Meta introduced its first smart glasses under its own brand on Tuesday, starting at $299—$80 below the entry-level Ray-Ban Meta—and immediately expanded the competitive field for AI wearables. The line comprises three frame styles: the rectangular Meta Adventurer, the bolder Meta Fury, and a slim oval Meta Glasses by Kylie, designed with Kylie Jenner and priced at $399. The devices are available from today in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and several European markets including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, though Indian pricing and availability remain unconfirmed.

The glasses omit a display but embed a 12-megapixel camera, open-ear speakers, and a dedicated hardware button for Meta AI, now driven by the proprietary Muse Spark model from Meta Superintelligence Labs. This enables real-time visual comprehension—identifying landmarks, recommending restaurants, or retrieving sports scores—alongside live translation across 20 languages, with Hindi, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Arabic among the 14 newly added. A forthcoming pedestrian navigation feature will deliver turn-by-turn voice directions without a screen. Battery life exceeds eight hours, and the folding charging case provides up to 40 additional hours. A camera ring light activates during recording, though earlier reports noted the privacy indicator can be circumvented.

Meta and manufacturing partner EssilorLuxottica already command more than 80% of the smart glasses market, according to Counterpoint Research, and Meta disclosed it shipped 7.3 million pairs of Ray-Ban Meta in 2025—surpassing any single year of its VR headset sales. The lower price point is a direct response to mounting competition: Snap recently unveiled its $2,195 Specs with standalone augmented reality, while Apple is reportedly developing its own glasses for 2027 and Google is working on AI eyewear with Warby Parker. Viewed from Silicon Valley, the launch is as much a fashion play as a technology one; CEO Mark Zuckerberg stressed that wearables must be “something you’re proud to wear,” reflecting lessons absorbed from EssilorLuxottica’s brand-building methods.

The immediate competitive test arrives later this year when Snap’s Specs reach consumers, while Apple’s rumoured 2027 entry forms the longer-term horizon. Meta’s capacity to convert its existing Ray-Ban Meta user base and attract new buyers at the $299 threshold will determine whether it can defend its dominant share as the market for AI-powered eyewear rapidly crowds.