Device hub · Smart glasses · Desk research

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2)

Gen 2 is the default camera/AI Ray-Ban: open-ear audio, Meta AI, 3K capture, up to 8 hours typical use plus a 48-hour case, from $379 (17 September 2025).

Disclosure: Affiliate programs are not enrolled yet. See Affiliate disclosure. This page is manufacturer desk research, not a hands-on test — see Methodology.

In short

Gen 2 is the default camera/AI Ray-Ban: open-ear audio, Meta AI, 3K capture, up to 8 hours typical use plus a 48-hour case, from $379 (17 September 2025). Buy it to look like glasses and capture/ask/listen. Skip it if you want a private in-lens display (that is Meta Ray-Ban Display) or a USB-C cinema screen (XREAL / VITURE).

Who it is for

  • Shoppers who want everyday Ray-Ban frames with Meta AI, open-ear audio, and a built-in camera — the camera/AI job, not a virtual monitor.
  • Gen 1 owners specifically shopping the battery and video hop (Meta: up to 8 h typical vs almost 2× Gen 1; 3K Ultra HD vs the prior pixel count).
  • People already in Instagram / Facebook / Meta AI who will use livestream and voice capture.

Who should skip it

  • Anyone who wants an in-lens display and Neural Band. That is Meta Ray-Ban Display ($799 including the band on 30 September 2025), a different SKU.
  • Anyone who wants a 50°+ USB-C cinema screen. XREAL One Pro and VITURE Luma Pro are AR display glasses, not Wayfarers.
  • Buyers who refuse a camera. Even G2 and Echo Frames are the camera-free forks on this site.
  • Shoppers who only need leftover Gen 1 at the $299 announce price Meta still listed on Gen 2 day.

Key differentiators

  • Current Meta camera/AI sell-in: 3K Ultra HD video, ultrawide HDR up to 60 fps, hyperlapse/slow-mo called out as a later-fall 2025 software add.
  • OEM battery table Meta actually published: up to 8 hours typical use; case +48 hours; 50% in 20 minutes. Help (en-gb) restates 8 h moderate use / 48 h case.
  • Three everyday styles (Wayfarer, Skyler, Headliner) plus seasonal colors on launch day — still glasses, not a headset.

Caveats

  • Every hour, 3K, and “2× pixels / 2× battery” line is a Meta claim. GadgetShowdown has not worn or lab-tested Gen 2.
  • Meta.com product and legal-disclosure pages returned errors from this research host; numbers here come from about.fb.com newsroom (2025-09-17) and Meta’s en-gb battery help article, accessed 2026-09-19. Re-pull live SKU pages on the next edit.
  • Conversation focus was “coming soon” on the newsroom post — do not treat it as a launch-day hardware row.
  • Manufacturer photography is not hosted. We do not have a redistribution license.

Glasses-category specs

Same rows on every glasses page (Meta, Oakley, Even, Amazon, XREAL, VITURE). Camera/AI pairs, everyday HUDs, and AR display glasses stay in one grid — missing cells stay asNone or Not published, not deleted rows.

