Oakley Meta Glasses could launch later this week and will be aimed at sports enthusiasts
And Meta is also teaming up with another more fashion-focused brand
😎 Meta and Oakley appear to be gearing up to launch a collaborative pair of smart glasses
📆 A full reveal is expected on June 20 ahead of a wider release
⛷️ They could be targeted more towards athletes and come with increased weather resistance
👏 It comes hot on the heels of the success of the Ray-Ban glasses launched in 2023
Meta might be preparing a brand new partnership for its smart glasses that bring some different styles to the party.
Both the official Oakley and Meta social media channels have teased the partnership ahead of a full reveal on June 20, so it doesn't seem like it'll be long before you can get your hands on them.
Oakley's Instagram channel also called it "the next evolution", while Ray-Ban simply replied with the eyes emoji. Something is definitely afoot.
The move to partner with Oakley opens up the appeal of Meta's glasses to arguably a more rugged audience, given the tendency for Oakley glasses to go well with sports activities, such as golf or cycling.
According to documents seen by CNBC, this is the case, and the Oakley glasses will be targeted at athletes and active users who record themselves skiing, cycling and otherwise.
It is rumoured the Oakley versions will be more weather resistant than their Ray-Ban counterparts, owing to their more durable nature. As for price, the rumor is the Oakley Meta glasses will cost around $360, according to CNBC.
Apart from the increased weather resistance, we can suppose this is a simple frame 'upgrade' as it were. In that case, the internal tech of the glasses won't change much from the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, so you'll have the same camera lenses in the frame and speakers in the stems, while also being able to link them with the Meta app for AI assistant control and general use.
You can also take 12MP photos with the built-in camera on the glasses, as well as make calls and listen to music, and record 1080p portrait video for social sharing.
There are also concurrent reports that Meta entered into another agreement with EssilorLuxottica to bring the Prada name to more hardware, after Luxottica renewed a 10-year licensing agreement to bring Prada and associated subbrands to more hardware.
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.