I come across many cool gadgets, but if there’s one device that deserves to be called cool, it’s the Ray-Ban Meta. These smart glasses look good, carry the Ray-Ban name, and most importantly, stand out as an intriguing innovation in the field of wearable technology. So what’s so cool about Ray-Ban shoving a camera into a pair of glasses, you might wonder. Well, for one, the Ray-Ban Meta do much more than shoot pictures and video. And personally, I think these smart glasses are a great example of how brands can come together and find synergies in the quest for meaningful innovation. The brands I’m alluding to here include EssilorLuxottica (which owns Ray-Ban), Meta, and the one that stays in background and makes everything tick — Qualcomm Snapdragon. I recently got to try out the Meta, so let me put together some thoughts based on my experience.
Table of Contents
Features
Before moving further, let’s first get a gist of what the Ray-Ban Meta glasses can do:
- Shoot 12MP pictures and 1080p videos up to a minute long, showing your PoV
- Listen to music and handle calls
- Listen to messages received over apps like WhatsApp and Messenger, and even respond using voice.
- Shoot handsfree, using the Hey Meta trigger phrase
- Use Meta AI features to get more info on what you see through the glasses
- Livestream directly to Facebook or Instagram
Design
Not bad for what looks like a standard-issue pair of shades right? As is apt for a wearable meant to appeal to a wide variety of folks, Ray-Ban has used the classic Wayfarer style for the Meta smart glasses. Apart from the Matte Black and Shiny Black options, available frame colours include Jeans, Rebel Black, and Caramel. In fact, Ray-Ban says that over 150 different frame and lens combinations are possible, and are compatible with prescription lenses as well. Now that’s a lot choice, and as I said before, helps attract a bigger user base.
While the classic Wayfarer look is hard to ignore, there are a few differences in terms of the design here as compared to conventional sunglasses. You’ll find a slider key for turning the device on and off inside the left temple, while the top of the right temple has a shutter key for shooting. The temples are a tad wider than usual, and also feature slim slits for the speakers on the bottom. The sides of the temples are touch-sensitive as well. Hidden under the bridge are contacts for charging.
Speaking of charging, I think the case of the Ray-Ban Meta is no less innovative than the glasses… while it looks just a conventional leather case, it actually integrates a battery and juices up the Meta smart glasses while the pair is safely ensconced inside… similar to how a pair of TWS buds get charged inside their case. A Type-C port is located at the bottom of the Meta glasses case, while a pairing button is postponed towards the back. A light integrated into the button on the front of the case glows in different colours to indicate status.
Usage and experience
You need the Meta View app on your phone to use the Ray-Ban Meta, but you won’t find this app listed on the Indian app stores — so there’s a bit of a workaround needed. Side-loading the APK on an Android phone does the trick, while iPhone users would need to create and sign in using an Apple ID specific to one of the supported countries (such as the US).
Using the Ray-Ban Meta on a day-to-day basis is a fun experience, to say the least. I think the best part about it is that first and foremost, it’s a pair of sunglasses that can be worn as usual as part of daily life. The fact that the same pair of glasses can help deliver crisp audio to your ears and shoot pictures, videos etc makes it so much more useful. And the fact that it can do its thing without you having to even lift a finger and just use voice commands, make it even more nifty. This, as compared to say, having to fish out your phone from your pocket to click a picture, or popping in a pair of earbuds to listen to music — it’s a different level of convenience on offer here.
There’s something to be said about the PoV shots that the Ray-Ban Meta can shoot too. Being able to showcase what you see from your own eyes, either in real-time as a live stream or after the fact, gives it realism and immersiveness that’s hard to beat. Yet another important aspect to consider is how these glasses help you stay in the present, without missing out on any of the action unfolding in front and not needing to fiddle with any phone cameras. The Ray-Ban Meta shoots in the vertical orientation in keeping with the short-form format and can shoot video clips up to 60 seconds in duration. While the camera on the left temple end piece shoots, a light glows on the right to indicate shooting in progress, to alleviate privacy concerns.
The images and video clips shot using the Ray-Ban Meta look quite crisp, especially the ones shot in ample light. And the audio quality via the downward-firing, directional speakers is surprisingly good. Sure, there’s a bit of sound leakage, but that’s par for the course and to be expected. You can swipe on the sides of the temples to adjust volume, and if your hands are occupied, just utter “hey Meta” and use voice commands. One does need to speak clearly for it to understand the spoken commands, but it does work fairly well overall.
The tech
The driver in the seat, unbeknownst to the user, is the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 platform. Built specifically to power smart glasses, it features Dual ISPs for capturing 12MP photos and 6MP videos, support for binocular display, eight mics to capture clear audio, and Qualcomm Noise and Echo Cancellation for calls. Its AI prowess is powered by the 3rd-gen Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, which works in tandem with the AR-grade Engine for Visual Analytics to promise pristine audio and image quality. Optimised thermals and power consumption is yet another feature boasted by the AR1 Gen1 platform, as these are vital parameters for glasses which can’t be too heavy and still be able to deliver good battery life and not heat up while being used. For connectivity, there’s support for Bluetooth 5.3 and 5.2, along with Qualcomm’s FastConnect Wi-Fi 7 tech which enables smooth live streaming. It’s a lot of tech packed into a platform tiny enough to hide inside a reasonably sleek pair of sunglasses, driving its innovative and cutting-edge capabilities. And based on my usage, I can say that the Ray-Ban Meta is able to deliver on most aspects.
To sum up…
The Ray-Ban Meta is a fun device, and I enjoyed my time with it quite a bit. It’s priced starting $299, and shines as a showcase of what smart glasses and wearable tech can do, blending a lifestyle accessory seamlessly with Snapdragon-powered tech. And as I mentioned before, also stand out as a fruit of labour of multiple brands, who’ve all come together in the quest for a common purpose. As an end user, I’m not complaining at all… I only wish these were available to buy in India officially.
