Meta is launching its new Ray-Ban Meta Audio smart glasses at an interesting time. The company is fighting a reputation that it makes "pervert glasses" with the standard Ray-Ban Meta glasses that feature cameras.
Plenty of other companies, like Even Realities, whose CEO decried cameras on glasses over the summer. "Adding a camera onto a pair of glasses definitely introduces many more downsides than upsides."
With those concerns in mind, I tried out the audio-only Meta glasses during Meta Connect 2026. Will Meta's new camera-free specs open up a new segment for the company?
They're Ray-Bans
On the surface, these glasses are just Ray-Ban Metas. The lack of a camera means that they're lighter and enables Meta and Ray-Ban to introduce new styles like the Clubmaster, which features more of a wire frame around the lenses.
The glasses weigh just 43 grams, which is roughly 10 ounces lighter than the Ray-Ban Meta gen 2 specs..
They do have more battery life than the camera-version, hitting a claimed 12 hours over the recently updated 9 hours in the Gen 3 version of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Per Meta, the glasses come in 23 color and lens combinations between the Clubmaster and Burbank styles.
The glasses launch on October 13 for $349. The price is perhaps the most surprising thing about the Audio glasses. Removing the camera apparently does not make them cheaper.
Yes, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) glasses start at $449, but the currently available Gen 2 glasses start at $379, only $30 more expensive. And the still-available Gen 1 versions start at $224.
Similar uses
Using the Audio glasses is exactly the same as using the camera-laden version.
Swipe on the right arm for volume controls. Tap the button to access Meta AI or say "Hey Meta" before prompting the glasses.
If you've ever tried a pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, you've tried the Audio glasses, sans taking pictures or videos. Both the Audio and Gen 3 Ray-Bans come with six microphones for taking calls and talking to the AI assistant. It also comes with speakers for music and podcast listening.
The speakers sound about the same as on-camera Ray-Bans, which is decent for what it does.
I've received conflicting information on whether or not the new Hearing Enhancement feature for "mild to moderate hearing loss" will be available on the Audio glasses when it launches. At one point, I was told it would launch on the Gen 3 glasses first, but another spokesperson said it's coming to all Ray-Ban glasses. Press releases on the feature have not been illuminating.
Early verdict: Ray-Ban Meta Audio
On the whole, if you enjoy your Ray-Bans and don't really use the cameras or don't want to be seen wearing the camera-version, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses are nice option to have.
They're fairly comfortable, the user experience is the exact same and they look great, especially the Clubmaster frames.
The longer battery life is nice and basically guarantees nearly all-day use for the Audio glasses, something the Gen 3 glasses can't promise.
However, the price is high for glasses that offer fewer features than the normal ones, especially when the older versions of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses are still for sale for cheaper or about the same.
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