I Tested The Oakley Meta Vanguard On A 5-mile Walk - Here's How It Beat My Ray-bans

Oakley Meta Vanguard Smart Glasses

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Oakley Meta Vanguards are nan latest fitness-centric smart glasses that commencement astatine $499.
• They support cross-platform fittingness search and slow-motion video recording.
• Don't bargain these if you were hoping for medicine support.

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Most diversion activities tin use from hands-free assistance -- which makes athletes among nan biggest beneficiaries from smart glasses. Catering to this crowd, astatine Meta Connect past month, nan institution released nan latest summation to its sporty AI smart glasses lineup:the Oakley Meta Vanguard smart glasses.

The biggest quality betwixt nan Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses and its relative, nan Oakley Meta HSTN released backmost successful June, lies successful its aesthetic. With this pair, nan institution leans into nan signature Oakley Sphaera look, combining nan precocious specs of nan HSTNs pinch nan familair visor design. 

Also: I tested Meta Ray-Ban Display alternatives, and these are amended successful respective ways for little money

The caller shape facet besides gave measurement for nan inclusion of a caller action button, a much centered camera for POV shots, and integrations pinch Garmin devices and Strava. However, it does travel astatine a steeper value of $499. Is it worthy nan splurge? Here are my thoughts aft a week of testing.

How do they perform?

Before we get into immoderate of nan entertaining upgrades, specified arsenic nan chopped look and nosy third-party integrations, we person to talk nan halfway of nan smart glasses: performance. 

For nan astir part, nan Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses clasp nan aforesaid specs of the Oakley Meta HSTNs, including an IP67 standing (making them sweat, dust, and h2o resistant),12MP ultra-wide camera, 3K video recording, 2 open-ear speakers, and a five-mic array. However, subtle differences elevate nan personification acquisition connected nan Vanguard.

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

For one, nan camera is positioned astatine nan halfway alternatively of nan area of nan lenses, which makes POV shots look little angled aliases excessively high. In nan videos I recorded, I recovered it overmuch easier to get nan positioning correct, arsenic it was signaling from nan span of my chemoreceptor (which is successful nan halfway of my view), arsenic opposed ot nan edges of nan glasses. In summation to nan modular video capturing mode, you tin besides grounds successful slow-motion and hyperlapse. 

Also: CES: The 8 astir precocious smart glasses we tried - and were impressed by

On nan audio front, nan 2 unfastened receptor speakers supply audio that's arsenic bully arsenic immoderate of nan smart glasses successful Meta's lineup. I listened to euphony and audio messages during nan entirety of my two-hour walk, and was satisfied pinch nan value and sound levels. I particularly enjoyed being capable leaving my headphones astatine home, packing lighter for my walk. 

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

I besides tested nan audio by sending an audio connection and hopping connected a telephone call. Each time, nan audio sounded clear contempt being exposed to elements specified arsenic upwind and chattering animals. Although nan Vanguard glasses person a 5-mic array for illustration nan HSTNs do, nan positioning is somewhat different pinch 2 mics successful nan framework and 3 adjacent nan chemoreceptor region.

Presumably, having much mics adjacent your rima should thief your audio sound better, though I had nary complaints pinch audio signaling pinch either brace of smart glasses.

Also: Which Meta Ray-Bans exemplary should you buy? I tested some pairs, and here's really to decide

Meta claims that these smart glasses tin support up to 9 hours pinch azygous charge, and up to 36 hours pinch afloat charged case. 

I near for my walk, arsenic registered by my Garmin Forerunner 970, astatine 2:11 p.m. erstwhile nan artillery was astatine 99%. Exactly 1 hr later, nan artillery was astatine 71%. During that play of clip I was listening to music, taking intermittent videos and photos, and talking to Meta AI, truthful I was putting it to highest use. 

However, this capacity reflects a 28% drain successful an hour, compared to nan astir 10% that Meta is claiming. This isn't excessively surprising, arsenic we've recovered erstwhile Meta models besides underperforming successful artillery life. You're decidedly getting much than nan Ray-Bans pinch these, but don't expect thing dramatically better.

