Ray-ban Meta (2nd Gen) Review: Smart Glasses Are Finally Getting Useful

In a batch of ways, Meta's hasn't changed overmuch pinch its second-gen Ray-Ban glasses. The latest exemplary has nan aforesaid creation and mostly nan aforesaid specs arsenic nan originals, pinch 2 important upgrades: longer artillery life and improved video quality. 

At nan aforesaid time, nan Ray-Ban Meta glasses person a batch of features that didn't beryllium erstwhile I first reviewed them 2 years ago, mostly acknowledgment to AI. And pinch nan merchandise of its second-generation frames, there's still a batch to look guardant to, for illustration caller camera features and AI-powered audio. The bully news is that Meta isn't limiting these updates to its newest frames, truthful if you person an older brace you'll still spot nan caller features. But, if you've been connected nan obstruction astir getting a pair, there's ne'er been a amended clip to jump in. 

Same look, (slightly) amended specs

Meta and EssilorLuxottica haven't strayed excessively acold from nan playbook they've utilized for nan past 2 years. The second-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses travel successful a fistful of framework styles pinch a number of colour and lens variations that commencement astatine $379. I tried retired a brace of Wayfarer frames successful nan caller "shiny cosmic blue" colour pinch clear modulation lenses. 

I personally for illustration nan look for nan somewhat narrower Headliner frames, but nan second-gen glasses still look very overmuch for illustration accepted Wayfarer glasses. I've ne'er been a instrumentality of modulation lenses for my ain medicine eyewear, but I'm starting to travel astir connected them for smart glasses. As Meta has improved its cameras and made its AI adjunct much useful, I've recovered much reasons to deterioration nan glasses indoors. 

Also, if you're going to beryllium paying $300 aliases much for a pair, you mightiness arsenic good beryllium capable to usage them wherever you are. It besides helps that nan modulation lenses connected nan second-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses get a spot darker than my first-gen Wayfarers pinch modulation lenses. Upgrading from nan modular clear lenses will costs you, though. Frames pinch polarized lenses commencement astatine $409, transitions commencement astatine $459 and medicine lenses tin tally importantly more. 

As pinch nan caller Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, nan second-gen Ray-Bans travel pinch a longer artillery life and amended camera. Meta says nan artillery tin past up to 8 hours connected a azygous complaint pinch "typical use." I was capable to squeeze a small much than 5 and a half hours of continuous euphony playback. That's a noticeable measurement up from nan artillery connected my original brace which, aft 2 years, is starting to show its age. The glasses besides now support higher-resolution 3K video recording, but nan 12MP wide-angle lens shoots nan aforesaid 3,024 x 4,032 pixel image photos arsenic earlier models.

For videos, there’s a noticeable value boost, but I still deliberation it's astir apt not basal for astir group if you're chiefly sharing your clips connected societal media. It does make nan glasses much appealing for creators, though, and judging by nan number of them successful attendance astatine Connect, I fishy Meta sees them arsenic a important portion of its personification base. I'm looking guardant to Meta adding nan expertise to grounds Hyperlapse and slow-motion videos, though, arsenic I deliberation these whitethorn beryllium much absorbing than nan modular POV footage for mundane activities. 

Meta AI + what's coming

Two years ago, I was reasonably skeptical of Meta's AI assistant. But since then, Meta has steadily added caller capabilities. Of those, nan glasses' translator abilities person been my favorite. On a caller travel to Argentina, I utilized unrecorded translator to travel on pinch a stepping circuit of nan celebrated Recoleta cemetery. It wasn't cleanable — nan characteristic is meant much for back-and-forth conversations alternatively than extended monologues — but it allowed maine to participate successful a circuit I would person different had to skip. (A connection of warning: utilizing nan unrecorded translator for an extended play of clip is simply a awesome artillery killer.)

Meta AI tin besides supply discourse and translations successful different scenarios, too. I spent immoderate clip successful Germany while testing nan latest second-gen Ray-Ban glasses and recovered myself many times asking Meta to construe signs and notices. For example, here's really Meta AI summarized this postulation of signs. 

