A new and improved generation of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses was announced at Meta Connect and is already available for pre-order. This next generation of smart glasses comes with amazing and mind-blowing features such as social media livestreaming, a 12MP camera, built-in speakers and your own Meta AI assistant.
In 2021, Meta introduced the first-generation smart glasses, Ray-Ban Stories, which freed users from being confined to handheld cameras. Now, these next-generation glasses have been made better with the help of feedback from users with great improvement on features from the first-generation Ray-Ban stories and new ones that have not been experienced in any smart glasses.
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses help to snap pictures and record video clips from a unique point of view of the user. This comes in handy for people who like updating their followers on their daily activities as they can capture and livestream their best moments even with their phones in their bags. Online purchasing of these smart glasses is to commence on October 17th, although pre-orders have been ongoing on meta.com and ray-ban.com
Major features and highlights of the next-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses
1. Hands-free social live-streaming
This new generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses has an incredible feature that allows the user to livestream through the smart glasses to Instagram or Facebook without using a smartphone. It also displays comments from the preview and has an option to read them out loud for better engagement.
The livestream feature captures unique moments with the use of a 5GHz Wi-Fi or cellular and also requires a minimum temperature of 5°C to function. Other factors that affect the performance include battery level, internet connectivity, location and obtrusion from other devices.
2. Quality and comfort
Meta has made these smart glasses lighter and more comfortable by reducing the weight and making the frames thinner. They can be recorded in the rain with their water-resistant feature (IPX4). The glasses are also improved to respond faster and more accurately to commands with the upgraded interaction earcons and touchpads.
3. High-quality camera
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have an ultra-wide 12MP (megapixel) camera which gives a sharper image and video quality. This is a huge upgrade from the 5MP camera that was used in the first-generation Meta smart glasses. Videos can last for up to 60 seconds at 1080p. Photos or videos taken can also be forwarded to friends with a ‘send a photo’ voice command.
4. Improved audio
Improved open-ear speaker designed with maximum volume and extended bass. Calls and music can be enjoyed even in noisy areas with upgraded directional audio that renders decreased audio leakages. The five-microphone array ensures quality audio in video recordings, making sounds in videos exactly how they were heard in real life.
5. Easier messaging and calling
Calling and messaging are made easier and hand-free with the Meta smart glasses. Calls and messages can be sent on WhatsApp, SMS and Messenger using a voice command.
6. Long-lasting battery life
Using pre-production hardware, the rechargeable Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses battery life was measured to be up to 4 hours per single charge while the smart glasses charging case was measured to have up to 32 hours per full charge, making the combined battery life to be 36 hours. These battery life claims could be affected by configurations, settings, usage, etc.
7. Meta AI
Meta AI, an advanced assistant, is one of the exceptional features of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. It requires a hands-free operation and can be activated just by saying “Hey Meta”. Using voice commands alone, you can get creative, seek information and control features all with the assistance of Meta AI.
The voice features are available in languages such as English, French and Italian. The default language is the language used on your smartphone during the device setup but if the language on the phone isn’t available on the app, it defaults to English.
8. Design and style
The Ray-Ban remix platform has more than 150 different custom frames and lens combinations which enables you to customize the glasses to your preference. These smart glasses have also been modified to be compatible with prescription lenses. For the privacy of others, the capture LED notifies others that you are recording by making patterned flashes.
