Photo Credits: Meta
Meta introduced its most advanced smart glasses lineup at the Connect 2025 conference, launching the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display with a built-in screen and gesture controls, alongside updated Ray-Ban models and new Oakley sports glasses.
Display Technology and Neural Control
The Meta Ray-Ban Display features a full-colour, high-resolution display built into the right lens that activates only when needed, remaining invisible during regular use. Each pair includes the Meta Neural Band, an EMG wristband that reads muscle signals from subtle finger movements and converts them into commands for controlling the glasses.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated the glasses live on stage, showing how users can check messages, preview photos, see translations, get help from Meta AI, and navigate through content using simple hand gestures detected by the wristband. The Neural Band allows users to scroll by sliding their thumb across their gripped hand, select items by pinching their thumb and index finger together, and adjust volume by rotating their wrist.
The display glasses offer six hours of mixed-use battery life, with the charging case providing an additional 30 hours of use. The wristband delivers 18 hours of battery life and features an IPX7 water rating. Meta built the band with Vectran, the same material used in the Mars Rover’s crash pads.
Updated Ray-Ban Gen 2 Models
Meta also announced the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2, which nearly doubles the battery life of the original model, offering up to eight hours of use compared to the previous four-hour capacity. The Gen 2 model features significant camera improvements, including 3K Ultra HD video capture with ultrawide HDR and the ability to record at up to 60 frames per second. The charging case now provides 48 hours of additional power, up from 36 hours in the original version.
New software features include “conversation focus,” which amplifies the voice of the person you’re speaking with while filtering out background noise, and expanded live translation support for German and Portuguese, alongside existing languages. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen is available for $379 and can be purchased immediately.
Oakley Sports Integration
The $499 Oakley Meta Vanguard is designed for high-intensity sports enthusiasts, featuring specialised features to enhance athletic performance. These glasses integrate directly with Garmin devices and Strava, allowing users to ask Meta AI about their heart rate, pace, and other fitness metrics in real-time without needing to look at their wrist or phone.
The Vanguard features a wraparound design optimised for cycling helmets and hats, with an IP67 dust and water resistance rating. The glasses include Meta’s most powerful speakers yet—six decibels louder than previous Oakley models—and a five-microphone array designed to reduce wind noise. The glasses offer nine hours of battery life.
Availability and Market Launch
Despite some technical hiccups during the live demonstration, Zuckerberg emphasised that these are production-ready devices, not prototypes. The Ray-Ban Display glasses will be available September 30th at select retailers, including Best Buy, LensCrafters, and Ray-Ban stores, with expansion to Canada, France, Italy, and the UK planned for early 2026. The Oakley Meta Vanguard will be available on October 21st, with pre-orders starting immediately.