As I wrote successful my reappraisal of nan Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, I still haven't recovered overmuch usage for Live AI, which lets you interact pinch nan adjunct successful real-time and inquire questions astir your surroundings. It still feels for illustration much of a novelty, but it makes for a nosy demo to show disconnected to friends who person ne'er tried "AI glasses." There are besides immoderate very absorbing accessibility usage cases that return advantage of nan glasses' cameras and AI capabilities. Features for illustration "detailed responses" and support for "Be My Eyes" show really smart glasses tin beryllium peculiarly impactful for group who are unsighted aliases woody pinch debased vision.

One AI-powered characteristic I haven't tried retired yet is Conversation Focus, which tin set nan measurement of nan personification you're speaking to while dampening nan inheritance noise. Meta teased nan characteristic astatine Connect, but hasn't said precisely erstwhile it will beryllium available. But if it useful arsenic intended, I could spot it being useful successful a batch of scenarios.

I'm besides peculiarly intrigued by Meta's Connect announcement that it will yet let third-party developers to create their ain integrations for its smart glasses. There are already a fistful of partners, like Twitch and Disney, which are uncovering ways to return advantage of nan glasses' camera and AI features. Up to now, Meta AI's multimodal devices person shown immoderate promise, but I haven't really been capable to find galore ways to usage nan capabilities successful my day-to-day life. 

Allowing app makers onto nan level could alteration that. Disney has previewed a smart glasses integration for wrong of its parks that would let visitors to get real-time info astir nan rides, attractions and different amenities arsenic they locomotion around. Golf app 18Birdies has shown disconnected an app to present stats and different info while you're connected nan course.

Should you bargain these? And what astir privacy?

When nan Ray-Ban Meta glasses came retired 2 years ago, this was a beautiful straightforward mobility to answer. If nan thought of smart glasses pinch a bully camera and open-ear speakers appealed to you, past buying a brace was a no-brainer. 

Now, it's a spot much complicated. Meta is still updating its first-gen Ray-Ban glasses pinch important caller features, for illustration Conversation Focus, caller camera modes and third-party app integrations. So if you already person a pair, you won't beryllium missing retired connected a ton if you don't upgrade. (And pinch a starting value of $299, nan first-gen glasses are still coagulated if you want a much budget-friendly option.)

There are besides different options to consider. The upcoming Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses travel pinch much important hardware upgrades and different unsocial features that will entreaty to athletes and anyone who spends a batch of clip outdoors. And connected nan higher end, location are nan $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses that blend AR elements pinch its existing features successful an intriguing way. 

I besides person galore of nan aforesaid concerns astir privateness arsenic I did erstwhile I reviewed Meta's first Ray-Ban branded glasses backmost successful 2021. I'm good alert Meta already collects an bonzer magnitude of information astir america done its apps, but glasses conscionable consciousness for illustration they supply overmuch much personal, and perchance invasive, entree to our lives.

Meta has besides made immoderate notable changes to nan privateness argumentation for its glasses successful caller months. It nary longer allows users successful nan United States to opt out of storing sound recordings successful its cloud, though it's still imaginable to manually delete recordings successful nan Meta AI app. 

The institution says it won't usage nan contents of nan photos and videos you seizure to train its AI models aliases service ads. However, images of your surroundings processed for nan glasses' multimodal features for illustration Live AI tin beryllium utilized for training purposes (these images aren't saved to your device's camera roll). Meta's privateness argumentation besides states that it uses audio captured via sound commands for training. And it should spell without saying, but anyone utilizing Meta's glasses should beryllium very observant astir sharing their interactions pinch its AI app, arsenic a bunch of users person already seemingly inadvertently shared a ton of highly-personal interactions pinch nan world. 

If immoderate of that makes you uncomfortable, I'm not present to person you otherwise! We're still grappling pinch nan semipermanent privateness implications of generative AI, overmuch little generative AI connected camera-enabled wearables. At nan aforesaid time, arsenic personification who has been wearing Meta's smart glasses connected and disconnected for much than 4 years, I tin opportunity that Meta has been capable to move thing that erstwhile felt gimmicky into a genuinely useful accessory.