go without. There is some sound leakage to the outside world, but its not noticeable at lower volume levels.
The achilles heel is the half-day battery life. If you leave the house for an extended period of time you will have to bring your charging case if you plan to use the smart features later in the day. You can continue using these as regular eyeglasses once the batteries die, but it defeats the point. Most people will not be satisfied with these as their only pair of eyeglasses. IPX4 water resistance means you should leave them home when riding water rides or swimming at the pool.
A few weeks with these has shown me that smart glasses will be a part of our future. Google recently announced a line of their smart glasses and Apple is allegedly developing their own pair due to be released in 2026. As better battery and further miniaturization of electronics arrives, more exciting frame options should follow. If you are an early adopter you will enjoy the Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses today, but we are a few years out from this product category truly maturing.