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) — key specs
AttributeValueSource / note
Product familyCamera / AI / audio eyewearMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17Not an AR display / personal-monitor pair. Not Meta Ray-Ban Display.
Frame style(s) / SKUWayfarer; Skyler; Headliner (plus limited seasonal colors on launch day)Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Frame materialNot publishedCited Meta pages
WeightNot publishedCited Meta pages
Finishes / colorsLaunch post: popular style-and-color combinations plus three limited-time seasonal colors. Lock a SKU on ray-ban.com / meta.com before quoting a colorway.Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Display typeNone on the glasses — Meta’s Technology 101 page states Ray-Ban Meta does not include a built-in displayMeta AI Glasses Technology 101The in-lens display SKU is Meta Ray-Ban Display.
Display resolutionNone — no in-lens displayMeta Technology 101
Field of view (OEM)None — no in-lens displayMeta Technology 101
Peak brightness (OEM)None — no in-lens displayMeta Technology 101
Refresh rate (OEM)None — no in-lens displayMeta Technology 101
Virtual screen size (OEM)None — camera/AI glasses, not a USB-C cinema pairMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Tint / electrochromicNot publishedCited Meta pages
CameraBuilt-in camera. Launch newsroom (2025-09-17) markets 3K Ultra HD capture and does not restate still-photo megapixels. Later official buyer guide (2026-05-08): “crisp 12 megapixel photos and immersive 3K videos” on the $379 Ray-Ban Meta cardMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17; Meta buyer guide, 2026-05-08Cite both dates. Do not treat the 12 MP line as a 2025-09-17 launch-post row, and do not silently call it the Gen 1 sensor.
Video capture3K Ultra HD; ultrawide HDR; up to 60 fps; more than twice the pixels of the previous generation (Meta’s words)Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17Hyperlapse and slow motion were scheduled as a later-fall 2025 software add across Meta AI glasses.
Privacy / recording indicatorFR/ES Display newsroom posts: “comme pour les Ray-Ban Meta, la LED de capture indique … lorsque la caméra est activée” / “al igual que en los lentes Ray-Ban Meta, el LED de captura…”. Family capture-LED sentence — not a Gen 2 launch-newsroom spec row. English Gen 2 newsroom still omits the LED.Meta FR/ES Display newsroom, 2025-09
Audio / speakersOpen-ear speakers (Meta: music, calls, live translation, and the forthcoming conversation-focus feature)Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
MicrophonesNot republished as a mic count on the Gen 2 newsroom post (accessed 2026-09-19). Gen 1 newsroom (2023-09-27) listed a five-microphone array — do not silently back-port that count.Cited Meta pages
Chip / processorNot named on the Gen 2 newsroom post (accessed 2026-09-19). Gen 1.Cited Meta pages
Assistant / AIMeta AI (voice). Live translation expanded to German and Portuguese on announcement day; six-language packs with offline use after download were “soon.”Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Battery — glasses (OEM)Up to 8 hours typical use (English newsroom) / mixed use (DE “gemischter Nutzung”; LATAM “uso mixto”). Same 8-hour number, different adjective — cite both.Meta newsroom EN 2025-09-17; about.fb.com DE/LATAM Connect; LATAM Display postEnglish Gen 2 newsroom: “almost twice” Gen 1. LATAM Display engineering post: steelcan batteries also went into Gen 2 / HSTN, “aumentando su autonomía en más de 40 %.” Cite both hop lines; keep the 8-hour figure. Do not invent mAh.
Battery — case (OEM)Charging case provides an additional 48 hours on the go (newsroom); help restates up to 48 hours of chargingMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17; Meta help
Charging (OEM)Up to 50% in 20 minutes (newsroom). Case + USB-C compatibility is marketed on Meta store FAQ copy.Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Power sourceOnboard glasses battery + charging case (not USB-C DisplayPort powered)Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Water / dust resistanceNot restated on the Gen 2 newsroom post (accessed 2026-09-19). Gen 1 newsroom (2023-09-27) said IPX4 — do not silently copy it onto Gen 2 without a live spec row.Cited Meta pages
Prescription / diopterMeta store FAQ copy (en-IN Wayfarer Gen 2 page in research): prescription lenses −12.00 to +6.00 SPH+CYL on Meta.com for Ray-Ban Meta. Confirm the live configurator; that is not the Display −4.00 to +4.00 window.Meta store FAQ (research fetch); re-check on write day
IPD / fitNot publishedMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Controls / inputVoice (“Hey Meta”) plus on-frame capture / touch controls inherited from the Meta glasses family. Neural Band is Display-only.Meta newsroom; Technology 101
Connection to phone / PCCompanion phone / Meta AI glasses app (Bluetooth-class wearable). Not a USB-C DP monitor.Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Device compatibilityNot publishedCited Meta pages
Wireless (Bluetooth / Wi-Fi)Not publishedCited Meta pages
Sensors / trackingNo OEM 3DoF/6DoF cinema-tracking claim on Gen 2. These are camera/AI glasses, not XREAL X1 spatial monitors.Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
App / OSMeta AI on the glasses; Meta / Instagram / Facebook livestream and sharing as marketed since Gen 1Meta newsroom 2025-09-17; Gen 1 newsroom 2023-09-27
US MSRP (dated list)From $379 USD on 17 September 2025; Gen 1 remained from $299 the same dayMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17Street prices go stale. Date the quote.
Price bandCamera / AI mid ($300–$400 US launch)Derived from $379 start
Announced17 September 2025 (Connect); available that day in most existing Ray-Ban Meta countriesMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17
AvailabilityLaunch-day retail in most Ray-Ban Meta countries; Mexico and India “later this fall” 2025; Switzerland and the Netherlands added on the same post; Brazil “soon”Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) extras

Unique to this line or SKU. Other glasses keep the first table aligned and swap this extras list.

