Karissa Bell gave Ray-Ban Meta Audio, the $349 camera-free pair that went on sale today, 8.5 out of 10 in her review for Engadget. Her Clubmaster pair weighs 47 grams, only 2 grams less than the Ray-Ban Meta Optics frames, but it puts less pressure on the nose and fit her well out of the box. Meta rates the battery at 12 hours of mixed use, and Bell still had close to half left after five hours of streaming and an hour-long call. The people she called said she sounded clearer than she did on her second-gen AirPods Pro.
Amanda Caswell spent three days in a Burbank pair for Tom's Guide, at her son's soccer game, at the trampoline park and behind the wheel, and kept her phone put away far more than usual. With no camera, she was comfortable wearing them while driving and around other parents' kids. The only thing she missed was the AI that needs one, like reading a sign or a menu in another language. Bell's main gripe is the action button: it can only play music or wake Meta AI, so it can't answer or mute a call. Meta also still stores voice recordings from the glasses, and US owners can no longer opt out.