I know you’re not supposed to wear sunglasses indoors, but I did when I visited Meta a few weeks ago to check out the tech giant’s latest smart glasses. Meta’s Connect event gave us a proper glimpse at the next generation of wearables for your face, with a slew of updates to its Ray-Ban Meta range, and a couple of new additions to the Oakley family.
While I tried the new Oakley x Meta Vanguard sunglasses – and they’re genuinely impressive – it’s the new display-enabled Ray-Bans I’m left dreaming about.
Let’s start with the Vanguards, since I actually got those on my face. This is Meta’s play for the performance crowd, the ones who treat ultra-marathons like a fun run. These are proper Oakleys: sporty, chunky, and unapologetically in your face. You can even swap out the lenses for different colours. It’s great, and the tech inside makes them properly smart.
Nine hours of battery life is impressive, for these specs. The camera captures ultra-wide 3K video, but will only record for a few minutes each time like Meta’s other glasses. You get hyperlapse and slow-mo video modes, which both look rather slick in playback. The open-ear speakers are extra beefy, so you can blast your tunes while cycling into a headwind up to 30mph. I didn’t test the wind resistance but can confirm they sound surprisingly solid and louder than before.
There’s Garmin and Strava integration so you can overlay stats over your recorded videos. These glasses don’t do any activity tracking, and it’s unclear if they ever will despite my enthusiastic questioning. You can even set up some useful automations – the specs can auto-record a video every time you hit a PB, for example. The Vanguards also have an IP67 rating, meaning they can handle sweat, rain, and an accidental dunk.
If you prefer something a little more day-to-day, the original Ray-Bans have been updated. The second-gen Ray-Bans didn’t get a full makeover, but they do come with a few solid upgrades. Battery life has doubled, video recording has jumped to a crispy 3K, and there’s a new conversation focus mode rolling out soon. There are also some new colours if you fancy a seasonal vibe.
But it’s the Meta Ray-Ban Display that has me eyeing up my wallet with ill intent. Meta’s Display glasses feature a tiny high-resolution screen tucked just out of your direct line of sight – as the name suggests. It promises to be sharp enough to read text, bright enough to use in full sunlight (up to 5000 nits), and it vanishes when you’re not using it. They also offer all the regular smart glasses features you’d expect, like call support, the ability to play music, and, of course, Meta’s AI chatbot.
To control it, you use the Meta Neural Band. This wrist-worn marvel uses subtle electrical signals in your muscles to control the glasses with hand gestures. No buttons, no tapping your temple like a budget spy – just twitch your fingers slightly, and you’re set. It sounds straight of a sci-fi flick, and I get wait to get this band on my wrist.
The Oakley Meta Vanguards are available to pre-order now for $499/£499 and land on shelves October 21. The Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) starts at $379/£379 and are available now from Meta and Ray-Ban directly. And the Meta Ray-Ban Display – complete with the Neural Band – will set you back $799 USD when it arrives on 30 September. These specs will only arrive in the US for now, but will expand to the UK, Canada, and Europe in early 2026.
