Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 glasses review: 5 features that made me ditch regular sunglasses
I don't go anywhere without my Meta Ray-Bans in my bag - here's why
š Rating: 4/5
ā
Pros
šø Photo and video quality take a big leap over the previous generation
š 8 hours of battery life is a game-changer (2x as long as Gen 1)
š Speaker quality is great for listening to music
š¤ Meta AI is very helpful
ā Cons
š Chunkier design than traditional Ray-Ban sunglasses
š„ They can get pretty warm with heavy usage
š° Price can go way up depending on your configuration
Smart glasses are all the rage nowadays, and I finally understand why. A little while ago, I was sent a pair of the Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 smart glasses to test-drive, and Iāve officially ditched traditional sunglasses because of them.
Meta has seen great success with its Ray-Ban collaboration; the companyās smart glasses make up 82% of the entire smart glasses market, making them the most popular by a long stretch. The Meta Ray-Bans were the first to offer a package compelling enough to appeal to average consumers: you can talk to Meta AI through them, take pictures and videos, play music, take phone calls, and more, all in a pair of glasses that look barely thicker than a normal pair of shades. Plus, the price isnāt extraordinarily high.
These glasses have made their way onto a lot of folksā faces, and after using them for several months, Iāve learned that it might be time for everyone to consider switching away from traditional spectacles. Here are five things that keep me glued to my Meta Ray-Bans more than I expected.
1. Playing music without headphones
Okayā¦ itās probably not a great idea to buy the Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 because of this feature, but Iām obsessed with being able to play music that only I can hear without needing headphones. I love putting my shades on before walking to our New York City office, hearing them pair to my phone, then firing up Spotify to jam out on my stroll. Audio quality is surprisingly clear with a decent level of bass, and the speakers get loud enough not to get drowned out by the noisy streets of Manhattan.
Itās like having a pair of open-style headphones on you at all times. Of course, this is also convenient for hands-free phone calls and such, but as a huge music fan, being able to blast my playlist through my sunglasses is a luxury I never thought I needed.
2. Turn-by-turn directions
Some would say Iām a master of navigating the streets of NYC, while others (like my own girlfriend) will tell you I need a little help once in a while (read: a lot of help quite frequently). I generally follow directions on my Apple Watch, but if you fire up your favorite maps app and use audible directions, theyāll play over the speakers in the glasses and guide you on your journey. The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses are technically better equipped for this since you get a little map detailing where to go, but I find my glasses telling me where to go perfectly adequate for not making the wrong turn.
3. Recording first-person videos
The most popular feature on Meta Ray-Ban glasses is the camera, which can be used to capture photos and videos from a first-person perspective. I donāt normally take a lot of photos with the glasses on, but Iāve certainly taken plenty of videos. At a country music festival in Florida last year, I used a pair of these glasses to record myself whacking around huge beach balls with the crowd. With my review unit, itās been a lot of day-in-the-life videos of me walking around the best city in the world.
Thereās something about being able to record what youāre seeing whenever you want, instantly, that makes this seemingly novel feature a genuinely useful tool. Whether itās destined for social media or your own personal photo album, the videos youāll capture with these glasses are unique and way too fun to experiment with. Plus, you can record in up to 3K resolution, so all of your memories will look sharper than on previous models.
4. Asking Meta AI about whatās around me
It almost feels like a secret superpower having a computer on your face that can give you information on what youāre looking at. There are a lot of historic buildings around New York City, in addition to all the random sculptures and exhibits that open on the streets and sidewalks. As much as I try to keep up with whatās going on, sometimes, you need someone to just explain it to you.
Thatās where Meta AI comes in. You can look at something and say, āHey Meta, what am I looking at?ā Itāll then take a picture of whatās in front of you and give you insights into what itās examining. Sometimes it doesnāt get it totally right, but thatās usually because Iām looking at whatās in front of me at a weird angle. If I look at the base of a church, for example, it doesnāt really know what to say about that. But if I look up where all the details are, Meta AI has no problem telling me more about St. Patrickās Cathedral.
Iām encouraged to use this feature not just because itās super convenient, but because of how responsive it is. Meta incorporated the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 processor, which gives the glasses impressive processing power, delivering fast responses from Meta AI and making features like photo capturing feel effortless. Plus, its efficient even when handling heavy tasks. Speaking of whichā¦
5. Battery life is finally good enough
The original version of Metaās Ray-Ban smart glasses could only be used for 3-4 hours on a full charge. That changed exponentially with the second generation, which got upgraded with up to 8 hours of mixed use.
This makes a huge difference in how much youāre enticed to use a pair of smart glasses. No one wants to use them that much if theyāre going to die quickly - then youāre just walking around with chunky glasses with no added functionality. But because these puppies can last for twice as long, it encourages me to listen to more music, take more pictures and videos, and ask Meta AI more questions while Iām out and about. Then, when they need to be recharged, I pop them back in the back and juice āem up.
Are they worth $379?
Thatās how much my review pair of Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 glasses cost, with the Skyler frame and green-tinted sunglass lenses. Thatās around $180 more than most folks are comfortable spending on a pair of high-end shades, so itās definitely an investment no matter how you swing it.
But I think for some folks, spending the extra cash will be well worth it. For early adopters and those who want to start exploring the world of smart glasses, this is a great place to start. Meta and Ray-Ban have pulled off one of the first truly great pairs of smart glasses in existence, hence why you might see them more frequently in the world than youād expect. Between the sleek design and actually-useful feature set, itās the only pair of mainstream smart glasses that are worth recommending to virtually anyone.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. Heās been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.