I Wore The Meta Ray-bans' Successor For A Month, And My Buying Verdict Is Two-fold

2 weeks ago

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The latest smart glasses are disposable for $379 successful various styles and lens options.
They characteristic 3K video signaling and longer artillery life.
It's nan aforesaid creation arsenic nan first-gen, pinch nan aforesaid arsenal of Meta AI tools.

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

Recently, I've been documenting much of my life pinch nan Meta Ray-Bans than pinch my phone. Maybe it's nan truth that I'm not shoving a camera successful beforehand of friends and family, aliases possibly they're not catching nan pulsing achromatic parameter whenever I deed nan grounds fastener connected nan glasses, but nan footage I've gotten has felt much genuine, natural, and genuinely typical of those precious moments successful time.

While overmuch advancement has been made pinch smart glasses successful 2025, galore of which make nan Meta Ray-Bans look little capable, I would still put my money connected nan latest exemplary to waste nan astir during nan vacation season.

Also: Missed retired connected Meta Ray-Ban Display? Verizon is trading nan smart glasses now, but enactment fast

At a starting complaint of $379, they're $80 much costly than their predecessor, but still competitory compared to nan $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display. After testing nan second-gen glasses complete nan past month, I've settled connected 2 takeaways, some of which are bully news for Meta and consumers for illustration you.

1. The upgrades are worthy it for these users

There's not a batch that separates nan first- and second-gen Meta Ray-Bans, but nan fewer differences do matter, particularly if you're a contented creator.

First, an enhanced 12MP camera sensor tin now seizure successful 3K (3024 x 4032) solution astatine 30fps aliases 1080p astatine up to 60fps. With nan sharper video recording, I've recovered footage to look little noisy and colors to beryllium much accurate, resolving 2 of nan issues I had pinch nan original Meta Ray-Bans.

Meta says nan caller glasses' image stabilization has improved, and I judge it. When comparing footage to nan erstwhile model, there's a noticeable deficiency of shakiness arsenic I'm stepping and bobbing my head. For contented creators who want higher-quality POV shots without losing nan convenience of nan smart glasses shape factor, nan caller Ray-Bans get nan occupation done.

Also: Alibaba's caller smart glasses return connected Meta Ray-Bans - here's what they offer

The 3K video signaling does travel astatine nan disbursal of record size and artillery life. I precocious wore nan glasses connected an upstate hiking travel and recovered myself putting them backmost into nan charging lawsuit each 2 to 3 hours. That's somewhat amended than nan mileage I sewage from nan erstwhile model, but still not capable to past a afloat day.

I should mention that it was besides basking and sunny -- arsenic I noticed nan grey modulation lenses slow but surely footwear successful whenever I sewage retired of nan car -- and I was signaling minutes-long videos, a capacity that was introduced soon aft I reviewed nan original Meta Ray-Bans.

But if you're conscionable taking photos and videos successful short spurts, past you shouldn't person a problem pinch endurance. Meta says nan caller Ray-Bans tin past up to six hours pinch continuous audio playback, which is simply a bully bump from its predecessor's four-hour rating.

Considering nan improved artillery life, is it a basking return to wish Meta would springiness nan carrying lawsuit nan aforesaid foldable creation curen it did to nan Ray-Ban Displays? The existent creation easy fills immoderate enarthrosis bag, purse, aliases fanny pack. I digress.

2. The wiser prime for astir people

While nan caller Meta Ray-Bans connection meaningful improvements, nan halfway acquisition is astir identical to that of nan older model, which Meta and different retailers are still trading for $299.

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

Considering nan institution is trickling astir of nan latest Meta AI features to nan first-gen glasses, including unrecorded translation, multimodal inquiries, and celebrity-emulated voices, location are conscionable arsenic galore reasons to opt for nan older brace arsenic nan newer one.

Aside from colour and modulation lens choices, they besides look and measurement nan same, whether you prime nan Wayfarer, Headliner, aliases Skyler design. There were moments during my testing erstwhile I'd accidentally prime up and deterioration nan first-gen Ray-Bans since nan charging cases are besides identical.

ZDNET's buying advice

That's to say, nan second-gen Meta Ray-Bans are not arsenic large a leap arsenic nan originals were to nan Meta Ray-Ban Stories. And that's okay, because they're still nan astir applicable smart glasses connected nan market, pinch features that cater to modern-day demands and improvements successful each nan places that matter -- whether you're a tech master aliases mean consumer.

If you're shopping connected a budget, I highly urge buying nan older Meta Ray-Bans, particularly if you tin find a brace astatine a discount. Tip: Cheaper, refurbished options are a thing.

Lastly, I would beryllium doing you a disservice if I didn't reiterate that nan glasses are grounded by Meta services, which see immoderate questionable AI and information policies that you whitethorn not beryllium comfortable agreeing to. If things for illustration targeted ads and chat history sharing springiness you pause, past I'd see different wearable options.