I tested Meta’s transparent Ray-Ban smart glasses, and they’re a near-perfect accessory for me

At Meta Join in September, one of many latest merchandise that caught my eye was a limited-edition pair of Ray-Ban glasses — with a clear body, sapphire transition lenses, and a reasonably accessible $429 price ticket. Since I’ve already had nice experiences with the Meta Quest 3 and Viture Professional XR glasses, I made a decision it was time to attempt the extremely praised sensible glasses by Meta. Thankfully, I used to be in a position to purchase a pair proper as inventory ran out.

Solely 7,500 items have been made obtainable worldwide, and mine is quantity 4,255, marked on the within of the precise body and on the charging case. ZDNET’s Kerry Wan reviewed the usual Meta Ray-Ban sensible glasses final 12 months, and after months of use, he nonetheless enjoys their performance. As introduced at Meta Join, present Meta glasses may even obtain software program updates, together with pure language processing, the power to recollect and recall key info, dwell translations, and extra.

Whereas deciding whether or not to make the acquisition, I supposed to make use of the glasses to seize video that is tough to report precisely with a digicam or smartphone. This consists of testing watches, health gear, and e-bikes, in addition to creating vertical short-form movies for YouTube and Instagram, with each hands-free to work together with gadgets. I’ve used motion cameras for a few of this content material earlier than, however I needed to see if a first-person perspective would lead to higher footage. 

I additionally spend time fly fishing, the place each palms are occupied, and I wish to seize video and nonetheless photos of those experiences to share with household and mates who do not wish to wade by way of chilly rivers and catch small trout. My massive, energetic cat calls for every day playtime with wand toys, and now I can simply report his unimaginable acrobatics and humorous antics on the go.

It has been over two weeks since my Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer Restricted Version glasses arrived, and so they’ve exceeded my expectations. Along with capturing nice video whereas working with new watches, testing e-bikes, fishing, and enjoying with my cat, I’ve recorded a number of fights on the ice at a neighborhood minor league hockey sport, playful snow leopard kittens on the zoo, and my every day commute as the autumn leaves flip underneath a glowing sundown. Now you can seize as much as three minutes of video by setting that because the default size, and the audio high quality throughout recording has been significantly better than I anticipated.

Past video and nonetheless seize, I now desire utilizing the glasses for calls and podcasts over my AirPods Professional whereas strolling round downtown Seattle. Just like the bone conduction headphones I take advantage of for working, the Ray-Ban glasses depart my ears open for higher consciousness of my environment, and the sound high quality is sweet for podcasts and music. Nevertheless, in heavy site visitors, the sound may be too quiet, so a future model with bone conduction expertise can be superb.

I additionally respect the assorted messaging choices, particularly with the ability to have messages learn aloud and simply reply to family and friends. Maintaining my cellphone in my pocket whereas commuting and carrying the Meta glasses looks like an optimum approach to get round. I am having fun with spending much less time taking a look at screens and extra time participating with the world round me.

The transition lenses are a sport changer as nicely. They permit me to put on the glasses each indoors, the place I take heed to music, make hands-free inquiries with Meta AI, and deal with calls and messaging, and open air, the place I’d usually change to sun shades. Nevertheless, I want the lenses would get a bit darker in full daylight.

The Engo 2 Photochromic glasses have improved my working efficiency by displaying key well being stats, and it will be improbable to see comparable performance in a future model of the Meta glasses. Even with the ability to ask Meta for working stats would assist me maintain my eyes on the street and keep targeted on my objectives.  

General, I am very happy with my buy of this Restricted Version mannequin of the Meta Ray-Bans, which is designed to present me a glimpse into the underlying expertise. And I am much more excited in regards to the added utility that future updates will deliver.

This text was initially revealed on October 17, 2024, and was up to date on November 16, 2024.