Meta Partners With EssilorLuxottica For New $299 AI Meta Glasses
Meta's latest models, including the Meta Adventurer and the Meta Fury, lower the barrier to entry by at least $80 compared to the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta frames. Fun fact: Ray-Ban is owned by EssilorLuxottica. This pricing and design pivot is CEO Mark Zuckerberg's means of riding the recent wave of the public's wider acceptance of smart glasses.
The hardware under the hood looks to be pretty solid, utilizing the same core capabilities as its pricier counterparts. The frames feature built-in cameras, an array of microphones, and integrated open-ear speakers. Wearers can record first-person video, livestream directly to social media platforms, perform live translations, make phone calls, and stream audio. Coming soon is pedestrian navigation where users can receive audio turn-by-turn directions.
Let's not also forget that the Meta Glasses feature deep integration of Meta AI, which is now powered by the Muse Spark multi-modal architecture. This allows the built-in digital assistant to answer complex queries by visually scanning the user's environment, handling real-time translation, and offering contextual audio cues without needing a built-in display screen.
Alongside the cheapest base models, the rollout includes a premium $399 lifestyle variant dubbed Kylie, designed in partnership with influencer and reality star Kylie Jenner. The Kylie includes unique design mods, including a tiny embedded gemstone on the lens frame, a metal nose pad that can resist makeup absorption, and exclusive access to a Jenner voice option for the AI assistant. Still, across the three primary frames (Adventurer, Fury, and Kylie), consumers can choose from 26 distinct color and lens combinations.
Further down the pipeline, Meta executives have indicated that the company is actively exploring future audio-only versions that completely eliminate the camera sensor. Doing so would drop manufacturing costs even lower, address persistent privacy concerns regarding public recording, plus allow for slimmer frame designs that mimic standard prescription optical wear.
The product line is available right now at select retailers, along with a new charging stand.
