I just bought the transparent Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses — and it’s my favorite gadget of the year

So let me paint a word picture for you (it is my job, after all). I’ve got two big things to save up for — my wedding and my home. It was all going so well until Meta Connect 2024, when the Zuck came up on stage and showed off the new transparent Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

The moment I saw them, I knew it was inevitable. Even if it meant I had to live off instant noodles for the next month, these are extremely my vibe. And now that I have one of the 7,500 pairs that Meta sold of this limited edition, zero regrets are felt. These see-through specs are easily the best-looking gadget I’ve seen in a long time.

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Stupid sexy glasses! There is absolutely nothing new about them — no improvement to the Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity, no Meta AI for me in the U.K. (unless you use one of the best VPNs to trick them), and no updates to the camera or battery life.

All Meta has done in its love-in with Ray-Ban is house all of the components in a completely transparent frame. And that’s all these two needed to do, as it tickles every single of my nerdy itches at once to make this oh-so-divine on my face.

Seeing all the components across the device, from the battery tech on the inside of the stalks and the touchpad across the right side, to the camera housing and metallic frame across the bridge. The last time I got a whiff of this feeling was with the Nothing phone (2) and that slab with a transparent back doesn’t come close to the adoration I feel for these.

And since there’s no change, I can echo exactly what has been said in our review — these frames are definitely a little bulkier than your standard Wayfarers, but not enough for people to think they look odd. In terms of comfort, they are easily wearable all day long, and with this clear aesthetic, they are a true statement maker.

Let’s transition

But the real superpower of these specs, and something Zuckerberg was quick to highlight at Connect, is how the transition lenses are quite the combo breaker of usability.

Currently, the best-selling option in Meta/Ray-Ban’s range are any that sport the traditional sunglasses lenses. But in doing so, you’re limiting where you can use these by 50% — and that 50% is a bit of a stretch, as you don’t want to be that weirdo who wears shades when it's cloudy out.

That is why these clear-to-sapphire transition lenses are so effective in improving how much you will use these glasses. When you’re out in bright conditions, the lenses take roughly 45 seconds to darken. Head inside and after 2 minutes, they’re clear again. It means you can capture all the moments uninhibited by lenses — from a picnic in the park with mates, to filming those same mates making the mistake of having a Jägerbomb in their 30s (trust me, don’t).

The best AI hardware device you can buy

But when it comes to the Ray-Ban Metas, no matter how much I try, I can’t stop looking at them and the hardware itself is really only a tiny part of the story. With the developments made in Meta AI and their significance in the shades, these are low-key becoming a juggernaut of the AI hardware space.

And the most recent additions are set to make these smarter than ever — an updated prompting system with the multimodal AI that understands more natural questions leads the charge. Instead of having to say “hey Meta, look and…” followed by your question, you can word it a lot more naturally.

But everything else coming too makes these a must-buy, from the ability to remember the location of items on request, reading QR codes and calling numbers it sees. Special shout-out to live translation, which is going to be huge for a traveler like me.

Outlook

So while this limited edition is sold out now, I’d still highly recommend you pick up a pair with transition lenses. The capabilities extend super far beyond just being a pair of camera glasses — thanks to all of its AI smarts.

Yes, I may be looking at my bank account and diet of baked beans and feeling a little poor right now, but damn do these look like something special.

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Jason brings a decade of tech and gaming journalism experience to his role as a Managing Editor of Computing at Tom's Guide. He has previously written for Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, Kotaku, Stuff and BBC Science Focus. In his spare time, you'll find Jason looking for good dogs to pet or thinking about eating pizza if he isn't already.