Meta has opened preorders for Ray-Ban Meta Audio, a pair of smart glasses without cameras. The model keeps the audio capabilities of Meta’s existing glasses, including speakers, microphones and access to its Muse assistant, but cannot take photos or record video. It weighs 43 grams and is rated for 12 hours on one charge or up to 48 hours with the charging case.
The glasses cost $349, come in 23 frame and color combinations and begin shipping October 10. Removing the camera addresses one visible source of privacy concern, though microphones and cloud-connected assistant features still require users and people nearby to consider when audio is captured.
Meta also announced much more capable VR Glasses. They use 5K micro-OLED displays, eye and hand tracking, and an external compute-and-battery puck. At five times lighter than Quest 3, they resemble large goggles rather than a strapped headset, but a demonstration showed a narrower field of view than a conventional headset. They cost $1,300 and are planned for spring 2027.
Third-generation camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta glasses start at $449, while Meta-branded versions start at $299. The crowded lineup gives buyers a clearer hardware choice: audio-only convenience, camera capture or a full visual display, each with different privacy, battery and price trade-offs.