Meta recently announced a line of Oakley sunglasses with artificial intelligence that will be sold alongside Ray-Ban Metas. The company says the new smart glasses have the same core features as the old ones, but the Oakleys have a higher-resolution camera (3K vs. 1080p) and a battery that lasts twice as long as the Ray-Bans.

Seven months ago, I reviewed the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses . The specs include a camera, open-back speakers, microphones, and voice-activated Meta AI inside a pair of Wayfarer-style frames, so they’re basically sci-fi glasses that look normal. I liked them so much that I got corrective lenses and made them part of my everyday wear. But it’s easy to love a tech product when it’s new and shiny; the real test is how the Ray-Ban Metas hold up after they’ve transitioned from a novelty to just another damn thing I have to remember to charge. Bottom line: I still really like them after wearing them for more than half a year at work, while sitting around, riding my bike, running errands, and generally living my boring life. But I like them in a more subtle way.

Not quite everyday glasses

After the initial sugar rush wore off, I started to notice the weight of the Ray-Ban Metas. They weigh about 49 grams out of the box, pretty heavy for sunglasses, but the prescription lenses bumped the weight up to 54 grams. My regular glasses are pretty thick at 39 grams, and the difference is noticeable. They’re a bit uncomfortable for long-term use. I found myself wearing the regular glasses when I didn’t expect to use the smart features, and going back to the Ray-Bans if I wanted to take photos, record videos, or use hands-free. The main downside was that I’d forget which pair I had on and say, “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 physically made these glasses, because they held up flawlessly. The technology works as well as it did when I got them, and the frames themselves held up, too: no warping, bent temples, or other malfunctions. (I didn’t necessarily babysit them or take special care of them.) They also haven’t gone out of style in the last six months, because the Wayfarer design is timeless. If they’re good enough for James Dean, they’re good enough for me.

Battery life could be better

Meta claims its smart glasses last “up to four hours” on battery, which is a mildly optimistic estimate—these things need to be charged frequently. The solution of having a charger built into the glasses case is acceptable for most situations, since the glasses’ primary function (ensuring I can see) works even when the battery is low. But longer outings where I needed to take a lot of photos or video were a pain. You have a choice: have only photos of the first half of prom, or bring a spare pair of glasses so you can charge them on the go.

Another battery-related annoyance: You can’t turn off the low battery notification without turning off all notifications. While this is the case with many tech products, it would be nice to have the option to turn it off for these glasses.

Social factor: being in the public eye is not always good

When I first started wearing Ray-Ban Metas on a daily basis, they barely caught people’s attention, but as awareness of the product grew, so did the number of people who noticed me wearing them. More than one person asked, “Are you taking my picture?” and I didn’t like that my glasses were sparking conversations about surveillance or Meta’s motives, but I understand why some people are wary of them. They blur the line between fashion and technology, and it’s still new, and many people find them off-putting.

The many features of Ray-Ban, ranked and rated

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have a ton of features, and they’re not all created equal, so here’s a quick list of the features, sorted from the ones I used most to the ones I used least:

Camera: For me, the camera is the primary function of the Ray-Ban Metas. It’s weird to think of a smartphone camera as inconvenient, but pulling it out of your pocket, unlocking the screen, tapping on an app, and holding it up to your face is a lot more than pinching the temple of your glasses. The other way to activate the camera, by saying “Hey Meta, take a picture” or “Hey Meta, take a video,” can also be incredibly useful, as it allows you to take videos while riding a bike and listening to Hawkwind, like this:

While I found the photo quality to be surprisingly good, these glasses are best suited for casual snapshots. There is no viewfinder, and if you want super high quality or want to shoot in low light, they are not a replacement for a “real” camera.

Text and Calls: Receiving text messages and replying to them with your voice is very convenient when your hands are busy. Typing or replying to text messages while driving is simply amazing and could possibly save someone’s life. Call quality is solid and voice recognition is excellent, even in traffic or crowds. It’s also easy to use since you can simply say “Hey Meta, how do I send a text message?” if you forget.

Music : The middle of the list is the perfect time to talk about music and the Ray-Ban Meta’s audio. It’s the middle. The sound quality isn’t terrible, but it’s podcast-while-cooking quality. If you’re into music at all, you’ll quickly tire of the Ray-Ban Meta’s tinny sounds and put on some over-ear 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 start playing is awesome.

Spanish Translation: Meta recently launched the ability to translate Spanish, French, and Italian into English and vice versa. My first reaction when testing it with a Spanish-speaking friend was “santa mierda!” It’s really good, and I was able to translate spoken words at conversational speed in real time, with surprising accuracy. I listened to a graduation speech given in Spanish, and it translated it perfectly, and I also tried it with some telenovelas on YouTube. Flawless. Language Translation could be a killer app for smart glasses.

Meta AI : Depending on your point of view, Meta’s AI is either the killer app or the Trojan horse of these glasses, but I almost never use it. When I first got the glasses, I was amazed by saying, “Hey Meta, look,” and hearing it accurately describe what I was seeing. But that wears off after eight minutes. Then I started using it to prank my friends by looking at their car or something and saying, “Hey Meta, is this a nice car?” and relaying the answer. (Unfortunately, it won’t prank people .) That was fun for three minutes. Then I changed Meta’s voice to Awkwafina’s . That was fun for 38 seconds. Then I stopped using it altogether. Your life may be different, but mine is just fine without an AI assistant.

