The Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Work Great and Don’t Look Dorky

If this was 1987, I’d create a syndicated adventure show around a pair of Ray-Ban Meta Glasses. Here’s my pitch for CodeName: SPEX: “Sgt. Steve Johnson, accused of a crime he did not commit, liberates a pair of super-intelligent Wayfarers from a secret government lab. Steve and SPEX (Surveillance, Proximity, Enhancement, eXtraction) roam the country using SPEX’s powers to solve mysteries, all while keeping one step ahead of the agents pursuing them.”

All this to say that Meta’s smart glasses are 1980s-syndicated-TV-show, living-in-the-future kind of cool. Not just cool for their impressive technology, but cool because they’re actually useful; maybe not for outsmarting government agents, but for solving everyday mysteries, like “where did I park my car?”

Pros

• Stylish design

• Useful AI

• Easy operation

Cons

• No display screen

• AI limitations

Specs

• Price: $329 and up

• Weight: 49 grams

• Still camera: 12 MP, 3024×4032

• Video: 1080p

• iPhone requirements: iPhone 11 or newer, running iOS 14.4 and up

• Android requirements: Google Pixel 5 and newer, or Galaxy S20 and newer, running Android 10 and up

For the three people who haven’t seen Meta’s ubiquitous advertising campaign: Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are sunglasses/eyeglasses with a built-in camera, speakers, and AI that can be controlled with your voice and simple gestures. They do not have a display screen, though, so you’ll need to look elsewhere if that’s your bag. Meta is working on true AR smart glasses with a built-in display (Orion), but that’s likely far off.

Design: Wayfarers are perpetually cool

The design of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses may prove to be the “killer feature” that elevates them above the competition. With glasses, looks are important—you’re wearing them on your face, after all—and unlike the infamous Google Glasses of years ago or other brands of smart glasses on the market, Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are stylish enough that I’d wear them if they didn’t have built-in technology. They come in three time-tested Ray-Ban frame shapes—Skyler, Wayfarer, and Headliner—and offer multiple colors and lens combinations, including the option of prescription lenses. Ray-Ban Metas weigh 49 grams (10 more than my regular specs) and the built-in camera is unobtrusive, so you can wear them all day and not look like a dork (until you say “Hey Meta, what’s the score of the Eagles game?” to yourself on a crowded bus.)

Technology: Say hello to your little AI friend

There has been a lot of talk in techie circles lately about the possibilities of wearable AI assistants like Humane’s AI Pin or the Rabbit R1, but early reviews have not been positive about either. The idea of replacing your phone with a phone-sized gadget (but only for some tasks, so you still need to carry your phone) just isn’t appealing to most. But cramming AI into your eyeglasses means there’s no extra gadget to take up pocket space, and, because it’s voice activated, it can be operated hands-free. 

The set-up and pairing with the companion app, Meta View, was uneventful. A lot of thought seems to have gone into making the user experience as easy as possible. After a brief tutorial, you’re on your own, but if you forget the gesture controls or something, you can ask your glasses to explain them to you again.

In basic terms, Ray-Ban Meta’s AI assistant can see what you’re seeing, translate text, and answer questions. If you’re looking at a cool flower, you can say, “Hey, Meta, what kind of flower is that?” Or you can ask, “Hey, Meta, what am I looking at?” And it will describe your view with scary accuracy. 

Meta’s AI can translate signs and other text into multiple languages, tell you what the breakfast hours are of the McDonald’s you’re looking at, tell you whether it gets good reviews, and give you a suggestion for what to order. (Meta recommends the Egg McMuffin.) You can ask it general questions too, like “When does the new season of Severance premiere?” or “What’s the address of Circus Liquor in North Hollywood?” It can even tell jokes—not funny jokes necessarily, but things that are technically jokes. 

You can use it to remember things for you, too. Tell it “remember that I have a doctor’s appointment on the 12th” or “remember that my car is parked in the orange section in space 435,” then later have it recall the information. 

As cool as it would be to say, “Hey, Meta, book me a room at the MGM Grand Hotel for this Saturday,” it’s not there yet. Complex tasks that would involve potentially using other apps on your phone aren’t possible. It also can’t give you turn-based-directions, identify the song you’re listening to, or remember the name of the person you’re looking at. Also: It only responds to “hey Meta,” not “Hey SPEX” as I’d prefer.

Credit: Stephen Johnson

For influencers and other perpetually-online folks, the Ray-Ban Meta’s main selling point is likely its ability to capture images and video, then instantly upload them to Instagram or Facebook with a word. You can also livestream, but only to Instagram and Facebook. A click of the button on the glasses arm, or saying “Hey, Meta, take a picture,” will take a snapshot of what you’re looking at, so you can capture a still or a video while you’re riding a bike or driving.

The resolution of the Ray-Ban’s photos doesn’t equal a modern smartphone, but a 12 MP camera that takes 3024×4032 still images and 1080p video isn’t potato-quality, either. It does a fairly nice job with lower light situations, too. Speaking of the video: I was impressed with the Meta-Ray Ban’s image stabilization and the wide field of view, but bummed that it only shoots in one, vertical aspect ratio: perfect for TikTok but bad for a feature film. Check it out yourself:

Because there’s no viewfinder, it’s difficult to frame shots, so it’s best used for casual, on-the-fly images instead of careful compositions, and you’ll probably need to crop everything later for best results. Here’s a straight-from-the-glasses photo, taken in a lower-light hallway, to give you an idea of the image quality:

Credit: Stephen Johnson

Conversations with your eyeglasses are cool and all, but if you want to interact with other humans, you can use Ray-Bans to send texts, make and answer voice calls, and make video calls. You can switch between your glasses-camera and your phone’s camera in a video call on WhatsApp and Messenger, so if you need to show someone something, your pal can see the world through your eyes. (It won’t work on FaceTime or other non-Meta platforms.) Kind of creepy, but kind of cool. This all worked exactly as expected, with little hassle—all I really want out of tech gadgets.

Along with taking snapshots and telling jokes, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses pair directly with Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Calm through a connected device, and can be used as a Bluetooth speaker to play whatever you like. With a command of “play music” you can start the tunes, and then skip ahead with a tap on the glasses or a “skip song” command. The volume can be controlled the same way. 

Like the video quality, the audio is fine, but not near the level of a decent set of headphones or earbuds. The highs and mids are clear; the bass is weak, but it’s adequate overall.

Battery life

The glasses boast a battery life of “up to four hours,” but this varies based on usage. While it might seem short, especially if this is your everyday wear, the Ray-Ban Meta case contains additional battery power, allowing for eight more charges on the go. 

Any discussion of what something is worth is subjective, but $329 for the base Wayfarer model is less than I paid for my last set of frames, and they don’t ever answer me when I talk to them. For comparison, the cost of the cheapest Humane AI pin is $499 and requires a monthly subscription, while the Rabbit R1 runs $199. 

With their retro design, practical AI capabilities, and hands-free operation, Ray-Ban Metas are the kind of glasses Q would have given to James Bond. While there are limitations, like the lack of a display and some complex task constraints, overall, Ray-Ban Meta glasses are an “I didn’t know I always needed this” gadget that makes many things I do anyway, like taking pictures and sending texts, easier and cooler.