I spent a weekend with Meta’s new Oakley smart glasses – they beat my Ray-Bans in every way

Meta Oakley HSTN Smart Glasses

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The latest smart glasses by Meta feature an enhanced design and features optimized for outdoor use.
• An upgraded camera resolution and battery life headline the best features.
• They’re fairly expensive at $499, and the style might not appeal to some users.

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jul / 2025

The Meta Ray-Bans have been a success since their launch, with consumers (like me) drawn to their regular form factor packed with mics, cameras, speakers, and AI. Now, Meta is catering to a more athletic audience with its new Meta Oakley smart glasses — and with them, it has upped the ante across nearly every spec. 

As a glasses wearer, photo fanatic, and AI reporter, it was an absolute no-brainer for me to purchase the Meta Ray-Bans. After months of trying them, I was mostly impressed. My biggest qualm was the battery life, which only lasted four hours. 

Also: Meta Ray-Bans vs. Oakley: I tested both smart glasses, there’s a clear winner

So, when Meta announced the Oakley version would have eight hours of battery life, I was immediately intrigued. I spent the past weekend with the Meta Oakley HSTN Limited Edition, and they exceeded my expectations. 

First and foremost: more power 

There are many practical reasons an athlete would want to wear smart glasses, including hands-free access to music, messages, AI assistance, a camera, and video. However, this means that the glasses have to be comfortable, durable, and have a battery that lasts the duration of your activity.

Also: Your Meta Ray-Bans just got a major feature upgrade for free – and it feels surreal

Meta executed on all of these fronts with Meta Oakley HSTN Limited Edition glasses, packing an eight-hour battery life from a single charge (up from four on the Meta Ray-Bans) and up to 48 hours with the fully charged carrying case, according to Meta. 

To accommodate outdoor activities in all terrains, the glasses have an IPX4 water resistance rating, a step-up in durability from the Ray-Bans. The video quality is also higher, capturing 3K video, up from 1080p on the Meta Ray-Bans. 

But these glasses also keep all of the features that made the Meta Ray-Bans so great, such as a 12 MP ultrawide camera, camera sensors embedded along the side of the eyewear (great for recording POV shots during your activity), two open-ear Bluetooth speakers, and a custom five-mic array. 

During my walk, I listened to Justin Bieber’s new album and was extremely satisfied with the audio, so much so that I was content with my decision to forgo my usual open-ear headphones, the Shockz OpenFit. 

I was also able to send audio messages, which is my preferred mode of communication, with no issue. I even got the feedback, “your audio sounds great, actually,” when I apologized in advance for any splotchiness that may ensue from talking into my glasses. 

I also tested the photo and video capabilities by snapping shots during my walk. I have always been amazed at how well it takes photos, even when you are in motion, with the final result being stable, good-quality shots. The most impressive part, however, was the improved video quality, which was evident as soon as I viewed the video after getting home. You can distinctly hear the sound of my feet hitting the pavement as I did my light jog, and the quality and POV make it feel like you were taken along the path of my jog. 

This functionality is particularly important because if you are in the market for these glasses to document your exercise, at the price point, which is double that of a traditional GoPro, it is imperative that the quality of the shots be as high as possible. 

Increased comfort

Despite the more rugged design and the better components under the hood, I found the glasses to be more comfortable than the Meta Ray-Bans. According to the specs posted on the Meta website, both glasses are the same exact weight at 49 grams. However, the Oakley pair sits so much more comfortably on the bridge of my nose that they practically feel lighter. 

Also: Halliday’s new AI glasses are what Meta, Google, and Apple have been trying to build

Using the smartglasses hands-free is just as easy with either voice or touchpad commands, depending on which you prefer. Before my outing, I synced the glasses to Apple Music and my messages, so I didn’t have to look at my phone at all. Rather, I got a voice notification every time I received a text, and did simple motions on the touchpad, such as swiping forward to control volume or tapping to pause a song.  

Using Meta AI was just as simple, with a simple command of “Hey Meta” unlocking a multimodal AI assistant that can see what you see, provide audio assistance, and even perform other more advanced tasks such as AI language translation. 

The Oakley pair’s case is a bit bulkier and less sleek than that of the Ray-Bans. That said, it was likely a purposeful design, as you probably want something more heavy-duty when on a run, bike ride, hike, etc. The Meta Oakley charging case holds 48 hours of charge versus the 32 hours on the Ray-Bans. 

Also: Apple’s Meta Ray-Bans killer is only one of four major launches in 2027 – here’s the list

There is also the added convenience of having high-quality sunglasses catered to athletes. The smart glasses have Prizm 24K Polarized lenses, which not only protect against the beaming sun rays outdoors but also allow you to see elements you may have otherwise missed. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

The audiences for the Meta Ray-Bans and the Meta Oakleys are a bit different. If you are an outdoor enthusiast who is looking to document some of your adventures and have easy access to your phone, music, and an AI assistant, the added specs and design make the $499 investment in the Meta Oakley HSTN Limited Edition glasses worth it. 

If you are just looking for smart glasses you can use occasionally, without a particular need for extended battery life or shooting high-quality video, you may want to either stick to the Meta Ray-Bans, which start at $240, or wait until more models are made available later this summer at the lower price point of $399.

The latest smart glasses by Meta feature key improvements that fulfill the shortcomings of the popular Ray-Bans, from the higher resolution video recording to the longer-lasting battery life. While the design of the Oakley brand will leave customers divided, it also covers a gap in the smart glasses space for users who seek a wearable for more intense recreational activities.

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