What I would like to see in Ray-Ban Meta glasses

These glasses are creeping toward becoming a true digital assistant, but they’re not there. I want to say, “Hey, Meta, book me a cheap hotel in Yonkers next weekend” and have it just happen . But right now, the glasses are limited to controlling music, sending messages, translating languages ​​in real time, 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 on on your glasses unless you turn off ‘Hey Meta’” and “the option to turn off voice recording storage is no longer available.” Basically, Meta is promising to watch what I watch and save everything I say, so you could argue there are some pretty big privacy concerns. It’s not great, but frankly, I’m too bored to care. If Meta wants hours of footage of me folding laundry or playing Oblivion Remastered, that’s their problem.

However, if you are the type of person for whom privacy is of the utmost importance, then these glasses are probably not for you.

Are they worth the price?

Whether something is truly “worth it” depends on the buyer. But $299 seems like a good deal for a camera, an AI agent, a Bluetooth headset, and sunglasses, and if you’re going to buy Ray-Ban Metas on prescription, that’s pretty awesome. Plus, they were actually cheaper than my regular glasses, and I can’t ask my regular glasses to tell me a joke.

Is it a good time to buy Ray Ban Meta glasses?

Last week I would have said, “Yeah, now is the time to buy a Ray Ban!” but the announcement of the Meta Oakleys changes my calculus. The new specs will retail for $399 or $499, while the Meta Ray Bans retail for $299 or $379, but the Oakleys will have a significantly better camera than the Ray Bans and twice the battery life. If you already have a pair of Ray Ban Metas, I don’t think it’s worth buying the Oakleys — longer battery life and a better camera would be nice, but they’re not deal-breakers. If you’re shopping for a new pair of smart glasses, I’d definitely pre-order the Oakleys.

Meta hasn’t said if or when it plans to release Ray Ban Meta sunglasses with the same features as Oakleys, so now might not be the best time to buy a new pair: There’s nothing worse than buying a tech product the day before a newer, better version is announced.

Conclusion

I’m not a Meta fan by any means, but I’ll give them credit: These glasses are really good . The novelty wears off, but the usefulness doesn’t. Unlike most gadgets, they’ve earned their place in my midday rotation. If they could shed some weight, they’d be my everyday glasses.

More…

Meta recently announced a line of Oakley sunglasses with artificial intelligence that will be sold alongside Ray-Ban Metas. The company says the new smart glasses have the same core features as the old ones, but the Oakleys have a higher-resolution camera (3K vs. 1080p) and a battery that lasts twice as long as the Ray-Bans.

Seven months ago, I reviewed the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses . The specs include a camera, open-back speakers, microphones, and voice-activated Meta AI inside a pair of Wayfarer-style frames, so they’re basically sci-fi glasses that look normal. I liked them so much that I got corrective lenses and made them part of my everyday wear. But it’s easy to love a tech product when it’s new and shiny; the real test is how the Ray-Ban Metas hold up after they’ve transitioned from a novelty to just another damn thing I have to remember to charge. Bottom line: I still really like them after wearing them for more than half a year at work, while sitting around, riding my bike, running errands, and generally living my boring life. But I like them in a more subtle way.

Not quite everyday glasses

After the initial sugar rush wore off, I started to notice the weight of the Ray-Ban Metas. They weigh about 49 grams out of the box, pretty heavy for sunglasses, but the prescription lenses bumped the weight up to 54 grams. My regular glasses are pretty thick at 39 grams, and the difference is noticeable. They’re a bit uncomfortable for long-term use. I found myself wearing the regular glasses when I didn’t expect to use the smart features, and going back to the Ray-Bans if I wanted to take photos, record videos, or use hands-free. The main downside was that I’d forget which pair I had on and say, “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 physically made these glasses, because they held up flawlessly. The technology works as well as it did when I got them, and the frames themselves held up, too: no warping, bent temples, or other malfunctions. (I didn’t necessarily babysit them or take special care of them.) They also haven’t gone out of style in the last six months, because the Wayfarer design is timeless. If they’re good enough for James Dean, they’re good enough for me.

Battery life could be better

Meta claims its smart glasses last “up to four hours” on battery, which is a mildly optimistic estimate—these things need to be charged frequently. The solution of having a charger built into the glasses case is acceptable for most situations, since the glasses’ primary function (ensuring I can see) works even when the battery is low. But longer outings where I needed to take a lot of photos or video were a pain. You have a choice: have only photos of the first half of prom, or bring a spare pair of glasses so you can charge them on the go.

Another battery-related annoyance: You can’t turn off the low battery notification without turning off all notifications. While this is the case with many tech products, it would be nice to have the option to turn it off for these glasses.

