I tested Meta’s transparent Ray-Ban smart glasses, and they’re a near-perfect accessory for me

At Meta Join in September, one of many latest merchandise that caught my eye was a limited-edition pair of Ray-Ban glasses — with a clear body, sapphire transition lenses, and a reasonably accessible $429 price ticket. Since I’ve already had nice experiences with the Meta Quest 3 and Viture Pro XR glasses, I made a decision it was time to strive the extremely praised good glasses by Meta. Happily, I used to be capable of purchase a pair proper as inventory ran out.

Solely 7,500 items had been made accessible worldwide, and mine is quantity 4,255, marked on the within of the fitting body and on the charging case. ZDNET’s Kerry Wan reviewed the usual Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses final 12 months, and after months of use, he nonetheless enjoys their performance. As introduced at Meta Join, current Meta glasses may also obtain software program updates, together with pure language processing, the flexibility to recollect and recall key data, stay translations, and extra.

Additionally: I took my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses fly fishing, and they beat GoPro in several surprising ways

Whereas deciding whether or not to make the acquisition, I meant to make use of the glasses to seize video that is tough to file precisely with a digicam or smartphone. This contains testing watches, health gear, and e-bikes, in addition to creating vertical short-form movies for YouTube and Instagram, with each hands-free to work together with gadgets. I’ve used motion cameras for a few of this content material earlier than, however I wished to see if a first-person perspective would lead to higher footage. 

I additionally spend time fly fishing, the place each arms are occupied, and I need to seize video and nonetheless photographs of those experiences to share with household and associates who do not need to wade by means of chilly rivers and catch small trout. My giant, energetic cat calls for day by day playtime with wand toys, and now I can simply file his unimaginable acrobatics and humorous antics on the go.

It has been over two weeks since my Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer Restricted Version glasses arrived, they usually’ve exceeded my expectations. Along with capturing nice video whereas working with new watches, testing e-bikes, fishing, and taking part in with my cat, I’ve recorded just a few fights on the ice at an area minor league hockey recreation, playful snow leopard kittens on the zoo, and my day by day commute as the autumn leaves flip underneath a glowing sundown. Now you can seize as much as three minutes of video by setting that because the default size, and the audio high quality throughout recording has been significantly better than I anticipated.

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Past video and nonetheless seize, I now favor utilizing the glasses for calls and podcasts over my AirPods Professional whereas strolling round downtown Seattle. Just like the bone conduction headphones I take advantage of for working, the Ray-Ban glasses depart my ears open for higher consciousness of my environment, and the sound high quality is sweet for podcasts and music. Nevertheless, in heavy visitors, the sound may be too quiet, so a future model with bone conduction know-how can be excellent.

I additionally admire the assorted messaging choices, particularly with the ability to have messages learn aloud and simply reply to family and friends. Preserving my cellphone in my pocket whereas commuting and sporting the Meta glasses looks like an optimum method to get round. I am having fun with spending much less time screens and extra time partaking with the world round me.

The transition lenses are a recreation changer as nicely. They permit me to put on the glasses each indoors, the place I hearken to music, make hands-free inquiries with Meta AI, and deal with calls and messaging, and outside, the place I might usually change to sun shades. Nevertheless, I want the lenses would get a bit darker in full daylight.

Additionally: In a surprise twist, Meta is suddenly crushing Apple in the innovation battle – Prism

The Engo 2 Photochromic glasses have improved my working efficiency by displaying key well being stats, and it will be unbelievable to see comparable performance in a future model of the Meta glasses. Even with the ability to ask Meta for working stats would assist me preserve my eyes on the highway and keep centered on my objectives.  

Total, I am more than happy with my buy of this Restricted Version mannequin of the Meta Ray-Bans, which is designed to present me a glimpse into the underlying know-how. And I am much more excited in regards to the added utility that future updates will carry.

This text was initially revealed on October 17, 2024, and was up to date on November 16, 2024.