If there's one consistent rule in consumer tech, it's that the second generation of a new product category is always much better than the first, with some improvements so obvious that they make you wonder how you put up with the gen-one version in the first place. The second iPhone offered much faster network connectivity and GPS when the first one had neither; and the second Galaxy Fold made the original look like a fragile toy upon release.

The same is true for Meta's camera glasses made in collaboration with Ray-Ban. This new pair, named "Ray-Ban Meta," are vastly improved over the first version (named Ray-Ban Stories). The cameras are much better, battery life is longer, and it addresses one of the ethical concerns many reviewers had with the original pair.

Just like the DJI Pocket 3, I think the Ray-Ban Metas are very useful for content creators who often film footage on-the-go, and these glasses will remain in my rotation of gadgets I must bring when I go on work trips.

About this review: This review was written after testing a self-purchased pair of Ray-Ban Metas. Obviously, neither Meta nor Ray-Ban had any input in this article.

Ray-Ban Meta: Price and Availability

The Ray-Ban Meta are priced at $299 and are available for purchase in the U.S. on Amazon, Best Buy, as well as via Ray-Ban or LensCrafters' physical store or website. The glasses come in two styles (the classic "Wayfarer" and a more curvy "Headliner") and dozens of lens and color variations, totaling to 150 different styles in all. They come in two sizes.

Hardware and design

The Ray-Ban Meta mostly look like a normal pair of Ray-Ban glasses. The entire frame is slightly thicker than usual, but the extra bulk is mostly in the arms. The actual front-facing part looks normal enough that most people would not know they house a 12MP camera that can shoot photos at 3024 x 4032 resolution, and 1080p videos at 30fps. The camera is the major upgrade: the original pair houses just a measly 5MP camera that capture much lower res images and videos.

The camera is located on the left side of the frame (above photo), small enough that people really wouldn't notice it unless they are within inches from your face. On the right side in the same position is an LED indicator light, which lights up whenever the cameras are being used. The light is brighter and bigger than in the first generation glasses, which addresses one of the concerns many people had — that these glasses could be misused for filming people without their consent. A bigger LED light that will flicker on and off when it's recording video almost attracts attention, which is a good preventive measure against filming unsuspecting people. Ray-Ban and Meta also added a proximity sensor around the LED light, which prevents the camera from being used if the light is covered.

The glasses come in two styles. I got the classic Wayfarer style, in matte black, with a polarized lens that is usually clear but darkens under sunlight. Weighing about 50g (1.76oz), they fit comfortably on my face.

Hidden in the frame are five microphones which do a tremendous job of recognizing my voice, even in noisy environments with music playing. The glasses have two speakers, one at the bottom on each arm, located so they sit over the wearer's ears. Audio quality is good for voices (whether it's a podcast, phone call or the AI assistant), but for music, the audio sounds flat, lacking in bass. There's also 32GB of built-in storage.

Construction of the hinge feels solid, about on par with Ray-Ban glasses, although the arms do not have as much give as other smart glasses I've tried like the XReal Air, meaning, I feel like I can snap the arms if I pull them too much in the opposite direction.

The glasses come in a faux-leather carrying pouch that also charges the glasses. The charging is done via magnetic pogo pins at the base of the frame that connects a slot inside the case. The case itself has a USB-C port at the bottom. The pouch is more compact than the case that came with the last generation glasses, but also a bit softer, so I feel like there's less protection. It's still a bit stiff, so there's some protection, but I think if I were to accidentally sit on the pouch, I'm not sure the glasses would survive.

Software and performance

To use these glasses you must download Meta's app, Meta View. The glasses will not even begin to operate out of the box until you have installed the app (available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store) and started the pairing process. You also must have a Facebook or Instagram account to use the glasses. Normally, I would scoff at hardware product requiring an online account to use the product, but considering how ubiquitous Facebook and Instagram are, this requirement doesn't seem too big a ask. You also must use the account to transfer images and videos snapped by the glasses to the phone.

