Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) hands-on: I'm a skeptic, but I'd wear these AI glasses

Meta is launching an updated version of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which the company claims last longer and shoot better photos. But when I first laid eyes on a pair, all I could think about was the color.

I had a chance to see a pair in person during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park today (September 17), and the eye-catching shade of the Shiny Cosmic Blue color scheme is awfully charming.

But there's more to the latest pair of Ray-Ban and Meta's smart glasses, including a better camera and longer advertised battery life than their predecessors. The price has also gone up, like most gadgets today.

The original Ray-Ban Metas are some of the best smart glasses on the market right now, but I've always been a little leery of dropping that much on a pair of glasses with a built-in AI assistant.

However, after our Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses hands-on time today at Facebook, I'm undeniably intrigued. Here's what it's like to slip on the latest pair of Meta's Wayfarer Ray-Bans.

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2): 5 things to know

• 3K Ultra HD camera captures videos at higher resolution than predecessor's 1080p, 12MP ultrawide still shoots 4K photos
• 8 hours of advertised battery life, up from 6 on prior model
• 32 GB storage (or roughly 500 photos/100 30-second videos)
• Pairs with Android and iOS phones via the Meta AI app
• Available now starting at $379

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2): Price and availability

The second-generation Ray-Ban Metas are available for order today in the U.S., U.K., Australia and other countries from Meta or Ray-Ban at a starting price of $379 (£379 GBP / $599 AUD). That gets you a pair with the Wayfarer, Skyler or Headliner frame in over 27 possible combinations of frame, color and lens types.

Evidently, the Shiny Cosmic Blue color scheme that caught my eye here at Meta Connect is one of a set of seasonal styles that are only available for a limited time—the Skyler frame gets Shiny Mystic Violet for a limited time, while the Headliner gets Shiny Asteroid Grey.

You can pay more for pairs that have fancier or prescription lenses. Polarized lenses are priced at $409, Transitions lenses are $459 in the U.S., and pricing varies on prescription models.

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2): Design and fit

The first time I slipped a pair of these smart glasses on my face at Meta's headquarters, I was surprised at how light they felt. There's a stiff, plasticky feel to the frame that can be a little scratchy when you're sliding them on, but once I had the glasses on, I found them remarkably light and comfortable.

I've only worn them consistently for an hour or two so far, but I really did forget I was wearing anything tech-y on my face. That's a small revelation for me, someone who's only experience with smart glasses to date is a pair of Xreal One Pro AR glasses cabled to my phone or laptop.

The lightweight and comfy feel of the new Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) glasses makes it feel possible to wear them for hours at a time, though I'll have to take them out on the road to be sure.

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2): Camera

The camera built into the upper-right corner of the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) glasses is capable of capturing photos in the same resolution (3024 X 4032 pixels) as their predecessor, and in my limited experience, the photos captured through the glasses look sharp and colorful.

The glasses are also capable of capturing up to 3 minutes of video at up to 3K at 30 FPS (frames per second). That's a significant improvement over the old model, plus they can also shoot up to 3 minutes of video at 1200p (60 FPS) or 1440p (30 FPS) if you want faster framerates or smaller files.

Colors look true to life, and the angle, while a bit wider than I'm used to capturing through my phone camera, is expansive in a welcome way. So far, I'm really enjoying being able to snap a quick photo of whatever I'm looking at by saying "Hey Meta, take a photo" or tapping the Capture button set into the top of the frame near your right temple.

At the same time, I confess to a bit of terror while contemplating what the world will be like when I'm wearing these glasses. Are people going to be worried about me snapping photos or video without permission?

The camera does flash a white light briefly when you take a photo and play a sound, while recording video causes the light to pulse on and off, so people around you do have a clue you're doing something. I'm curious to see how folks in the real world outside of Meta's campus handle seeing them in person.

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2): Audio

The two speakers built into the frame of the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) generate audio that's pretty clear and legible once you dial in the volume, which is done by swiping on the right arm of the frame.

I've only had a few hours to chat with Meta AI, listen to music and audiobooks, but so far I'm pretty happy with the audio quality of these glasses. Once you pair them with the Meta AI app on your phone, you can connect a few different apps (including Audible and Spotify) so that when you ask Meta AI to play music or a book, it knows where to look.

In my limited experience, it's a neat trick, and while walking next to Tom's Guide U.S. Editor-in-Chief Mike Prospero, he claimed to be unable to hear a hint of my bad music coming out of the speakers at all but the absolute highest volume.

Bottom line

I've been skeptical of AR glasses in public since the days of Google Glass, and I'm pretty opposed to the idea of learning to work with an AI agent.

But shucks, I can't help but admit I'm impressed and intrigued by my first few hours with the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) glasses. I don't love the phrase "AI glasses," but it is kind of neat to be able to capture photos and videos hands-free with a simple voice command.

And while I'm still getting to grips with the ins and outs of the Meta AI app you use to pair these glasses with your phone, I'm excited to keep testing them and put together our full review. Stay tuned!

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