Meta Launches New, Cheaper Smart Glasses Under Its Own Brand

Meta on Tuesday announced the launch of a new line of smart glasses, called Meta Glasses, with prices starting at $299. The glasses are produced in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, but unlike previous Meta smart glasses, they do not carry Ray-Ban or Oakley branding. Meta Glasses are available starting today in several countries in a variety of color and lens combinations.

Meta continues its push into the wearables market as competition heats up. Notably, Meta and EssilorLuxottica are the largest players in the space, holding an estimated combined market share of over 80%, according to Counterpoint Research data.

The Meta Glasses have no display but include a camera and personal speakers. There is a dedicated button that by default triggers the Meta AI assistant, but users can customize it to launch a specific feature. Meta claims the glasses offer over 8 hours of battery life, with the charging case providing up to 40 additional hours.

The first model, called the Meta Adventurer, features a rectangular shape and is available in standard and large sizes. The Meta Fury frame is boxier, resembling popular men's glasses styles. The most notable is the Meta Glasses by Kylie, which boasts a slim oval frame designed in collaboration with American model Kylie Jenner.

Meta says the Meta AI assistant on the glasses can answer questions about sports scores and local restaurant recommendations, understand what the user is seeing, and help manage daily life. The company said these display-less glasses will soon support a pedestrian navigation feature providing turn-by-turn walking directions. Meta is also adding support for 14 new languages for its live translation feature, including Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Korean.

The new Meta smart glasses launch comes a week after Snap unveiled its long-awaited consumer smart glasses, Specs, at a hefty price of $2,195.