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Meta debuts no-camera smart glasses and virtual reality spectacles
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Meta has unveiled camera-free Ray-Ban Meta audio glasses, a third generation of camera-equipped smart glasses, and a lightweight VR headset resembling spectacles. The announcements came at Meta Connect in Menlo Park, California, where executives emphasized weight, battery life and usability. Together, the products offer two paths for wearable computing: glasses that extend phone features, and a visor for movies, work and entertainment. They arrive as debate intensifies over wearable cameras and surveillance.
Ray-Ban Meta glasses are already the smart-glasses market’s leading product, but the category faces accusations of enabling surveillance. Critics have branded such devices “perv glasses” or “spy glasses,” while Meta says its products include privacy protections. The audio-only model is particularly timely: without a camera, it can play music, handle calls and provide access to Meta’s AI assistant without recording what its wearer sees. Microphones still raise questions about listening environments, however, so removing the camera addresses only part of the privacy debate.
The Ray-Ban Meta Audio AI glasses come in recognizable Clubmaster and Burbank designs, with microphones and speakers but no camera. Meta says they are thinner and lighter than its camera-equipped versions, offer up to 12 hours of battery life, and will cost £319, €349 or A$529. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 retains cameras and lasts up to nine hours, with Dolby Atmos audio, at £409, €449 or A$679. Meta is also introducing two styles of its own-brand smart glasses in partnership with singer and actor Lisa, expanding the range beyond Ray-Ban.
Meta says all its smart glasses have an LED that flashes during recording, and the company has improved detection of attempts to tamper with the indicator. Its Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, which put a virtual display in the right lens, are also coming to the UK and Canada for the first time. They will launch on 23 September at £749 in the UK and CA$1,149 in Canada, before reaching France, Germany and Italy on 13 October for €899. This expansion follows their US debut a year earlier and offers a more conventional-looking route into mixed-reality computing.
The separate Meta VR glasses move the Quest platform away from bulky headsets and toward magnesium-alloy spectacles weighing 100 grams. A 5K microOLED display delivers 37 pixels per degree, while viewing lenses, side visibility and a front camera support sharp text and augmented-reality overlays. Instead of carrying all processing on the wearer’s head, the glasses connect by cable to a pocketable 300g puck containing the computer and a three-hour battery. Meta says this makes the glasses five times lighter than Quest 3, although users must also carry the external hardware.
The new visor supports Meta’s large Quest software library, PC and Mac display mirroring, eye tracking, hand gestures and a projected virtual keyboard. Users can also use Quest hand controllers or an Xbox gamepad, although Meta is positioning the device primarily around productivity and entertainment. At launch, Disney+ will offer an “IMAX Enhanced” experience placing scenery inspired by films such as Avengers: Infinity War around a virtual cinema screen. The hardware will support 3D movies and multiple virtual windows, with Meta describing it as a lighter alternative to conventional VR headsets.
The immediate impact is a wider range of wearable formats, from £319 audio glasses to a $1,299.99 VR system, but their appeal will depend on comfort, endurance and convincing software. Meta’s emphasis on lighter hardware may strengthen its position against established VR vendors, while the audio model offers a more conservative entry point for consumers wary of cameras. Privacy advocates are likely to keep scrutinizing recording indicators, listening features and the limits of tamper detection, rather than regard the new products as resolving the issue. The VR glasses are scheduled for spring 2027 in North America, Europe and Asia; the international Display release comes sooner, making this autumn an important early test.
