Here’s What I Learned After Wearing Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses for Six Months
Six months ago, I reviewed the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses . In case you’ve been off the grid, those specs include a camera, open-back speakers, microphones, and voice-activated Meta AI inside a pair of Wayfarer-style frames, so they’re essentially sci-fi glasses that look normal. I liked them so much that I put in prescription lenses and made them part of my daily wear. But it’s easy to fall in love with a tech product when it’s new and shiny; The real test is the fair of Ray-Ban Metas after they’ve gone from being a novelty item to yet another damn thing I have to remember to charge. Bottom line: I still really like them after six months of wearing them while working, sitting, biking, running errands, and generally going about my boring life. But I like them in a more subtle sense.
Not exactly everyday glasses
After the initial sugar rush wore off, I started to notice the weight of the Ray-Ban Metas. Out of the box they weigh around 49 grams, which is quite heavy for sunglasses, but prescription lenses bump the weight up to 54 grams. My regular specs are quite hefty at 39 grams and the difference is noticeable. They are a little uncomfortable when used for long periods of time. I find myself wearing regular glasses when I wasn’t expecting to use smart features, and falling back to Ray-Bans when I want to take photos, record videos, or use hands-free phone calls. The main downside was that I forgot which pair of glasses I was wearing and said “Hey Meta” to my stupid glasses. (But that’s my problem.)
Build quality, durability and style: no complaints.
I have to commend Ray-Ban, Meta and whatever factory made these glasses because they held up flawlessly. The technology works as well now as it did when I received it, and the frames themselves have held up as well, with no warping, bent arms or other issues. (I didn’t necessarily coddle them or care much about them.) They haven’t gone out of style in the last six months either, as the Wayfarer’s design is timeless. If they’re good enough for James Dean, they’re good enough for me.
Battery life could be better
Meta says its smart glasses have a battery life of “up to four hours,” which is slightly optimistic—these things need to be charged frequently. The decision to have a charger built into the glasses case is acceptable in most cases, since the main function of the glasses (providing visibility) works even when the batteries are low. But long walks during which I wanted to take a lot of photos or videos were a problem for me. You have the choice of only carrying photos of the first half of your graduation ceremony, or bringing a spare pair of glasses so you can charge them on the fly.
Another battery-related annoyance: You can’t turn off the low battery notification without turning off all notifications. While this applies to many tech products, it would be great to be able to disable this feature for these glasses.
Social factor: being visible is not always good
When I first started wearing Ray-Ban Metas on a daily basis, they largely flew under people’s radar, but as the product’s popularity grew, so did the number of people who noticed I was wearing them. Several people asked, “Are you taking pictures of me?” and I didn’t like it when my glasses sparked talk about surveillance or the Meta’s motives, but I understand why some people are wary. They blur the line between fashion and technology, which is still new, and many people are put off by them.
Many Ray-Ban features, ranked and rated
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have a ton of features, but they’re not all equally useful, so here’s a short list of features, ordered from those I used the most to those I used the least:
Camera: For me, the important feature of the Ray-Ban Metas is the camera. It’s strange to think of a smartphone camera as something inconvenient, but reaching into your pocket, unlocking the screen, clicking on an app, and holding it up to your face is a world away from pinching the temple of your glasses. Another way to turn on the camera by saying “Hey Meta, take a photo” or “Hey Meta, take a video” can also be incredibly useful as it allows you to take video while riding your bike and listening to Hawkwind, for example:
Photo quality was surprisingly good, but these glasses are best suited for everyday photography. There’s no viewfinder, and if you’re going for ultra-high quality or want to shoot in low light, they’re no substitute for a “real” camera.
Text and calls. Receiving text messages and replying by voice is great when your hands are full. Starting to send or respond to text messages while driving is amazing and will probably save some people’s lives. Call quality is good and voice recognition is excellent, even in traffic or in crowds. It’s also easy to use since you can simply say, “Hey Meta, how do I send a message?” if you forget.
Music . Halfway through the list, it’s time to talk about the music and sound of the Ray-Ban Meta. This is the middle. The sound quality isn’t terrible, but it’s podcast-in-cooking level. If you’re into music at all, you’ll quickly tire of the harsh sounds coming from the meta Ray-Bans and put on some headphones. On the other hand, being able to control Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music with just your voice is great. Saying “Hey Meta, play some funk” and having The Meters play is cool.
Meta AI : Depending on your point of view, Meta AI is either a killer app or a Trojan horse of these glasses, but I almost never use it. When I first got the glasses, I was shocked, saying, “Hey Meta, look!” and receiving an exact description of what I saw. But it goes away after eight minutes. Then I started using it to make fun of my friends by looking at their car or something and saying, “Hey Meta, is that a good car?” and relay the response. (Unfortunately, it won’t fry people .) It was fun for three minutes. Then I changed Meta’s voice to Awkwafina . It was fun for 38 seconds. Then I stopped using it altogether. Your life may be different, but mine gets along just fine without an AI assistant.
Translation: Meta recently introduced the ability to translate from Spanish, French and Italian into English and vice versa. It’s too new to really appreciate, but my first reaction to testing it out with a Spanish-speaking friend was, ” Santa Myerda!” It’s like the universal translator from Star Trek or something.
What I would like to see in Ray-Ban Meta glasses
These glasses are heading towards being a true digital assistant, but they aren’t there. I want to say, “Hey Meta, book me a cheap hotel in Yonkers next weekend,” and it will just happen . However, the glasses are currently limited to controlling music, sending messages, real-time language translation, and providing basic information, which is a lot for a pair of glasses.
Privacy issues (as if privacy still exists)
Meta recently sent an email to Ray-Ban Meta users that said, in part, “Meta AI using the camera is always enabled on your glasses unless you turn off the ‘Hey Meta’ feature” and “the option to turn off voice recording storage is no longer available.” Meta essentially promises to look at what I look at and save everything I say, so one could argue that there are some pretty serious privacy concerns. It’s not great, but honestly I’m too bored to care. If Meta wants to film me folding laundry or playing Oblivion Remastered for hours, that’s their problem.
However, if you prioritize your privacy, these glasses are probably not for you.
Are they worth the price?
Whether something is truly “worth” depends on the client. But $299 seems like a good deal for a camera, AI agent, Bluetooth headset and sunglasses, and if you’re buying Ray-Ban Metas prescription glasses, it’s amazing. Overall, they were actually cheaper than my regular glasses and I can’t ask my regular glasses to tell me a joke.
Bottom line
I’m not a Meta fan by any means, but to give credit where credit is due: these glasses are really good . The novelty wears off, but the usefulness does not. Unlike most gadgets, they have found their place in my mid-day rotation. If they could shed a little more weight they would become my everyday glasses.