In the future, individuals who aren't equipped with AI glasses may encounter a competitive disadvantage, according to Mark Zuckerberg's belief.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is gearing up for an exciting future in the realm of AI-powered smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) technology.
Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 (expected Fall 2025)
The third generation of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, slated for release in Fall 2025, promises significant enhancements. Two new frame styles, "Aperol" and "Bellini", will cater to a wider range of prescription lenses. The next-generation Meta AI assistant is designed to run for hours, a marked improvement from the current 30-minute runtime.
The AI capabilities of these glasses will extend to face recognition, enabling them to remember people. The battery life has been considerably improved, potentially surpassing that of Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, thanks to the upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1+ Gen 1 chipset. Interestingly, Meta continues to focus on audio-based AR instead of visual AR displays, maintaining the glasses' lightweight and stylish design.
Oakley Meta Glasses
Meanwhile, Meta's Oakley Meta glasses, marketed as performance AI glasses for athletes, share the same Qualcomm platform. They boast nearly doubled battery life compared to earlier Ray-Ban Meta specifications. Firmware and AI improvements will be shared across both Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta glasses via regular updates, ensuring feature parity.
Long-term Goals
Looking ahead, Meta aims to launch full AR glasses by 2027. These glasses will incorporate advanced visual displays, enabling a seamless blend of physical and digital worlds, and supporting a richer metaverse experience. AI will play a critical role in these glasses, enabling multimodal user interactions and continuously improving usability.
Market Impact
Sales of Ray-Ban Meta glasses have more than tripled in the first half of 2025 compared to last year, with over 2 million units sold since their debut. Production capacity is expected to rise to 10 million units by the end of 2026. The partnership between Meta and EssilorLuxottica (owner of Ray-Ban and Oakley) has been extended "into the next decade" to develop multi-generational smart eyewear products. Meta invested €3 billion in EssilorLuxottica in 2025 and is considering expanding its stake, signalling a strong commitment to this product line's future.
As more companies enter the space of AI-based hardware due to growing interest, Meta remains focused on evolving its AI-powered smart glasses through incremental hardware and AI enhancements for 2025, expanding use cases via the Ray-Ban and Oakley brands, and targeting a significant leap in AR capability with visual displays by 2027. This integration of AI and AR is aimed at driving a blended physical-digital user experience aligned with the metaverse vision.
In related news, Reality Labs, Meta's research division, reported an operating loss of $4.53 billion in the second quarter. However, the company has been investing heavily in advanced AI technologies, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressing strong support for the future of AI, particularly smart glasses. Zuckerberg believes smart glasses will become the main way people interact with AI, and those who don't use AI glasses could be at a disadvantage in the future. He envisions smart glasses with a display to enhance user experience.
Recently, an Apple researcher joined Meta's superintelligence team, further strengthening the team. Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acquired a startup by Jony Ive in a $6.5 billion deal for building new consumer devices powered by AI. These developments underscore the growing importance of AI and AR in the tech industry.
The next-generation Meta AI assistant, incorporated in the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 smart glasses, is designed for extended operation, significantly improving the current 30-minute runtime. Artificial intelligence capabilities in these smart glasses will extend to face recognition, enabling them to remember people.
Meta's long-term goals include launching full AR glasses by 2027, which will incorporate advanced visual displays and AI for multimodal user interactions, aligning with their vision of a richer metaverse experience.