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) extras
AttributeValueSource / note
Live translationGerman and Portuguese added on announcement day; six-language back-and-forth, including airplane mode after downloading packs, was “soon”Meta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Conversation focusSoftware feature Meta said was coming soon to Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN — not a launch-day hardware extraMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Leftover Gen 1Meta still offered Gen 1 from $299 the day Gen 2 launchedMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17
Later Rx styles (2026)Buyer guide (2026-05-08): Blayzer Optics and Scriber Optics from $499 — later SKUs, not the $379 Wayfarer/Skyler/Headliner launch trio. Do not overwrite the launch stylesMeta newsroom buyer guide, 2026-05-08
Later capture modesHyperlapse and slow motion scheduled later fall 2025 across Meta AI glassesMeta newsroom, 2025-09-17

Overview

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) is Meta’s current camera / AI / audio Wayfarer-class pair. The 17 September 2025 newsroom post sells battery (up to 8 hours typical), 3K Ultra HD video, and Meta AI — not a virtual 150-inch screen. This hub’s public path is /glasses/ray-ban-meta-gen-2/.

Siblings on this site: Meta Ray-Ban Display (in-lens HUD + Neural Band), Oakley Meta HSTN (performance camera/AI), Echo Frames 3rd gen (Alexa, no camera), Even G2 (camera-free everyday HUD). USB-C cinema glasses live at XREAL One Pro and VITURE Luma Pro.

We do not claim we wore these glasses. Superlatives (“world’s best-selling AI glasses,” IDC footnote on the newsroom post) stay labeled as Meta claims.

Display (there isn’t one)

Technology 101 is explicit: Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta do not include a built-in display. Keep the display_* and virtual_screen keys and write None. That is the whole point of a shared glasses-v1 table.

Camera, video, and privacy

Meta’s Gen 2 post names 3K Ultra HD, ultrawide HDR, up to 60 fps, and “more than twice as many pixels” as the prior generation. It does not restate a still-photo megapixel count. The 8 May 2026 buyer guide later prints “crisp 12 megapixel photos and immersive 3K videos” on the $379 Ray-Ban Meta card. Cite both dates. Do not treat 12 MP as a 2025-09-17 launch-post row.

Capture-LED wording is now on FR/ES Display newsroom posts as a Ray-Ban Meta family sentence. The English Gen 2 newsroom still omits the LED.

Battery (OEM table only)

Mode (Meta’s words)Gen 2 claim
Typical use (newsroom)Up to 8 hours
Moderate usage (en-gb help)Up to 8 hours
CaseAdditional / up to 48 hours of charging
Fast chargeUp to 50% in 20 minutes

Do not invent a mAh figure. Do not blend these lines with a UK “36 / 56 hour combined” disclosure unless you cite that legal page.

Audio and Meta AI

Open-ear speakers are the audio product. Live translation added German and Portuguese on announcement day. Conversation focus (amplify the person you are facing) was coming soon for Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN — software, not a reason to write a hardware win.

Price and SKUs

US start $379 on 17 September 2025. Styles: Wayfarer, Skyler, Headliner. Lock the exact Remix color before you quote a street SKU. Leftover Gen 1 from $299 is a different hub waiting to be written — this page only notes that Meta still sold it.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Are these the same as Meta Ray-Ban Display?

No. Gen 2 has no in-lens display. Display is a separate $799 US SKU (30 September 2025) that includes Meta Neural Band and a 600×600 monocular waveguide. See /glasses/meta-ray-ban-display/.

Are these the same as XREAL or VITURE glasses?

No. Those are USB-C AR display glasses (personal monitors). Gen 2 is camera/AI eyewear. Do not score FoV or virtual-inch rows against them.

What did Meta actually claim for battery?

Newsroom: up to eight hours typical use, almost twice Gen 1; 50% in 20 minutes; case an additional 48 hours. Help (en-gb): Gen 2 up to 8 hours moderate usage; case up to 48 hours. Quote those lines. Do not invent mAh or blend them with a UK legal combined-hours footnote unless you open that legal page.

Is $379 a street price?

No. $379 is Meta’s published US starting price on 17 September 2025. Gen 1 remained from $299 that day. Re-check meta.com / ray-ban.com on the day you quote a number.

Official product page: Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2). Specs: Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) specs.