Meta has officially lifted the curtain on its most ambitious wearables yet: the Ray-Ban Display smart glasses and the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2). 
Both were revealed during the Meta Connect 2025 event, signaling how far the company intends to push everyday augmented reality and AI-powered personal assistants.
The Ray-Ban Display is unlike any smart glasses Meta has introduced before. Embedded directly into the right lens is a full-color 600 × 600-pixel micro-display capable of 90Hz refresh and up to a blinding 5,000 nits brightness. Though the field of view is limited to 20 degrees, it’s enough to beam text messages, WhatsApp and Messenger video calls, real-time translations, live captions, and even navigation directions straight into your line of sight. Spotify listeners will also see now-playing info projected in front of them, and of course, the glasses tap into Meta AI to serve quick responses and contextual answers.
To make this hands-free, Meta pairs the glasses with the Meta Neural Band, a wristband using sEMG (surface electromyography) signals to capture subtle finger and hand movements. Instead of fumbling for buttons, you can scroll, swipe, or confirm with gestures. The Neural Band also comes with IPX7 water resistance and an impressive 18 hours of battery life, a crucial factor for all-day wearers.
On the imaging front, the Ray-Ban Display packs a 12MP ultra-wide sensor supporting 3K video capture at 30fps with 3× digital zoom. Six microphones and two open-ear speakers handle audio input and playback, while 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM keep things smooth. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, and prescription support is baked in with an Rx range from -4.00 to +4.00. Battery life tops out at six hours per charge, extendable to a full day via the charging case. At 69 grams and IPX4 splash protection, they are slightly bulkier than classic Ray-Bans but still styled to blend in. Pricing is set at $799, available in Black or Sand on September 30 in the US, with rollouts to Canada, France, Italy, and the UK scheduled for early 2026.
Meanwhile, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) builds on the success of its predecessor. Meta has extended battery life to 8 hours per charge, with fast charging reaching 50% in just 20 minutes, while the case provides a massive 48 extra hours. Video recording now supports 3K at 60fps, and upcoming updates will add hyperlapse and slow-motion modes. One particularly intriguing new tool, Conversation Focus, will filter out background noise and amplify the voice of whoever you’re talking to, a feature that could make these glasses indispensable for crowded events or busy streets.
The Gen 2 glasses, priced at $379, are already on sale in the US and come in multiple frame styles including Wayfarer, Skyler, and Headliner. Compared to the Display model, they are more mainstream in function but still lean heavily into the seamless blend of audio, video, and AI assistance that Meta is betting on as the future of wearable computing.
Meta’s vision is clear: turning smart glasses into not just a gadget but a platform where AR, AI, and real-world tasks merge. The pricing split shows Meta is hedging its bets – a premium tier for early adopters who want bleeding-edge display tech, and a more affordable line for users who simply want upgraded AI, audio, and camera performance. Whether or not smart glasses truly become a “serious thing” in five years, as some skeptics say, Meta is determined to make that future arrive faster than expected.
1 comment
people keep saying smart glasses will be big in 5 years… i think we’ll still be saying the same thing 5 yrs later 😂