UPDATE: It’s April 2026, almost a year after this blog post was written. A lot has changed since then. There are now a slew of new products on the market, including new sets of glasses from Meta themselves. Hence, a few things in this blog post have changed.
To start with, Meta has released the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 Smart Glasses. The design is essentially the same, but the biggest upgrades are in the battery, camera, and audio. The table below shows the main differences.
| Model | What’s new / what stands out | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 | 3K video, up to 8 hours of battery life, and louder speakers than the earlier model. It keeps the same stylish Ray-Ban formula, but improves the parts most people actually use day to day. | Buyers who want the best all-round Ray-Ban Meta experience with stronger capture, longer battery life, and better audio. |
| Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1 | The more affordable entry point. You still get the core camera, audio, and Meta AI experience, but with 1080p video and up to 4 hours of battery life. Software updates also continue to improve the experience. | Buyers who want the Ray-Ban Meta experience at a more accessible price. |
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are one of our best-selling products at 180by2 — but we get loads of questions about what they actually do.
Are they like Google Glass? Can you watch Netflix on them? Are they just glorified Bluetooth headphones with lenses?
Let’s break it all down. We’ll show you what’s possible with today’s smart glasses tech — and what still isn’t.
What Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Can Do
Here’s a quick look at the features you get in the current Meta x Ray-Ban lineup:
| Features Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Have | Things They Cannot Do |
| Take 12MP photos & 1080p HD videos | Project a screen or display info on the lens |
| Livestream directly to Instagram & FB | Browse the internet |
|
Listen to music via open-ear audio |
Make video calls (audio only) |
| Answer calls via built-in mic & speakers | Overlay navigation/maps on your view |
| Sync media with Meta View app | Run apps independently (no OS onboard) |
| Store photos/videos onboard (32–64GB) | Work offline — needs your phone |
| Look like classic Ray-Bans (no bulk) | Do AR — no depth/environmental sensing |
| AI voice assistant powered by Meta AI (Not available in South Africa) | Watch videos or movies in the glasses |
So... Are They Really “Smart Glasses”?
They are — but it’s important to know what that means today.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are best understood as: 🎧 + 📸 + 🎤 (Bluetooth headphones + action camera + voice assistant)
They’re perfect for:
- Capturing POV content hands-free
- Taking calls on the go
- Listening to music without earbuds
- Asking Meta AI basic questions (e.g., “What’s the weather?” or “Translate this phrase”)
But if you’re expecting futuristic AR overlays or holograms, we’re not quite there yet.
What About Other Smart Glasses?
Here’s how Ray-Ban Meta compares to other options in 2026:
| Glasses | Notable features | Key limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) |
Best for everyday AI and hands-free content. Natural Ray-Ban styling, Meta AI, open-ear audio, a 12MP camera, up to 3K video and up to 8 hours of typical use. The case adds up to 48 hours. |
No in-lens display, so answers are delivered through audio. Most AI features depend on a paired phone and data connection; recording length is limited compared with an action camera. |
| Oakley Meta HSTN |
Best for active everyday wear. Meta AI, open-ear audio, a 12MP camera, up to 3K video, creative capture modes and up to 8 hours of typical use, packaged in Oakley sport styling with Prizm lens options. |
No in-lens display. The sport-led styling is less discreet than Ray-Ban Meta, while its IPX4 rating makes it splash-resistant rather than fully waterproof. |
| Oakley Meta Vanguard |
Best for running, cycling and high-action POV capture. A centred 12MP camera, up to 3K video, Meta AI, Garmin and Strava integration, IP67 resistance and up to 9 hours of typical use. |
No in-lens display and no prescription-lens support. The performance-first shape is specialised, bulkier and generally more expensive than the HSTN or Ray-Ban models. |
| Meta Ray-Ban Display |
Best for Meta AI with visual answers. A private full-colour display in the right lens shows messages, navigation, previews and live captions. It also offers 3K capture, open-ear audio and gesture control through the Meta Neural Band. |
The display is monocular rather than a wide, immersive AR screen. Battery life is shorter than Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2, and availability, supported features and navigation coverage vary by market. |
| Even Realities G2 |
Best for discreet productivity. A binocular green micro-LED HUD for notifications, navigation, translation, prompts and a teleprompter. It supports prescriptions, lasts up to two days and has an IP65 rating. |
