• Functional hands-free usage
• Impressive sound quality
• Adequate camera, but not spectacular
• AI functionality needs improvement, but is a positive

Meta’s latest Ray-Ban smart glasses feature impressive AI features, camera and sound functionality in the form factor of everyday sunglasses. The glasses contain many hands-free features that many users will appreciate. Unlike XR headsets, they can be worn throughout the day while performing a wide variety of tasks. However, the glasses are phone-dependent and share compute with a connected phone, which is limiting, but also important for medium-term mass market appeal as this format is currently more user-friendly.

Image Source: Counterpoint Research

The Good:
The sound quality on the glasses was much better than expected. It was a major worry that everyone around you would be able to hear what the glasses were saying or what music you are listening to. However, I was able to listen to songs in a car with a group of people and nobody else was able to hear what I was listening to. The sound quality was impressive enough that I occasionally forgot that I did not have earbuds on. It was also relatively easy to hear people talking to you while listening to music with the glasses.

Needed Improvements:
The camera is functional and took good pictures of stationary objects, but it is only 12MP, so it is by no means elite and objects in motion blurred easily. The camera took some getting used to. If I stared directly at something, the subject would always be to the left of the frame and not centered. It is unclear if this was due to camera positioning within the glasses or how the glasses were aligned on my face. This was something I was unable to get used to in my time using the glasses. Overall, the camera was not terrible, but there is room to grow in this department.

Photo taken with Meta Ray-Bans where the subject is oriented slightly to the left of intended position.
Image Source: Counterpoint Research

The AI assistant within the glasses was able to correctly answer many questions that were posed for it. It was able to correctly identify different species of plants and provide certain historical facts. This is also a great form factor for quick hands-free searches for restaurant hours while driving, allowing the user to keep attention on the road. The “Hey Meta” command is very intuitive and effective. However, to get the glasses to use camera to check surroundings and answer questions regarding plant species, the command, “Hey Meta, look” is required. This took a while to get used to, as asking a question like, “Hey Meta, what plant species is this” was the more intuitive way of asking that question. That way the glasses would not use a visual response. The connectivity of the glasses was an issue, especially in more remote areas. At one point I asked the glasses, “Hey Meta, could you tell me the score of the Colorado St. football game?” It notified me that my phone needed to be connected to the internet, so I ended up using my phone, which was in fact connected to the internet, to check the score.
Some people noticed the cameras on the glasses and were a bit concerned over privacy and what data was being collected with the glasses, so that will be a hurdle to clear for many users. The other main pain point I had with the glasses was battery life. The battery ran out in about three hours when listening to music/audio, and it gave me a 15% warning. Within five minutes of the 15% warning the glasses were completely dead. Without listening to audio, the battery lasts much longer, but most users will be using the full functionality of the device, in which case, the battery life is a bit underwhelming.

Final Takeaways:
All things considered, these glasses have several positives, particularly regarding audio and practicality. With future improvements to battery, connectivity, and durability, these glasses could become a popular product among early tech adopters. There is also the possibility that these glasses become popular among the elderly or visually impaired, as they have better functionality than many options available for these groups and often come at a cheaper price as well.