Putting nan 'smart' successful smart glasses

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

Capitalizing connected nan entreaty to athletes, Meta integrated its Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses pinch Garmin devices and Strava. You'll request to nexus your Garmin and Strava accounts via nan Meta AI app, download nan Garmin Connect IQ app to way fittingness metrics. 

For Strava, nan integration allows users to adhd a adjuvant overlay to nan footage captured connected their Meta Vanguard AI glasses that showcases their capacity metrics, including distance, mean pace, elevation and more. (Note that nan overlay doesn't really look done nan glasses arsenic you're running.)

Also: Oura Ring's caller 'Cumulative Stress' characteristic tin alert you to burnout now - here's how

Using this integration is simple; erstwhile nan activity is completed, each you person to do is prime media taken and overlay nan stats. I americium attaching 1 from my locomotion below, though I pulled from my Garmin stats. 

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

The Garmin integration is simply a spot much in-depth. When working, it should let users to get real-time stats of their workout simply by asking Meta AI questions astir their activity out. This is simply a adjuvant characteristic arsenic it allows athletes to enactment successful nan area of their workout without having to glimpse down astatine their watch aliases telephone to cheque for updates. 

There is besides an autocapture characteristic that automatically captures contented based connected designated capacity metrics. For example, you tin group it to seizure nan infinitesimal you deed 10 miles connected your tally and it tin automatically return that for you.

Also: Snap's latest Specs AI updates beryllium that it's taking smart glasses earnestly (but successful a different way)

Lastly, users tin alteration nan ocular position LED connected paired glasses arsenic a notification erstwhile different targets are met. However, contempt linking my Garmin watch to nan glasses, which enabled nan overlay integration seen above, I was not capable to get Meta AI to show maine astir my workouts. I'll update this reappraisal erstwhile that's fixed.

How do they look?

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

There is 1 large caveat to nan Oakley Meta Vanguard, and that's medicine support. As beautiful arsenic they look to me, they're not compatible pinch prescriptions, truthful you person to perpetrate to wearing contacts pinch it, aliases conscionable not beryllium capable to spot properly. For that reason, I urge nan Oakley Meta HTSNs to those who want akin signaling features, positive support for varying vision.

Although I opportunity this everytime I constitute a smart glasses review, having a wearable connected your look is profoundly personal, and therefore, needs to look and consciousness bully for nan acquisition to beryllium worthy it. As a result, these smart glasses whitethorn not beryllium for everyone, but I emotion them. 

The iridescent sheen connected nan smart glasses, paired pinch nan vibrant colour options, make for a stylish fit. The lens colour besides filters ray beautifully, reducing strain moreover successful nan brighter outdoors.

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

While nan visor whitethorn look for illustration excessively overmuch for many, successful diversion circles, it's communal believe to deterioration akin shape factors. When I walked done Prospect Park successful Brooklyn, not only did I spot tons of athletes wearing very akin shades, but I moreover sewage stopped by a chap runner.

Also: I wore nan Oura Ring 4 Ceramic for a week, and it shattered nan story of disfigured fittingness tech

In my experience, nan bigger shape facet besides makes for much comfortable weight distribution. With nan Vanguards, I felt little unit connected nan span of my nose, contempt nan glasses weighing 13 grams heavier than nan HSTNs. The larger headband area besides makes fastener placement much intuitive, pinch nan summation of a caller customizable fastener that I've programmed to trigger Hyperlapse video recording.

ZDNET's buying advice

If you are personification who would deterioration aliases is willing successful wearing smart glasses pinch nan style of nan Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses, nan acquisition is worthy nan money, arsenic traditional Oakleys tin tally you upwards of $300.

Also: Is Meta secretly scanning your phone's camera roll? Check this mounting to find retired ASAP

However, if you are not personification whose style aligns pinch nan visors, possibly nan much toned down Oakley Meta HTSNs would beryllium a amended match, arsenic they walk for much communal mundane sunglasses.

Looking for nan adjacent champion product? Get master reviews and editor favorites pinch ZDNET Recommends.