No camera and no full-colour entertainment display. It is designed around text and contextual information, and the optional R1 ring is needed for the most discreet controls. |
| RayNeo X3 Pro |
Best for standalone full-colour AI and AR. Binocular full-colour micro-LED displays, Gemini-powered assistance, navigation, live translation, a 12MP camera and up to 4K capture, running on its own processor, storage and operating system. |
Heavier, more conspicuous and substantially more expensive than voice-first AI glasses. The app ecosystem is smaller and less mature than a phone’s. |
| Rokid Glasses |
Best for an affordable camera-plus-HUD combination. A lightweight green information display is paired with cameras, speakers, translation, navigation and AI tools—more visual utility than audio-only glasses without moving into cinema-glasses territory. |
The monochrome display is intended for text and prompts, not movies or rich AR. Build quality, audio and software polish trail the strongest Meta and Even alternatives. |
| Rokid AI Glasses Style |
Best for budget voice-first AI. Camera, open-ear audio, translation and AI in a conventional-looking frame, with unusually long clips of up to 10 minutes and a choice of photo and video aspect ratios. |
No in-lens display, 1080p rather than 3K capture, and no charging case. The software and ecosystem are less established than Meta’s. |
| VITURE Beast |
Best for premium portable cinema and gaming. A 174-inch-equivalent 1200p micro-OLED display, 58° field of view, up to 120Hz, built-in 3DoF tracking, 32:9 UltraWide mode and nine-level electrochromic tint. |
These are tethered display glasses, not standalone AI glasses: they need a compatible USB-C source or an adapter. At 88g, they are also heavier than most rivals and require prescription inserts rather than built-in dioptre adjustment. |
| XREAL One family |
Best for spatial screens and productivity. The One, One Pro and 1S combine high-quality micro-OLED displays with built-in spatial processing, screen anchoring and wide fields of view. Choose between models according to fit, field of view and budget. |
They require a compatible wired source and are primarily private displays—not all-day camera or AI glasses. Multi-screen and advanced spatial features can depend on software or accessories. |
| RayNeo Air 4 Pro |
Best for a bright, travel-friendly personal screen. A 201-inch-equivalent Full HD micro-OLED display with HDR10, up to 120Hz, 1,200-nit brightness and Bang & Olufsen-tuned audio. |
It requires a DisplayPort-compatible USB-C source and is not an independent computer or general-purpose AI assistant. Some phones and consoles need an adapter or dock. |
| Rokid Max 2 |
Best for viewers who need built-in myopia adjustment. A Full HD micro-OLED display with up to 120Hz, a 50° field of view and 0.00D to −6.00D adjustment. Add a Rokid Station for a portable media and spatial-computing setup. |
The glasses still need a wired source or Station, and the Station adds cost and bulk. They are display glasses rather than camera-equipped, all-day AI eyewear. |
A note on older models: Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1, VITURE Pro XR and the original Rokid Max can still make sense at a substantial discount. At similar pricing, however, their current successors offer meaningfully better battery life, video quality, displays or spatial features.
So while some models let you “watch videos on smart glasses,” they usually require a wired connection or external puck/computer. Ray-Ban Metas focus instead on seamless lifestyle integration.
What’s Next for Smart Glasses?
The future is promising — and closer than you think.
Here’s what companies like Rokid, Xreal, Meta, and Google, to name a few, are exploring for the next generation of smart eyewear:
-
Transparent AR displays
-
Eye-tracking + contextual AI
-
Mixed reality overlays with 3D object recognition
-
Full voice interaction without needing a phone
-
Live translation overlaid on your vision
We’re still a few years away from sunglasses that show directions on your lens or identify objects as you look at them. But Meta’s latest Ray-Ban collab shows they’re building toward it — stylishly.
Where to Get Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses in South Africa
You can buy the latest generation of Ray-Ban Meta Sun Glasses from us at 180by2, official sellers of smart glass technology in South Africa.
- Fast shipping
- Local customer support
- Easy returns
View our current Ray-Ban Meta collection here.
Got More Questions?
We get it — this tech is new. You can DM us on Instagram or reach out via WhatsApp on our site.
Stay tuned for upcoming posts where we dive deeper into:
- Comparing the smart glasses from different brands
-
How creators are using smart glasses for POV content
2 comments
Emma
Yes, how do we get these glasses to work if meta AI is not supported in our country?
I believe we can connect to a VPN, but there’s also cases where that is being locked down too?
If this is the case, why even sell a product that has no use? Help!
Avashin
How do I get the meta AI features to work with the glasses because it says not supported in this region