Meta launches affordable smart glasses

Meta (Facebook, Instagram and other platforms) on Tuesday unveiled a basic version of its connected smart glasses, launching for the first time a model under its own brand, AFP reported on Wednesday.

The new Meta Glasses, priced at around $300, compared with $380 for the model developed with Ray-Ban, mark another step in Mark Zuckerberg’s push into connected devices that are expected to help define the post-smartphone era, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Unlike the premium Ray-Ban model, which costs around $800 and includes a built-in display, the new glasses do not feature a screen. Instead, they are equipped with a camera, microphone, and discreet speakers, all connected to Meta’s artificial intelligence system, Muse Spark.

The glasses allow users to take photos and videos, listen to music, make phone calls, interact with an AI assistant, and receive instant translations.

They support 20 languages, including Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Korean.

“We felt there was a need for a lower-priced pair of glasses and were looking for something that could work in this segment,” Meta’s vice president for wearable devices, Alex Himel, told The Verge.

Although Meta currently dominates the still relatively small smart-glasses market, with more than 7 million units sold, competitors are trying to catch up.

Google has announced smart glasses developed in partnership with Samsung for release this autumn, while analysts expect Apple to introduce a competing product in 2027.

Meanwhile, Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is taking a different approach. In mid-June, it unveiled Specs, smart glasses that offer an augmented reality experience without needing to be connected to a smartphone.

This strategy focuses on premium glasses, starting at around $2,200, with all computing components built directly into the device. Even so, they remain cheaper than mixed-reality headsets such as Apple’s Vision Pro, which costs around $3,500.

Photo: Meta