Social factor: being in the public eye is not always good

When I first started wearing Ray-Ban Metas on a daily basis, they barely caught people’s attention, but as awareness of the product grew, so did the number of people who noticed me wearing them. More than one person asked, “Are you taking my picture?” and I didn’t like that my glasses were sparking conversations about surveillance or Meta’s motives, but I understand why some people are wary of them. They blur the line between fashion and technology, and it’s still new, and many people find them off-putting.

The many features of Ray-Ban, ranked and rated

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have a ton of features, and they’re not all created equal, so here’s a quick list of the features, sorted from the ones I used most to the ones I used least:

Camera: For me, the camera is the primary function of the Ray-Ban Metas. It’s weird to think of a smartphone camera as inconvenient, but pulling it out of your pocket, unlocking the screen, tapping on an app, and holding it up to your face is a lot more than pinching the temple of your glasses. The other way to activate the camera, by saying “Hey Meta, take a picture” or “Hey Meta, take a video,” can also be incredibly useful, as it allows you to take videos while riding a bike and listening to Hawkwind, like this:

While I found the photo quality to be surprisingly good, these glasses are best suited for casual snapshots. There is no viewfinder, and if you want super high quality or want to shoot in low light, they are not a replacement for a “real” camera.

Text and Calls: Receiving text messages and replying to them with your voice is very convenient when your hands are busy. Typing or replying to text messages while driving is simply amazing and could possibly save someone’s life. Call quality is solid and voice recognition is excellent, even in traffic or crowds. It’s also easy to use since you can simply say “Hey Meta, how do I send a text message?” if you forget.

Music : The middle of the list is the perfect time to talk about music and the Ray-Ban Meta’s audio. It’s the middle. The sound quality isn’t terrible, but it’s podcast-while-cooking quality. If you’re into music at all, you’ll quickly tire of the Ray-Ban Meta’s tinny sounds and put on some over-ear 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 start playing is awesome.

Spanish Translation: Meta recently launched the ability to translate Spanish, French, and Italian into English and vice versa. My first reaction when testing it with a Spanish-speaking friend was “santa mierda!” It’s really good, and I was able to translate spoken words at conversational speed in real time, with surprising accuracy. I listened to a graduation speech given in Spanish, and it translated it perfectly, and I also tried it with some telenovelas on YouTube. Flawless. Language Translation could be a killer app for smart glasses.

Meta AI : Depending on your point of view, Meta’s AI is either the killer app or the Trojan horse of these glasses, but I almost never use it. When I first got the glasses, I was amazed by saying, “Hey Meta, look,” and hearing it accurately describe what I was seeing. But that wears off after eight minutes. Then I started using it to prank my friends by looking at their car or something and saying, “Hey Meta, is this a nice car?” and relaying the answer. (Unfortunately, it won’t prank people .) That was fun for three minutes. Then I changed Meta’s voice to Awkwafina’s . That was fun for 38 seconds. Then I stopped using it altogether. Your life may be different, but mine is just fine without an AI assistant.

What I would like to see in Ray-Ban Meta glasses

These glasses are creeping toward becoming a true digital assistant, but they’re not there. I want to say, “Hey, Meta, book me a cheap hotel in Yonkers next weekend” and have it just happen . But right now, the glasses are limited to controlling music, sending messages, translating languages ​​in real time, 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 on on your glasses unless you turn off ‘Hey Meta’” and “the option to turn off voice recording storage is no longer available.” Basically, Meta is promising to watch what I watch and save everything I say, so you could argue there are some pretty big privacy concerns. It’s not great, but frankly, I’m too bored to care. If Meta wants hours of footage of me folding laundry or playing Oblivion Remastered, that’s their problem.

However, if you are the type of person for whom privacy is of the utmost importance, then these glasses are probably not for you.

Are they worth the price?

Whether something is truly “worth it” depends on the buyer. But $299 seems like a good deal for a camera, an AI agent, a Bluetooth headset, and sunglasses, and if you’re going to buy Ray-Ban Metas on prescription, that’s pretty awesome. Plus, they were actually cheaper than my regular glasses, and I can’t ask my regular glasses to tell me a joke.

Is it a good time to buy Ray Ban Meta glasses?

Last week I would have said, “Yeah, now is the time to buy a Ray Ban!” but the announcement of the Meta Oakleys changes my calculus. The new specs will retail for $399 or $499, while the Meta Ray Bans retail for $299 or $379, but the Oakleys will have a significantly better camera than the Ray Bans and twice the battery life. If you already have a pair of Ray Ban Metas, I don’t think it’s worth buying the Oakleys — longer battery life and a better camera would be nice, but they’re not deal-breakers. If you’re shopping for a new pair of smart glasses, I’d definitely pre-order the Oakleys.

Meta hasn’t said if or when it plans to release Ray Ban Meta sunglasses with the same features as Oakleys, so now might not be the best time to buy a new pair: There’s nothing worse than buying a tech product the day before a newer, better version is announced.

Conclusion

I’m not a Meta fan by any means, but I’ll give them credit: These glasses are really good . The novelty wears off, but the usefulness doesn’t. Unlike most gadgets, they’ve earned their place in my midday rotation. If they could shed some weight, they’d be my everyday glasses.

More…