A few things didn't go as planned at Meta Connect 2025. For me, it was no surprise VR headsets being revealed. For Mark Zuckerberg, it was the new Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses not being able to receive a video call during a live demo on stage (it happens).
Still, Meta's latest smart specs are an impressive feat, from its built-in display delivering a sharp, unobstructive image to its AI-powered smarts bringing live translation, info on what you see and more. All in a pair of glasses with a 12MP camera, albeit with a slightly chunky design.
But what impressed me the most about these futuristic glasses? It's the wristband that comes with it. Known as the Neural Band, this simple strap will take wrist movements or gestures and translate them all into actions on the Ray-Ban Display glasses.
It may be a small addition to what is otherwise a pair of next-gen glasses that combine AR and AI, but it acknowledges a hurdle that smart glasses have been struggling with: Being natural.
It's all in the wrist
Smart glasses have come a long way over the last few years, but navigation around their UI and the like has been a tad awkward. Thankfully, with a wristband that picks up subtle movements to flick through menus or control volume, the Meta Ray-Ban Display's Neural Band makes for a far more casual approach.
Instead of moving your head up to see the display or tapping the frames to navigate around the UI (similar to the Even Realities G1 smart glasses I've used), all it takes is a few simple gestures to translate inputs into the display. That feels more natural than moving your head around, reaching for the glasses or speaking to them via AI.
As our own Mike Propero found, it can take a while to get used to the movements. However, after about five minutes, he was well in control of it (even if it was only for about 80% of the time).
During the showcase, Zuckerberg said it was a "major scientific breakthrough," and it certainly impressed. With just a few gestures, the band allowed him to navigate around menus seamlessly, text a pal, receive phone calls (when it works), take photos, record video and even control the volume.
From flipping through the display by sliding your thumb along the top of your index finger to pinching and rotating your fingers to control volume or camera zoom like an actual dial, this makes using the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses far more intuitive.
Being able to navigate around a display right in front of my eyes by making small movements with my wrist or fingers gives these smart glasses an edge over other smart specs on the market. This type of control fits into a more casual, everyday setting — one that isn't filled with looking up in the air to see a heads-up display or touching the smart glasses.
Moreover, it's a pretty seamless, and somewhat stylish, wristband — not unlike a Whoop strap. It's a wearable that's purely for the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, so there's no heart rate monitoring or fitness tracking, but it's by no means a burden at all.
The takeaway
If there's one thing that has me more interested than ever in Meta's latest smart glasses with a display, it's the Neural Band that makes controlling the Meta Ray-Ban Display feel more natural.
It's what impressed me about my time with the Snap Spectacles: using the palm of your hand as a controller. However, with the wristband, you won't need to put your hands in front of your face every time you want to interact with the glasses. Just a few wrist gestures, and you'll gain full control.
Of course, we'll need more hands-on time with the Meta Ray-Ban Display specs to see how well this wrist strap works in an everyday setting. But it's already looking to be another breakthrough for smart glasses.
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