Meta Launches Cheaper Smart Glasses Without Ray-Ban Branding

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Meta launched a range of cheaper smart glasses featuring the same technology as Ray-Ban Meta but without the branding, and with a compact folding case.

That’s not to say that Meta is making these glasses without EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear giant that owns the Ray-Ban brand and that Meta owns a 3% stake of. These new Meta Glasses are still made in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the two companies confirmed.

Two styles of the cheaper “Meta Glasses”, as they’re branded, are available: Adventurer and Fury.

Both feature the same chipset, camera, speakers, battery, storage, and connectivity as the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 glasses, but are sold starting at $300, an $80 discount compared to the Ray-Bans, owing to their lack of the premium branding.

They also have the more comfortable overextension hinges from the recent Ray-Ban Meta Optics Styles glasses.

Adventurer is a classic rectangular style, offered in 8 colors:

Classic Black frame with Clear lenses ($300)
Classic Tortoise frame with Clear lenses ($300)
Classic Black frame with Brown lenses ($300)
Classic Tortoise frame with Brown lenses ($300)
Classic Black frame with Grey Polarized lenses ($330)
Classic Black frame with Clear to Grey Transitions lenses ($380)
Merlot frame with Clear to Ruby Transitions lenses ($380)
Linen frame with Clear to Sapphire Transitions lenses ($380)

Fury is taller and thus more square, offered in 7 colors:

Classic Black frame with Brown Gradient lenses ($300)
Mahogany frame with Green lenses ($300)
Racing Green frame with Light Blue Atlantic lenses ($300)
Classic Black frame with Grey Polarized lenses ($330)
Sandstone frame with Dark Amber lenses ($300)
Classic Black frame with Clear to Grey Transitions lenses ($380)
Mahogany frame with Clear to Grey Transitions lenses ($380)

Meta Glasses – Fury style

We should also point out that the new Meta Glasses are not the cheapest smart glasses the company sells. The Gen 1 Ray-Ban Meta glasses from 2023 are still sold starting at $300 normally, and are currently on sale starting at $224. But the new Meta Glasses have the improvements of the Gen 2: the doubled battery life and 3K video recording.

Flat-Folding Charging Case

The new Meta Glasses range also has a unique advantage over the displayless Ray-Ban and Oakley branded smart glasses. They feature a folding charging case that seems to be very similar to the case of Meta Ray-Ban Display.

UploadVR-captured video showing the folding case for Meta Ray-Ban Display. The Meta Glasses case seems to be similar.

As we noted in our Meta Ray-Ban Display review, the advantage of a folding case is that, while you’re wearing the glasses, the case can fit into a jacket pocket, or even a particularly deep trouser pocket.

Kylie Jenner Glasses & Charging Stand

The cheaper glasses are not Meta’s only new smart product launch this week.

The company also worked with Kylie Jenner on a completely new smart glasses style called Starfire, which has a notable resemblance to the upcoming Gentle Monster smart glasses powered by Google.

Further, for people who want to keep their smart glasses available by their bedside, Meta launched a $60 Charging Stand, made of stainless steel, with a USB-C port. It supports the company’s displayless Ray-Ban and Oakley HSTN smart glasses, charging them to 50% in 20 minutes and fully within an hour. Meta Ray-Ban Display and Oakley Meta Vanguard are not supported.