It’s official: after months of speculation, the second generation of Ray-Ban | Meta smart glasses were unveiled, during Day One of Meta Connect.
“We have listened to the community and really redesigned a new generation of smart glasses,“ explained Li-Chen Miller, Meta vice president of product, smart glasses and AI, during an exclusive first look at the new product with WWD. Originally known as Ray-Ban Stories, the second generation has been renamed to Ray-Ban | Meta smart glasses to highlight the innovations in “smart” technology.
“From the ground up, every component across hardware and across software, we’ve listened to our customers about what they liked about the first generation and what kind of missed the target and what they would love to have,” Miller explained of the two-year redesign.
The new smart glasses are still available in the classic Wayfarer style — standard and large sizes — and the brand will introduce them in an all-new Headliner style. More frame colors are available than before, and customer can mix and match the frame and lens combination on the Ray-Ban remix platform, which has more than 150 variations. For the inner tech nerd, there is the introduction of a transparent frame option.
“These smart glasses are smart and we want to show it off,” Miller said of the variation that offers a glimpse of the technology packed inside. The processor has been upgraded and is now a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 Platform processor with 32GB of storage, capable of storing up to 500 photos and 100 30-second videos. Lens options include sun, polarized, clear, transitions and prescription.
“We have been very humbled by the community who have created millions of moments capturing their point of view living their lives,” Miller said of the users of the first generation of smart glasses. It was the feedback from the community that helped shape how both EssilorLuxottica — parent company of Ray-Ban — and Meta developed the new glasses.
“Knowing very well that this is a journey, an iterative process, we have been collecting feedback from Day One, explained EssilorLuxottica chief wearables officer Rocco Basilico.
Basilico said the original product taught them that the audio component made the single biggest difference in people’s daily lives. “Suddenly, they could make or take a call without having anything in their hands or their ears — it brought a natural quality back to conversations. It also offered a different point of view compared to using your mobile phone. Now you’re looking up, you’re less plugged in, it just feels more personal,” he said.
In developing the next version, Basilico said Ray Ban wanted to make sure “these instinctive elements were still a key focus for the wearer, while at the same time, implementing the latest technology.”
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“The biggest input we received was around the desire for livestreaming,” Basilico said. “We found that people were already using the frames to capture impactful moments. So, naturally the next progression was the ability to share these moments in real time while still being present.” The updated feature allows users to capture their lives in real time with new ultra-wide 12 MP camera and five-mic system capable of livestreaming to Facebook and Instagram with high-quality photos and 1080p videos.
“Implementing live streaming into the second generation was a must for the product to integrate seamlessly into daily life and we achieved that,” he said. “To complement, we also invested in a higher-quality camera and better microphone and speaker. Users will also notice the accompanying app is more intuitive than in the previous version.”
Another big leap forward was the introduction of Meta AI into the frame technology, which is a first. “Honestly, the AI piece was a dream of our own, not so much stemming from feedback. Thanks to Meta the tech and the timing was there, but we didn’t want to sacrifice form for additional function. After many months of hard work, the team managed to make it happen and now it is like having a personal assistant built into your glasses, one that gets smarter the more you use it, without sacrificing a moment,” Basilico said.
Meta’s Miller echoed, “it’s a really, really big deal for us. We hope our community will be excited, because it’s a huge technical feat.”
Charging capacity is enhanced with up to 32 hours of additional battery life per fully charged case with a new redesigned, sleek brown charging case that mimics the classic Ray-Ban case.
With the new generation, the price for a standard lens frame stays the same as the original model at $299. Polarized lenses start at $329, Transitions lenses start $379 and with prescription lenses prices vary. Preorders started on Wednesday and will be available for purchase in store on Oct. 17.
Ray-Ban has completely reimagined the way consumers discover the product with its in-store demo Basilico said, which aims to make it easy for people to “understand all the super technology packed into their favorite glasses and how they could see themselves using it.”
He continued, “at Meta’s Connect event yesterday, we were proud to have a moment with Mark [Zuckerberg] to shine a light on Ray-Ban I Meta and how far we’ve come in the journey,” adding that this fall customers will see the glasses make an appearance “during key cultural moments and perhaps on the faces of your favorite celebrities throughout the rest of the year.”
In the two years spent developing the second-generation product there have been some surprises, too ”EssilorLuxottica and Meta are two big companies with remarkable talent and resources. But even so, making hardware is challenging,” Basilico said.
“Making hardware that complements beautiful software and fits a crazy amount of technology neatly inside of it, now that’s complex. When you are building something that has never been built before, there are always surprises and speed bumps. Throughout the journey, you have to continue to be open and adaptative as technology is changing around you. For us, the key was having a shared vision — from the very top of our companies to the R&D teams to the employees working on the manufacturing floor, everyone understood the assignment and believed we could make it happen.”
Ray-Ban | Meta smart glasses collection will be available at meta.com, Ray-Ban stores, LensCrafters, Amazon, Best Buy and more. “Smart glasses are getting smarter,” Miller said.