Meta makes some of the best smart glasses we’ve tested at CNET, and now it’s launching several new frame styles. They include support for prescription lenses and aim to make the glasses more viable as an all-day device that won’t look out of place with your day-to-day wear.
At the same time, Meta is also rolling out features that let its smart glasses analyze what you’re looking at to estimate calories, summarize messages from apps like WhatsApp, and provide contextual assistance through its built-in AI.
Here’s what’s new.
New styles with ‘prescription optimized’ glasses
2025 Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 glasses versus the 2023 model that I wear, both matte black Wayfarer. Can you even tell the difference, except for the prescription lenses?
Meta is introducing two new frame styles with the Ray-Ban Meta Optics Styles. There’s a rectangular Blayzer Optics frame available in standard and large sizes, and a rounder Sriber Optics frame with a lighter, slimmer form.
Color options include matte black, transparent matte ice gray and transparent stone beige. There’s also a dark brown charging carrying case for the new line.
The new models come with a new brown charging and carrying case
The new prescription glasses are available for preorder in the US starting at $499, with availability starting April 14.
The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 and Oakley Meta lines are also getting an extensive lens expansion, with new combinations of colors and lenses. These include Prizm Dark Golf lenses, which provide better vibrance, contrast and color boosting on the golf course and Prizm Transitions, which adapt to outdoor light.
Meta AI wants to analyze your camera feed and count calories
The second-gen (or third-gen if you count Stories) Meta Ray-Ban glasses get a big battery boost that’s changed how I wear them.
The biggest software features update comes with Meta AI’s growing ability to analyze the camera feed from the glasses. You can now log meals by simply looking at food or snapping a quick photo, with the system estimating nutritional information and tracking intake over time. (You may want to double-check the AI feature is getting things right, though. AI tools have been known to hallucinate, or confidently make up information.)
As part of its Early Access Program, Meta is also expanding messaging features. Its glasses can now summarize incoming messages, including from WhatsApp, and allow you to respond via voice by asking “Hey Meta, catch me up on my messages,” which generates a concise group chat summary. You can also ask for specific details from the group chat, like “What did Jamie suggest for dinner?” in case you want to pick out specific information from the conversation.
According to Meta, the voice interactions are processed on-device and are end-to-end encrypted. The feature will be available to early access users on Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta and Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses.
New Meta Ray-Ban Display features
Scott Stein got to use the Meta Neural Band to control the smart glasses.
One of the biggest new capabilities includes the addition of features for the Ray-Ban Display. There’s now support for Instagram Reels on the glasses, as well as a personalized Spotify shortcut below the media player for faster access to recently played tracks and playlists.
Meta has added two new games — the puzzle game 2048 and the platformer GOAT — which are playable on the display and controlled with the Meta Neural Band.
There are also new glanceable widgets for Reminders, Weather, Stocks and Calendar on the home screen, as well as a new Calendar app that integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook to privately view and manage scheduling.
The Neural handwriting feature lets you write a message on any surface and works with a number of apps.
Perhaps most interesting is Neural Handwriting, which should roll out in the coming weeks. The feature allows you to write on any surface to reply to messages silently. It’ll work on Meta’s messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger, as well as on iMessage and native Android messaging.
In the spring, Meta also expects to roll out dual video recording, which lets you record both display and point-of-view video simultaneously. The file combines both the video and audio into a single video that can be shared directly with friends and followers.
For the globtrotters, Meta also has something for them in this update. The Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses will be available in more international markets (Japan, Korea, Singapore, Chile, Colombia and Peru) and will feature live translation for 20 languages, including Mandarin, Korean, Japanese and Arabic.
Meta representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional comment on the capabilities.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
