{"id":2543,"date":"2026-06-23T13:21:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=2543"},"modified":"2026-06-23T13:21:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:21:36","slug":"meta-glasses-hands-on-kylie-jenner-smart-glasses-price-battery-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=2543","title":{"rendered":"Meta launches cheaper smart glasses without Ray-Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"


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For the past three years, \u201cMeta\u201d and \u201cRay-Ban\u201d have been synonymous in the smart glasses space. Not anymore. Yesterday, I slipped on several pairs of Meta Glasses \u2014 no Ray-Bans \u2014 in three different styles and seven colors. One style, I was told several times by various enthusiastic Meta spokespeople, is a collaboration with socialite and reality TV star Kylie Jenner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Meta could\u2019ve struck out on its own from the get-go, but teaming up with EssilorLuxottica and the Ray-Ban brand was a savvy move in entering the smart glasses space. Previous smart glasses looked straight out of a sci-fi flick, or were just dorky enough to be unappealing. Ray-Ban lending its iconic silhouettes, name recognition, and cultural cachet helped give Meta\u2019s glasses an air of legitimacy. The fact that these smart glasses truly looked like ordinary glasses you wouldn\u2019t be ashamed of wearing was a simple but inspired design choice. However, the glasses\u2019 biggest hurdle may be their attachment to Meta and its history of privacy scandals. In recent weeks, both The New York Times<\/a><\/em> and Wired<\/a><\/em> have reported that the company is actively building a facial recognition feature for its smart glasses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A conspiracy theorist might wonder if removing the Ray-Ban branding is an attempt by EssilorLuxottica to distance itself from Meta. Not quite. If you peer at the inside temple of the new Meta Fury, Meta Adventurer, and Meta Glasses by Kylie, they all have EssilorLuxottica\u2019s name stamped on the inside. (Albeit in tiny font that\u2019s hard to read in dim lighting.) EssilorLuxottica helped with designing these glasses, as well as the nuts and bolts that go into making and eventually shipping them. According to Meta executives, there\u2019s one big reason for dropping Ray-Ban: price. The Meta Glasses start at $299, which is about $80 cheaper than the starting price for the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe just feel like we need to have a pair of glasses at a lower price point, and we were trying to figure out what could work there. [EssilorLuxottica] do have glasses at brands that are at lower price points, but they\u2019re not really that well known, so there wasn\u2019t an obvious fit there,\u201d adds Alex Himel, Meta\u2019s vice president of wearables.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Fury is a thicker, more square frame.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Meta Glasses by Kylie have a more Y2K vibe.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Adventurer is slightly slimmer and comes in standard and large sizes.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Kylie glasses have a special case with a mirror. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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As far as style and specs, the Meta Glasses aren\u2019t that<\/em> different from Ray-Bans. The internal specs are the same as the recently released Ray-Ban Meta Optics Styles<\/a>, with slightly longer battery life. The Adventurer models have thinner rims, while the Fury models hew a bit closer to the Meta Ray-Ban Display<\/a> with a bolder, chunkier frame. You could describe the Adventurer as square, and the Fury as even more square. The Kylie glasses sport a more unique design with a distinct Y2K flavor that I\u2019m told is meant to be worn lower on your nose. On me, it gives off a sort of \u201cunamused Gen Z librarian\u201d vibe. At my hands-on, I\u2019m told many times that there is a little gem in the upper corner of the left lens for a sparkle of personality. Looking at the Kylie glasses, I suspect Google, Samsung, and Gentle Monster<\/a> might not be terribly pleased.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As a lifelong glasses wearer, the more exciting thing is the adjustable nose pads and temple tips. The nose pads can be pressed and clicked into three separate positions, while the temple tips have a wire that allows you to bend them for a better fit. Like the Display and the Optics Styles, the Meta Glasses also have overextension hinges, which allow for a more comfortable fit for wider faces. Another plus: The glasses support a wide range of prescriptions, spanning -12 to +2.25. (Though you\u2019ll have to go to an optician for prescriptions stronger than -6.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Regardless of what you think of Meta, on paper, these are all strategic moves that make these glasses appeal to a wider audience. Provided that people are willing to look past Meta\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While playing around with the Meta Glasses, it was hard not to notice that the camera appears smaller than in previous Ray-Ban glasses. Technically, Himel tells me, that\u2019s not new to these<\/em> Meta Glasses. It was actually introduced back in March with the prescription-optimized Optics Styles. Even so, the backlash from the facial recognition feature<\/a> and glassholes using Meta\u2019s glasses to harass women<\/a> is at the top of many journalists\u2019 minds at this particular hands-on event.