Ray-Ban Meta Optics review: A better fit comes with a higher price
Meta and EssilorLuxottica have upgraded the Ray-Ban smart glasses to better suit prescription lens wearers, offering improved comfort and battery life. However, the high cost and ongoing privacy concerns may give buyers pause.
Meta has released a new line of Ray-Ban smart glasses called "Optics," designed specifically for people who need prescription lenses. The base price is $499, but adding custom prescription lenses can nearly double that amount. The test configuration, including a mild prescription, blue light filter, and scratch-resistant coating, cost over $700 before tax and shipping.
Compared to the previous generation, the Optics glasses offer several improvements. The inner nosepads are interchangeable, with "universal fit," "high bridge," and "low bridge" options included to help prevent slipping. The temple tips are also moldable for a more precise fit. The tested "Scriber" style frames stayed on better than the previous "Wayfarer" model, and many people did not realize they were smart glasses. Battery life has been slightly increased to "more than 8 hours," which in testing was enough for a full day of intermittent audio and Meta AI use.
A new addition is a customizable action button on the main capture button, previously seen on Oakley Meta Vanguard sunglasses. It serves as a shortcut for frequently used commands, such as "read my latest text message," allowing users to get information without using the "Hey Meta" voice command.
Meta has also updated its assistant with the new Muse Spark model, making it more responsive and conversational. However, the assistant now keeps listening for up to 20 seconds after the user stops speaking, which can lead to awkward moments if someone else starts talking. This setting can be disabled, but it is on by default. Health and nutrition features worked inconsistently – sometimes the camera recognized food, sometimes not, and accuracy was low.
Privacy concerns remain. Meta no longer allows U.S. users to opt out of cloud voice recording storage, and using multimodal features (like asking about food nutrition) sends images to train AI models, which may be viewed and labeled by contractors in other countries. Reports have surfaced of a potential facial recognition feature, with code found by researchers, though Meta says no final decision has been made. The reviewer notes that while she does not personally believe wearing these glasses makes someone a "creep," these perceptions should factor into a buying decision, especially given the high price.
Overall, the Ray-Ban Meta Optics are the most comfortable premium smart glasses from Meta, but the high cost and privacy issues may not justify the investment for most consumers.
