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 2025:
| Glasses | Notable Features | Key Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1) | Stylish design, built-in camera, open-ear audio, Meta AI voice features, accessible entry point into Meta smart glasses | No in-lens display or AR visuals, 1080p video, shorter battery life than newer Meta models |
| Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) | Stylish design, built-in camera, open-ear audio, Meta AI voice features. | No in-lens display or AR visuals. More expensive than Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1 |
| Meta Ray-Ban Display | Integrated in-lens colour display, Meta Neural Band support, hands-free messaging, translation, calls, content capture, and Meta AI | More expensive than standard Ray-Ban Meta pairs, single-lens display experience, 1080p video shorter battery life than Gen 2 / Oakley HSTN |
| Oakley Meta Vanguard | Built for athletes, 3K video, up to 9 hours battery, IP67 water/dust resistance, Garmin and Strava integration, Meta AI fitness features | Performance-first styling won’t suit everyone, fewer style options than Ray-Ban Meta, premium price |
| Oakley Meta HSTN | 3K video, up to 8 hours battery, open-ear speakers, Meta AI, Oakley sport styling, IPX4 water resistance | No in-lens display, less rugged than Vanguard, fewer style options than Ray-Ban Meta |
| Even G2 Glasses | Discreet micro-LED display, real-time translation, teleprompter, contextual AI, no camera, no speakers, long battery life | No camera or audio playback, requires phone + internet connection, more productivity-focused than camera/media-focused |
| Viture Pro XR Glasses | Bright and colorful visuals, wide FOV, doesn’t require prescription inserts, great as a monitor | Underdeveloped mixed reality features, not wireless |
| Xreal One | Motion tracking, sharp visuals, wide FOV, dimmable lenses | Requires prescription lens, not wireless |
| Rokid Max | Bright picture, can adjust focus, wide FOV, comfortable | Chunky design, limited AR features/apps, not wireless |
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