Meta held Meta Connect 2026 on September 23 and introduced a new wave of smart glasses — the company’s bet on using AI without taking your phone out of your pocket.
In this article
The launches
| Product | What it is | US price | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) | Glasses with a 12 MP camera (3K video), audio and AI assistant; up to 9 hours of use | from $449 | on sale now |
| Ray-Ban Meta Audio | Meta’s first glasses without a camera: audio and AI assistant only; 43 g and up to 12 hours of battery | from $349 | October 13 |
| Meta Ray-Ban Display | Glasses with a small in-lens display (navigation, messages, photos) | $799 | US and Canada now; Germany, France and Italy on October 13 |
| Meta VR Glasses | Thin VR glasses (about 100 g) tethered to a small puck with the processor and battery | $1,299.99 | spring 2027 |
Meta also showed Muse Charm, a keychain device with the company’s AI assistant, with details expected later this year.
Are they worth it?
- Ray-Ban Meta Audio: great for music, calls and the assistant without a camera on your face — which also eases privacy concerns.
- Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3: for people who want to shoot first-person photos and video.
- VR glasses: not until 2027 and expensive; too early to decide.
Sources
Cover image: Meta press image.
