Let me get this out of the way Im a huge fan of wearable tech.
Owing to this, smart glasses have always intrigued me.
So naturally, when I got to review the Ray-Beta Meta Smart Glasses, I was thrilled.
You see, I love capturing moments with my smartphone regularly.
Whenever Im out and about, I pull out my smartphone to snap a shot or two.
This is exactly why the Ray-Ban Meta glasses intrigued me so much.
So much so that I dont wanna take em off!
Looks Like Any Other Pair of Sunglasses
Smart glasses with camerasarent new.
In fact, theGoogle Glass, I mentioned earlier was first introduced a decade ago.
However, the biggest issue with it (apart from the exorbitant price tag) is how it looked.
Anyone with a pair of Google Glass looked like a walking cyborg.
Soon after though, the Google Glass was scrapped.
Thereafter, several brands have tried their hand at making smart glasses.
Snapchat made a few attempts with itsSnapchat Spectaclesproject but none of them took off.
In fact, a couple of years back, Meta partnered with Ray-Ban to launch theRay-Ban Stories.
While it nailed the design aspect, the camera quality was average and did not justify the price tag.
Fast forward to a few years later, and the two companies have partnered yet again.
This time, the result is the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
I have the Wayfarer variant with its ageless look.
At first glance, the glasses look just like any other typical pair of shades.
Given the added thickness, the glasses are also heavier than usual.
With extended use, your ears may feel slightly weighed down by the glasses.
However, this is something I got used to in about two days.
The people around me also happened to notice that the glasses were larger than usual.
This could be attributed to the fact that I have the XL variant of the frames.
Ray-Ban also sells a Large version which is slightly smaller and should fit most people.
There are a few colors in which the Ray-Ban Meta glasses are available.
While I have the matte black version, I like the Blue Jeans variant with its translucent sides.
Both sides of the stem have the Ray-Ban branding giving the glasses a premium look.
However, I live in India where the product hasnt launched yet.
So, I headed to a local optician and got custom lenses made.
Since the frame uses a standard shape and size, I had no issues getting custom lenses.
Moreover, the existing lenses simply snap out, and replacement ones snap into place.
There are no screws or complex mechanisms.
Kudos to Ray-Ban for this design since it makes it easy for anyone to swap the lenses.
A single click captures a photo by default.
Pressing and holding the button starts recording a video.
Additionally, the right stem also has a touch-sensitive pad for gestures.
you could perform various taps on this section to trigger various functions.
All of them are extremely responsive and I havent had them fail on me even once.
Moreover, the gestures feel natural and not forced.
The placement of the button is also where your fingers naturally go so theres no learning curve at all.
Both Meta and Ray-Ban have nailed the controls on the glasses.
Hidden in Plain Sight
Looking at the glasses from the front wont immediately reveal the camera.
The left end of the glasses has a tiny camera sensor with a symmetric dummy on the right.
The cavity on the right is essentially an LED that turns on every time you capture a photo.
When recording a video, the light pulsates throughout the duration of the recording.
This is an excellent feature that protects the opposite partys privacy.
In broad daylight though, one may find it hard to view the LED especially from a distance.
If you have a go at cover up the light, the camera wont capture a picture or video.
Theres also a physical kill switch that turns off the camera entirely.
These small inclusions make me believe Meta has put in thought when designing these glasses.
Additionally, theres also a notification LED on the inside of the glasses that turns on whenever youre recording.
So, they better be good, right?
Well, theres some good news and some bad news.
Lets start with the good one.
Daylight
In broad daylight, the Ray-Ban Metas 12MP shooter captures excellent colors and dynamic range.
For a camera sensor this tiny, I must say Im impressed with what Meta has done.
Even when recording videos, I noticed the stabilization to be top-notch.
The footage captured by the glasses seemed more than usable with little to no micro jitters.
Moreover, the audio picked up by the five different mics onboard is also impressive.
It fairs well in broad daylight but suffers when theres no natural light.
Once the Sun sets, the Ray-Ban Metas photos and videos start getting noisy and grainy.
When recording videos, the stabilization also takes a hit resulting in a lot of jitters when walking.
If there are a lot of bright artificial light sources, things get a bit better.
This can be attributed to the small sensor size and narrow aperture.
For those wondering, the Ray-Ban Meta shoots vertical videos that are best suited for short video platforms.
Also, the IPX4 rating means you’re able to snap away even when its raining outside.
you’re able to trigger the AI by saying Hey Meta followed by a command or query.
But boy was I wrong.
The most frequent use case for me is to call someone or send a message.
I dont have to lift my hand and speak into my watch.
I can go about my work and get Meta AI on the glasses to work without moving a muscle.
I was at the grocery store when my friend Supreeth asked me to pick up some cookies.
I also asked him which ones he wanted.
The glasses clicked what I was seeing and quickly sent it to Supreeth.
Supreeth then responded with the cookies he wanted which the glasses read out to me.
How cool is that!
The speakers are also quite nice and rest right above your ears.
However, there is some amount of sound leakage as expected.
Im all about making my life simpler using technology.
And this level of seamless integration is what I absolutely love and appreciate.
Once downloaded, the app facilitates the pairing of the glasses with your phone via Bluetooth.
One can even live stream to Instagram directly via the Ray-Ban Meta which is a cool feature.
Its worth noting that the glasses need not be connected to your smartphone to get to capture photos/videos.
The import process is smooth and quick.
AI Editing
All the AI isnt restricted to the voice assistant.
Theres no manual editing involved so you dont have to put in any effort.
Stylish Carrying Case
A handsome pair of glasses deserves to be carried in a premium-looking case.
And Ray-Ban doesnt disappoint in this regard.
Yes, the carrying case also happens to be the charger for the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Meta claims the glasses can last for about 4 hours worth of camera usage.
While I didnt test that claim directly, I tried something else.
Can the glasses be worn for an entire day?
Can I wear them till go to bed without draining the battery?
Turns out, I can!
Now there are a few caveats though.
I wake up, put on my glasses, and start going about my day.
The fact of the matter is I can live with this battery life.
The charging case can juice up the glasses 7-8 times so Im pretty much covered for an entire week.
The last-gen Ray-Ban Stories were mediocre at best which meant they werent for most people.
However, Im confident recommending the Ray-Ban Meta to pretty much anyone involved in the social media frenzy.
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