SAN FRANCISCO, 18 SEPT 

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the company’s latest AI-powered smart glasses at its annual developer event, Meta Connect, in partnership with Ray-Ban and Oakley. The flagship product, Meta Ray-Ban Display, features a full-colour high-resolution screen, 12MP camera, speakers, microphones, and Meta’s AI assistant, all housed in a stylish frame priced at $799.

The glasses come with the Meta Neural Band — a wrist-worn EMG device that reads muscle signals, allowing users to control the glasses with subtle hand gestures. The Neural Band offers intuitive control, high accessibility, and up to 18 hours of battery life.

However, the live demos didn’t go as planned. During a cooking demo, the AI assistant gave incorrect recipe instructions. A second glitch occurred during a failed video call attempt, with connectivity blamed for both issues. “You practise 100 times and then WiFi gets you,” Zuckerberg joked.

Despite the hiccups, Meta showcased key features including hands-free messaging, visual AI assistance, live video calls, pedestrian navigation, live captions and translation, and gesture-based music control. The display is discreetly positioned off to the side for minimal distraction.

Meta also launched $499 Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses and the second-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses at $379. Ray-Ban Display glasses will be available in the US from 30 September, with expansion to the UK, Canada, France, and Italy in early 2026.

Zuckerberg called the new glasses a “huge scientific breakthrough” and part of Meta’s vision for the future of wearable computing, blending AI, design, and daily utility.