Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses Launch at $799, Hailed as Superior to 90s Wearables

Ryan Lackey, a notable figure in the tech industry, has enthusiastically endorsed Meta's latest innovation, the Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses. Unveiled at Meta's recent Connect developer conference, these glasses are priced at $799 and represent a significant advancement in wearable technology, featuring a built-in display for the first time in Meta's consumer lineup.

"Wow, the new meta AI glasses look awesome. Easily worth $800 on the good chance they're useful," Ryan Lackey stated in a recent tweet. He further added, "Actually superior to the MIT Media Lab wearables stuff from the late 1990s, FINALLY."

The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses integrate a full-color monocular display within the right lens, offering a 600x600 pixel resolution and a 20-degree field of view. This display enables users to receive text messages, engage in video calls, follow turn-by-turn directions, and view visual results from Meta's integrated AI service. The device also features a 12-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video recording, a five-microphone array, and dual off-ear speakers, all powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset.

Central to the glasses' functionality is the embedded Meta AI, activated by the voice prompt "Hey Meta." This AI assistant supports hands-free tasks such as music identification, live translation, and contextual queries based on the user's surroundings. The glasses are designed for approximately six hours of active use per charge, with their accompanying charging case providing an additional 30 hours, or roughly four full recharges.

This new generation of smart glasses distinctly surpasses earlier wearable computing concepts, such as those explored by the MIT Media Lab in the late 1990s. Those pioneering efforts often involved bulky, experimental prototypes with limited practical application, primarily serving as academic proofs-of-concept. Meta's sleek, Ray-Ban branded offering, with its advanced AI and integrated display, signals a mature step towards making augmented reality accessible and integrated into daily life.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the new glasses as "the first serious product" in the smart glasses space, aiming to bridge the gap between previous audio-only models and more experimental augmented reality devices. With pre-orders beginning immediately and a U.S. launch slated for September 30, followed by international availability in early 2026, Meta is positioning these glasses to redefine consumer expectations for wearable technology.