Meta’s Smart Glasses Need a Display
▼ Summary
– Smart glasses from Meta are gaining mainstream adoption, with regular people buying and using them in public settings.
– Meta succeeded by making stylish, discreet glasses through a Ray-Ban partnership at an affordable $300 price point with good audio and camera quality.
– Unlike competitors with displays, Meta’s current glasses are audio-only, limiting functionality despite their popularity and AI features.
– Privacy concerns remain a significant societal challenge as smart glasses become more common, requiring cultural conversations about responsible use.
– Meta is expected to unveil glasses with a display soon to expand functionality and maintain market momentum against growing competition.
Walking through Williamsburg last month, a sharply dressed Brooklyn local stopped me to ask about the Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses I was testing. Not long after, an old friend showed up to dinner wearing a pair of Ray-Ban Meta frames. At a concert, I spotted someone nearby with the telltale recording light glowing on their own pair. A quick search the next day confirmed the footage had already made its way to TikTok.
It suddenly became clear: smart glasses aren’t just a curiosity anymore, they’re being adopted by everyday people. Meta’s collaboration with Ray-Ban has turned a sci-fi concept into a mainstream accessory. With the company’s Connect event coming up, the question isn’t whether people are interested, but what comes next.
A big part of Meta’s success comes down to timing. We’re living in an age of AI hype, a hunger for new hardware, and a culture where filming in public is increasingly normal. But what really sets these glasses apart is execution. Unlike Google Glass, which felt like a prop from a cyberpunk anime, Meta’s designs are subtle, stylish, and don’t scream “tech gadget.” They’ve also brought the price down to an accessible $300, a fraction of earlier attempts.
The audio quality impresses, and the camera performs well enough for social media posts. Even the integration of AI, which initially seemed gimmicky, has proven genuinely useful, especially for people with low vision who report greater independence thanks to features like object identification and narration.
Still, momentum alone won’t keep Meta ahead. Competitors like Google, XREAL, Rokid, and others are entering the space with one key advantage: built-in displays. As much as we might want fewer screens in our lives, adding a subtle visual interface unlocks far more potential.
Personally, I’d love to glance at directions without pulling out my phone, see presentation notes during a speech, or get real-time translations while traveling, all without breaking stride or reaching for a device. These aren’t futuristic dreams; they’re practical improvements that move us closer to true hands-free, phone-free interaction.
Rumors suggest Meta is already working on a display-equipped model, possibly the Hypernova prototype reported by insiders. That would be a logical, and necessary, next step.
Even so, the road ahead isn’t simple. Privacy concerns remain a significant hurdle. As recording becomes more seamless, society will need to negotiate new norms around consent and visibility in public spaces. No single company can solve that; it’s a cultural conversation we all must join.
For Meta and others in this arena, the challenge is to prove that the benefits of smart glasses outweigh the risks. A built-in display won’t settle that debate overnight, but it could tip the scales significantly. In a market this competitive, that edge might be exactly what’s needed.
(Source: The Verge)
