Meet the Oakley AI glasses, a more robust successor to the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses
Meta and Oakley have teamed up for a more robust pair of smart glasses.
When Meta launched the second-generation Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2023, the company did not foresee just how popular they would become. Following that unprecedented success, today Meta has announced a successor to the Ray-Ban smart glasses: the Oakley AI performance glasses.
The collaboration with Oakley wasn’t just for a flashy new design — and they look pretty neat — it’s also for enhanced functionality. Meta Oakley smart glasses are built with the outdoors in mind. The glasses have almost double the battery life of the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, and come with water resistance as well.
You can also record videos in 3K resolution, a way for Meta to encourage more people to use these when they’re out having a good time. The standard features of the Ray-Ban glasses — taking photos, making calls, and getting answers from Meta AI to name a few — are also present.
When the Ray-Ban smart glasses took off, Meta immediately restructured Reality Labs: its XR (Extended Reality) division. The idea was to focus much more heavily on similar wearables that are affordable and don’t have a display, yet are extremely practical due to AI.
The Meta Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses are, in my eyes, an intermediary step between smartphones and proper AR smart glasses. Meta, as you may know, is working on the Orion smart glasses. A consumer version is expected to launch around 2027, though a version with a simpler display make come out later this year.
On the other hand, Apple CEO Tim Cook is obsessed with making Apple the first company to bring consumer-grade AR smart glasses to market. I’m quite excited to see what these companies are able to offer in a few years, and if they manage to replace the smartphone.
The Meta Oakley smart glasses will become available for pre-order in the coming months and cost $399. A limited edition $499 model will be available for ordering from July 11.
Meta Oakley smart glasses
Oakley and Meta partnered up for these AI-powered smart glasses. | Video credit — Oakley
The collaboration with Oakley wasn’t just for a flashy new design — and they look pretty neat — it’s also for enhanced functionality. Meta Oakley smart glasses are built with the outdoors in mind. The glasses have almost double the battery life of the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, and come with water resistance as well.
Ray-Ban glasses were an unprecedented success
The Ray-Ban smart glasses were very popular. | Video credit — Meta
When the Ray-Ban smart glasses took off, Meta immediately restructured Reality Labs: its XR (Extended Reality) division. The idea was to focus much more heavily on similar wearables that are affordable and don’t have a display, yet are extremely practical due to AI.
This strategy has caught the attention of competitors like Apple, which is also experimenting with releasing a similar product. Apple is working on proper AR glasses too, of course, but something like the Oakley and Ray-Ban smart glasses is a currently achievable product that is proven to be in demand.
A stepping stone towards AR smart glasses
The Meta Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses are, in my eyes, an intermediary step between smartphones and proper AR smart glasses. Meta, as you may know, is working on the Orion smart glasses. A consumer version is expected to launch around 2027, though a version with a simpler display make come out later this year.
On the other hand, Apple CEO Tim Cook is obsessed with making Apple the first company to bring consumer-grade AR smart glasses to market. I’m quite excited to see what these companies are able to offer in a few years, and if they manage to replace the smartphone.
The Meta Oakley smart glasses will become available for pre-order in the coming months and cost $399. A limited edition $499 model will be available for ordering from July 11.
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