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe know that there\u2019s tampering today, and there are a handful of ways that people are doing it,\u201d Himel says, noting that Meta has seen an increasing number of bad actors misusing its products as they become more popular. \u201cIf people aren\u2019t comfortable with you wearing the glasses, not only do we personally think that\u2019s bad, but we wouldn\u2019t have a business anymore. You should see some updates from us really soon, where we\u2019re looking to address it directly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I think these are the Adventurers. Meanwhile, I\u2019m doing my best Gen Z librarian in the Kylie glasses.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Himel didn\u2019t divulge what those privacy updates will be, but added that Meta is aggressively discussing internally how best to approach the privacy problem \u2014 as well as how to set an example for the space going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIn general, we would like to get a place where there\u2019s a uniform way of handling things,\u201d he says. To Himel, it\u2019d be a bad experience for people shelling out money for Meta\u2019s products, only to find that the glasses are banned in public spaces or in certain scenarios \u2014 which is starting<\/a> to become<\/a> a reality<\/a>. The challenge isn\u2019t just privacy, either. As Meta leans into AI as a killer use case for these glasses, the company also has to contend with how different states and countries are approaching AI regulation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIf there are different rules in different states or places you go, that just becomes hard for people. It\u2019s hard for us too, because then we can\u2019t build one thing,\u201d says Himel. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to be part of these conversations and try to steer them to a place where, ideally, [policies] are consistent and we think we can get to a reasonable place where people get a lot of value and also feel comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That all sounds swell, but Meta has to deliver here \u2014 publicly, swiftly, and in a way that shows it\u2019s truly committed to being a leader in shaping good privacy policies and etiquette in this space. A first step would be to be stricter about its security and privacy measures. Himel points to the early days of the smartphone as an example of technology that initially caused great societal concerns that were eventually figured out. While true, there\u2019s one major flaw in that example. Smartphones had obvious \u201ckiller\u201d use cases that made privacy tradeoffs seem worth it. Smart glasses are still figuring that one out<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Speaking of \u201ckiller use cases,\u201d Meta is quadrupling down on AI. The new Meta Glasses will all launch with Muse Spark<\/a>, the first model out of Meta\u2019s Superintelligence Labs. (It\u2019ll also be arriving on older Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses in the US and Canada via a software update.) Supposedly, that means more helpful glasses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At my hands-on, I was told that Meta AI would now be less stiff. I\u2019d be able to talk to it more naturally and get smarter responses. The AI now supports 14 more languages, including Arabic, Japanese, Mandarin, Hindi, and Korean. Pedestrian turn-by-turn navigation is also coming to Meta\u2019s displayless glasses. Later this month, there\u2019ll be a new \u201cdynamic photo\u201d feature that automatically takes multiple frames and then recommends the best one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The nose pads can click into three positions for a better fit. I found it was helpful for my low nose bridge.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I didn\u2019t get to try all of these features, but I did get a few live demos. Live Mandarin translations were pretty smooth, though I did experience a smidge of latency, likely due to all the cross-talk in the demo space. Ongoing conversations were a tad smoother, though Meta AI is still a chatty Cathy. Supposedly, the AI will be better at recommendations. In a room with a tray full of trinkets, Meta AI \u2014 in Kylie Jenner\u2019s voice \u2014 responded to a prompt for \u201crecommendations\u201d by asking for more context about the types of colors, vibes, and mood I was going for. When I responded with a \u201ccute purple keychain charm,\u201d Meta-as-Kylie suggested I think about charms shaped as grapes or perhaps a lavender donut, and that those could easily be found on Etsy or Instagram. A bit generic, but better answers than what I got when I first tested asking Meta AI for recommendations last year<\/a>. I also asked Meta AI to estimate the caloric content for a plate of canap\u00e9s. Meta-as-Kylie gave me a rough estimate of 280 calories, but admitted it wasn\u2019t sure about one prosciutto and fig concoction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ultimately, it was a slightly better version of what I\u2019ve tried before. I\u2019ll have to give it a more thorough test in everyday life, though I remain skeptical about whether Muse Spark (or Gemini, or any AI model really) is smart and convenient enough now to override the public\u2019s privacy concerns regarding this tech. Nevertheless, these are affordable, well-made smart glasses, in the widest available array of colors, styles, prescriptions, and fits. But, as I\u2019ve said before, hardware hasn\u2019t been Meta\u2019s problem for some time now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Photography by Victoria Song \/ The Verge<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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