iDevice review
Ray-Ban Meta Audio review: smart glasses without the camera, and better for it
Normal-looking frames with good open-ear sound, Meta AI and long battery life, as long as you don't mind a little sound leak.
Thumbs up
- Look like normal Ray-Bans
- No camera on your face
- Up to 12 hours on a charge
- Clear calls on the street
- Prescriptions from -12 to +6
Thumbs down
- Sound leaks in quiet rooms
- Tinny highs at high volume
- Lighter Muse Spark AI model
- Translation limited to six languages
Put on the Ray-Ban Meta Audio and nobody looks twice. There's no camera on the front, so there's no little lens and no awkward question about whether you're recording. They just look and feel like normal Ray-Bans, which is the whole appeal.
What you get instead is sound and an assistant. Say "Hey Meta" and you can ask questions, set reminders and send messages without opening an app. Music plays through open-ear speakers, so you still hear traffic and the person next to you.
Wearing them
Meta says they weigh 43 grams (1.5 oz), and they're light and comfortable for a full day. You get two frames, the Clubmaster and the Burbank, in 23 color and lens combinations, including Transitions lenses that make them practical indoors and out. The nose pads stay in place. Prescriptions run from -12 to +6, wide enough for most people to wear these as their everyday glasses.
Sound
For smart glasses, these sound quite good in the right setting. Music and podcasts have more body than you'd expect from speakers this small. Push the volume up, though, and the highs get tinny and the bass can distort. Sound leaks too. People near you in a quiet room may hear your music, the AI's answers and your calls.
Calls
Call quality is a pleasant surprise. On a fairly quiet street, your voice comes through clear, helped by six built-in microphones. The button on the frame won't answer a call, though, so plan on picking up from your phone. For Meta AI, the mics only listen after you say "Hey Meta" or press the action button.
Meta AI
The assistant is useful for quick questions, reminders and messages. It ships with Meta's lighter Muse Spark model, so don't expect deep answers. Live translation works in six languages without Wi-Fi.
Battery
Meta rates them at up to 12 hours, and with light use that covers a long workday without the case. The case adds up to 48 more hours. They're IPX4, so rain and sweat are fine. You'll need an iPhone on iOS 18.4 or later or an Android phone with the Meta AI app.