The good news is the Meta View app works much better than the first generation app. Connecting is usually seamless: if I put on the glasses and a phone that had already been paired is near, it will connect automatically.

Every time I put on the glasses, they turn on automatically, and I'm given a voice prompt on the glasses' battery level. Once connected, the glasses can act as wireless earbuds, playing the phone's audio from the glasses' speakers. As mentioned, the audio quality is perfectly fine for podcasts and calls, but for music the audio feels flat.

But most people aren't buying these for audio, they're buying them for the camera, and it's good. The photos and videos snapped by the frames obviously aren't smartphone quality, but they're better than most small body/head-worn cameras. You can capture content by pressing a button on the Meta's arm or using a voice commad "Hey Meta, take a photo."

Images have solid dynamic range and HDR, though they only shoot at a vertical aspect ratio. and videos are surprisingly stable considering they're worn on a face which tend to have a lot of movement during walks.

The Ray-Ban Meta also has its own AI voice assistant (meaning it does not use Siri or Google Assistant from your phone). This Meta AI assistant is designed more like ChatGPT in that it can answer more complicated queries like "what do I need to bake a cake," and it'll respond with a list of ingredients.

While the AI is surprisingly responsive — even on a crowded street, the glasses can pick up my "Hey Meta" command — I'm not sure I need to have complicated conversation with an AI chatbot in purely voice form? I see the use of this on a phone, where I can ask a deeper question and get complicated answers I can read. But when it's spoken to me, at a time when I'm usually outside the house, it's hard to remember everything. For the most part, I use the assistant mostly to do basic currency conversion and check the time across the world (because I work with people across the globe).

Because Meta owns Facebook and WhatsApp, the Ray-Ban Meta also plays nice with both chat apps: if I receive an incoming WhatsApp message, the AI assistant can read the message to me, which is genuinely helpful, particularly when the response is just a few words.

Battery life is also quite good. If I'm just listening to music, 90 minutes of playtime only drains about 20%. Since video recording is limited to one minute maximum per clip, it's hard for me to gauge how battery life lasts if I'm filming continously. But I can over a two-hour period outside where I filmed 17 clips, and streamed music for about 30 minutes, the glasses drained about 50% battery in two hours. Still, the charging case adds roughly 30-hours of usage time, and anytime the glasses aren't being worn, they're being charged in the case, so I never actually had battery life concern.

Should you get the Ray-Ban Meta?

You should get the Ray-Ban Meta if:

• You would like a pair of hands-free camera to document daily life
• You want a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses and wouldn't mind getting some smart features for just a bit more money
• You want a hands-free device to do casual voice assistant queries

You should not get the Ray-Ban Meta if:

• You see no point in having a hands-free camera
• You already own the original pair of Ray-Ban Stories are happy with the camera quality

The Ray-Ban Meta has clear appeal to someone like me, who travels often, loves to document daily life activities on social media, and actually create videos as part of my job. Video quality from the Meta are solid enough that I have used some of its clips as b-roll footage in my videos, usually when I need to film something that shows both my hands (like when I'm taking side-by-side photo samples).

I also think the glasses are priced close enough to "normal" Ray-Ban glasses that even those who are seeking to buy a pair of Ray-Bans could perhaps justify paying a bit more just for the extra smart features. Even if they don't use the camera, these glasses could play music, take phone calls, and announce incoming WhatsApp messages (which major chunks of the world outside the U.S. use).

Honestly, there are only two groups of people I can see who could scoff at the Ray-Ban Meta: people who think the $299 price is absurd, or those who dislike the current trend of people constantly filming videos for social media. Other than those two groups, these glasses hit every mark it needs to hit. Of course I wish the cameras would be even better, but that would likely add bulk and weight, which would not be ideal. The best part about the Ray-Ban Meta is they are not particularly heavy, bulky, or outlandish looking, so they're the rare smart glasses that could actually be worn all the time in everyday life.