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- Meta × Ray-Ban Just Broke the Internet
Meta × Ray-Ban Just Broke the Internet
New live translation, AI video, and vision-powered features make these smart glasses more than just cool tech—they finally work like magic.
Roman L Binder & Bruno Filkin
September 17th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
In partnership with
🔴 Happening Today 17th of September 5 pm: Meta Connect 2025
Don’t miss Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote on the future of AI, AR, and smart glasses. You can join the livestream here. → Watch Live on Horizon
What if your glasses could see like you do and speak for you in any language?
Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses just got a serious glow-up: now they can translate conversations in real time between English, Spanish, French, and Italian—and you don’t need to pull out your phone. They also understand what you’re looking at through computer vision, handling visual input so you can ask follow-ups without rigid commands. Want to scan a QR code or identify a song? It’s voice-activated and seamless. The hardware has been reshaped: lighter frames, better mics, an upgraded camera, and a case that’s more travel-friendly.
Suddenly, these aren’t just geeky gadgets—they’re tools built for daily life, travel, and connection.
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Where We Started
The original Ray-Ban × Meta collaboration brought iconic design and light functionality together.
You could capture photos and short videos, answer calls, and listen to music through hidden speakers. It was clever and subtle—glasses that looked like Ray-Bans but had a few tech tricks inside. But they weren’t revolutionary. They didn’t replace your phone or meaningfully extend what you could do in daily life.
At best, they were a fashion-forward accessory for creators and early adopters.
VR Tool of the Week: Oakley Meta HSTN Glasses
If Ray-Ban Meta showed us what stylish wearable AI could be, Oakley Meta HSTN is showing us what happens when that tech is built for performance. Designed for athletes and fans, this is the first smart wearable in the Oakley-Meta lineup that really leans into rugged, active use—3K video, open-ear audio, water resistance, and longer battery life make it more than just a fashion piece.
Feature | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
3K video camera & 12MP photos | The camera offers much better detail when capturing motion, action shots, or scenic video—ideal for outdoors or sports. |
Longer battery (≈ 8 hours active use) | Great for workouts, long hikes, or just staying unplugged longer. |
Open-ear audio + voice control (“Hey Meta …”) | Lets you keep hearing your surroundings while streaming audio or controlling the glasses with voice. More safety, more practicality. |
Rugged design and water resistance | The IPX4 rating and Oakley design pedigree make them more suitable for outdoor activities, movement, and sweaty or wet conditions. |
What’s New This Time
The 2025 update flips the script. Instead of incremental tweaks, Meta infused the glasses with capabilities that actually feel useful.
Live Translation: Speak naturally and hear translations in English, Spanish, French, or Italian. For travelers, this alone changes everything.
Meta AI with Vision: The glasses no longer just respond to voice—they understand what you’re looking at. You can ask, “What does this sign mean?” You can ask, "What’s in this menu?" to receive answers instantly.
Sharper Capture: A 12 MP camera, upgraded video resolution, and a five-microphone array make content creation and calls dramatically better.
Integration Everywhere: Scan QR codes, identify songs via Shazam, send voice notes directly through WhatsApp and Messenger, or connect to Spotify and Audible.
Design & Battery Upgrades: The frames are lighter and more comfortable, and the charging case lasts longer—solving one of the most common complaints from Gen 1 users.
The result?
Glasses that don’t just sit on your face—they work with you in real time.
HUGE XR NEWS (September 2025 Edition)
Meta to debut costlier smart glasses with display at annual Connect event
Meta is preparing to unveil a high-end smart glasses model codenamed “Hypernova” (or “Celeste”), which will include a digital display embedded in the lens, notification overlays, and new gesture controls via a wristband. The glasses are expected to be priced around $800, making them a premium addition to the Ray-Ban/Oakley smart glasses lineup. (learn more)
Amazon developing consumer AR glasses to rival Meta
Amazon is reportedly building AR glasses (code-named “Jayhawk”) for consumers, featuring microphones, speakers, a camera, and a full-color display in one eye—expected market launch around late 2026 or early 2027. The move puts Amazon in more direct competition with Meta’s growing smart glasses business. (learn more)
Meta leaks its own announcement about its new smart glasses display
A now-removed YouTube video revealed upcoming Ray-Ban smart glasses with a built-in HUD overlay (maps, text) in one lens plus a wristband accessory for gesture-based input. The leak gives a sneak peek at features likely to be formally announced at Meta Connect 2025. (learn more)
Meta Quest 4 and Quest 4S: Everything we expect from the Quest 3 successor
The upcoming Meta Quest 4 (high-end) and Quest 4S (more affordable) headsets are expected to bring upgraded displays, eye-tracking, possibly lighter weight, and even a gesture or neural-interface band to reduce reliance on controllers. These are slated for release maybe in 2026. (learn more)
Meta struggles to decouple from Chinese supplier of AI smart glasses
Meta is finding it difficult to sever ties with Goertek (a Chinese manufacturer) even as it tries to comply with U.S. goals of reducing dependency on China in sensitive tech supply chains. Goertek is key in producing components for Meta’s next-gen smart glasses (like Hypernova) and optical parts for Ray-Ban/Oakley devices. (learn more)
Why It Matters
This isn’t just another wearable refresh.
It’s a sign of where Meta is heading: away from screens in our pockets, toward AI-driven, always-on assistants woven into our daily lives. Think about it: a decade ago, the idea of talking to your phone felt strange. Today, voice assistants like Siri and Alexa are everywhere. Glasses with vision and translation may follow the same curve—weird at first, then inevitable. The novelty is not the frame or the brand. It’s the moment when smart glasses finally stop being “interesting gadgets” and start becoming indispensable. For travelers, students, and global workers, these aren’t toys.
They’re the future of how we see, hear, and connect.
That’s a wrap
Talk soon!
Bruno Filkin
Founder, Mastermind VR
VR Strategy Consultation
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