Meta just dropped its biggest smart glasses push yet — and for the first time, the company is selling AI eyewear without the Ray-Ban badge. Say hello to “Meta Glasses,” a new lineup starting at $299 that launches today across the US, UK, and several other markets.

What Is “Meta Glasses” and Why Does It Matter?

Since 2021, Meta’s wearable ambitions have worn Ray-Ban frames. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses (and before them, Ray-Ban Stories) sold millions of units and captured over 80% of the smart glasses market, according to Counterpoint Research. But those were always Ray-Bans first — Meta’s tech was inside someone else’s brand.

Meta Glasses flips that. These are Meta’s frames, Meta’s design, Meta’s brand — still built in partnership with EssilorLuxottica for lens quality and manufacturing scale, but carrying their own identity. It’s a signal that Meta believes smart glasses have graduated from novelty accessory to a genuine product category.

Three Styles, 26 Configurations

The lineup launches with three frame shapes. The Meta Adventurer is a clean rectangle available in Standard and Large. The Meta Fury is described as a bolder, more statement-making frame. And the Meta Glasses by Kylie — a slim oval designed in collaboration with Kylie Jenner — brings a celebrity style play that starts at $399.

Between all three, you get 26 combinations across colors like Classic Black, Classic Tortoise, Racing Green, Merlot, Linen, Mahogany, and Sandstone. Lens options include sun, Transitions, polarized, and clear — all developed by EssilorLuxottica. Adjustable nose pads, temple tips, and overextension hinges mean they should actually fit well.

Same Core Features, Better AI

On the hardware side, these are familiar if you’ve used Ray-Ban Meta glasses: a 12MP camera for photos and 3K UHD video, open-ear speakers, a multi-mic array with wind noise reduction, and IPX4 water resistance. The action button fires up Meta AI. Battery life clocks in at over 8 hours per charge, with the folding case adding up to 40 hours.

The big difference is under the hood. Meta Glasses are the first product to ship with Muse Spark, the debut model from Meta’s new Superintelligence Labs. It powers a rebuilt Meta AI with improved multimodal understanding — the glasses can now identify landmarks, diagnose a wilting plant, pull up a recipe from what you’re looking at, and draft messages. Live translation now covers 20 languages, and pedestrian navigation with turn-by-turn directions is coming in a software update.

The $299 Price Point Is the Real Story

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses start at $379. Meta Glasses undercut that by $80 — and at $299, they land at the same price as the original Ray-Ban Stories from 2021. With inflation and five years of hardware improvements, that’s a meaningful vote of confidence that Meta can drive costs down as volume scales.

The Kylie Jenner collab frames at $399 show Meta is testing the upper end of the mass market too. Between the entry price and the premium tier, they’re covering a broad swath of buyers.

Competition Is Getting Real

Meta’s timing isn’t coincidental. Google demoed AI-powered glasses at I/O in May, built in partnership with Warby Parker, running Gemini. Snap just opened preorders for its $2,195 Specs AR glasses — a very different product at a very different price, but a sign that the smart eyewear space is accelerating fast.

Meta Glasses won’t compete with Snap’s Specs on AR capability — there’s no display in these frames. But they don’t need to. Meta’s strategy is clear: own the mass-market AI glasses category today, while competitors chase the high-end AR dream. It’s working. Millions of units sold and 80% market share suggest the approach is sound.

Availability

Meta Glasses are available now at Meta.com, Best Buy, Amazon, Lenscrafters, Sunglass Hut, and other retailers. Prescription lenses are supported with a range of -12 to +2.25, and Meta’s Rx Lens Swap program lets you add them after purchase without voiding the warranty.

The Bottom Line

Meta Glasses represent a maturation of the smart eyewear category. By dropping the Ray-Ban co-brand and selling under its own name, Meta is betting that AI glasses are now a mainstream product — not a fashion experiment. At $299 with Muse Spark AI on board, they’re the most accessible way to get Meta AI in your field of view, literally. If you’ve been curious about smart glasses but waiting for the price to drop and the polish to improve, this might be the moment.

Sources: CNBC, Auganix, USA Today, Reuters via U.S. News