Ray-Ban, Meta unveil next-gen smart glasses with advanced features

Ray-Ban, a popular eyewear brand, and Meta, a US company known for Instagram and WhatsApp, have teamed up with EssilorLuxottica to introduce a new line of smart glasses on October 17.

These smart glasses, called Ray-Ban Meta, are being touted as the “next generation” in eyewear technology. They come with live streaming capabilities and built-in Meta AI. The goal is to replace not only the mobile phone camera but also separate headphones, thanks to improved camera and audio features.

At a press event in London, EssilorLuxottica and Meta showcased the revamped Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. They’ve made significant improvements based on feedback from users who appreciate the convenience of hands-free technology.

The upgrades include a higher quality camera, jumping from 5 to an impressive 12-megapixels, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 Platform. This enhances photo and video quality, allowing for 1080p videos up to 60 seconds in portrait mode. The glasses have 32GB of storage, accommodating up to 500 photos and 100 videos up to 30 seconds without needing to import them to the app.

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses also feature custom-designed open-ear audio in the arm of the glasses. This comes with extended bass, higher maximum volume, and improved directional audio, reducing audio leakage for better calls, music, and podcasts even in noisy or windy environments.

The enhanced audio also benefits recording videos or live streaming, with a five-microphone array that captures sound just as the wearer experienced it — from the front, sides, rear, and above.

EssilorLuxottica has given the charging case a redesign, making it slimmer and smaller, while still capable of holding up to eight additional charges for a total of 36 hours of use.

Meta has also improved the companion app, Meta View, making it more user-friendly. This facilitates seamless content import and easy sharing with friends via WhatsApp or any social media platform.