A $349 alternative to “pervert glasses.”
The invasive use of Meta’s camera-compatible smart glasses has earned them the nickname “evil glasses,” and the company has prepared a solution for Meta Connect 2026: Ray-Ban Meta Audio, smart glasses that ditch cameras entirely to focus on audio and AI features.
Naturally, Meta isn’t describing the new glasses as a response to public backlash – although they do make it harder to use the camera-equipped glasses for surreptitious filming – but rather as an acknowledgment that audio has always been the most popular feature of its smart glasses. The new frames are capable of taking calls, allowing you to respond to messages with your voice and play podcasts and music without cutting yourself off from the rest of the world. It’s also a way to access Meta AI for things like live translation and real-time question answering.
Meta
Another way to look at the Ray-Ban Meta Audio is as benefiting from many of the hardware improvements of the company’s latest models, without the added baggage. Meta says they’ll last up to 12 hours on a single charge, with an additional 48 hours available if you use their charging case. They also include the same fit adjustments as the company’s previous frames, with the option of adjustable temple tips, customizable nose pads, and overextension hinges (spring-loaded hinges that can accommodate a wider selection of head shapes and widths) for improved comfort. The move away from cameras also means the glasses are lighter, at 43 grams; Other Meta models weigh between 49.2 grams (the recent Optics glasses) and 69 grams (the largest size of the Meta Ray-Ban Display).
Meta
The real win for Meta and anyone potentially curious about the company’s smart glasses is that removing the camera and recording light makes these new frames look even more normal than before. Unless you’ve measured the temples and the slightly larger cutouts for the speakers, you may not know that the Ray-Ban Meta Audio are anything other than Ray-Ban. The company is selling the new glasses in two new styles, a rectangular option called Burbank and a retro-inspired style called Clubmaster, both available in 23 colors and lens combinations. They also support a range of optical prescriptions, according to the company.
Right now in the public perception of Meta, the release of the Ray-Ban Meta Audio probably won’t convert reviewers, but they might convince someone who isn’t comfortable with smartglass optics in general. Unless of course Meta does something to make people even crazier, like launch the facial recognition feature he was testing before.
The Ray-Ban Meta Audio will ship on October 13 and are available for pre-order today starting at $349.
