Meta debuts new, cheaper smart glasses under its own brand

Meta on Tuesday said it is launching a new line of smart glasses called Meta Glasses starting at $299. These glasses are made in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, but unlike the tech giant’s other smart glasses, they don’t carry the Ray-Ban or Oakley branding.

Meta glasses are available in several countries as of today in various color and lens combinations.

Meta continues to enter wearables as competition in the space heats up. It’s worth noting that Meta and EssilorLuxottica are the biggest players in the space, with an estimated market share of more than 80%, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

The Meta Glasses don’t have a screen, but they do come with a camera and personal speakers. There is a dedicated button that triggers the Meta AI assistant by default, or you can customize the button to trigger a specific function.

Meta claims these new glasses have over 8 hours of battery life, and the on-the-go charging case provides up to 40 hours of additional use.

The first pair of the new glasses, called the « Meta Adventurer, » are rectangular in shape and come in standard and oversized sizes. The “Meta Fury” frame is more boxy, resembling popular men’s eyewear models. Most notable are the ‘Meta Glasses by Kylie’, which feature a slim oval frame designed in collaboration with American model Kylie Jenner.

Meta says the Meta AI assistant on these new glasses can answer questions about everything from sports scores to local restaurant picks, can understand what you’re seeing and help you manage your daily life.

The company said these display-less glasses will soon support Pedestrian Navigation, which provides turn-by-turn directions for walking. Meta is also adding support for 14 new languages ​​for its live translation feature, including Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, and Korean.

Meta’s new line of smartglasses comes a week after Snap unveiled the Specs, its long-awaited smartglasses for consumers, priced at a hefty $2,195.