Meta Platforms introduced its first consumer-ready Ray-Ban Display Smart Glasses at the annual Meta Connect event, marking a major step in its augmented reality and AI ambitions.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the stylish eyewear, which features a built-in digital display in the right lens for real-time notifications, texts, and calls, alongside a new wristband controller that converts hand gestures into commands.
Priced at $799 and available starting September 30, the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses aim to blend advanced AI features with everyday convenience. “Glasses are the ideal form factor for personal superintelligence,” Mark Zuckerberg said.
The new smart glasses expand Meta’s popular Ray-Ban line, which now also includes an upgraded $379 model with almost double the battery life and an improved camera. Analysts see the Display glasses as an important step toward Meta’s highly anticipated “Orion” AR glasses slated for 2027, though mass-market adoption may take time as the software ecosystem matures.
In addition to the Display launch, Meta introduced Oakley Vanguard sports glasses, priced at $499, featuring nine hours of battery life and seamless integration with Garmin and Strava fitness platforms.
Meta’s push into smart eyewear comes as global shipments of AR/VR headsets and smart glasses are forecast to rise 39.2 percent in 2025, reaching 14.3 million units, with Meta emerging as the undisputed leader, IDC reports. Smart glasses alone will skyrocket 247.5 percent year-over-year, driven largely by Meta’s aggressive product launches and its popular Ray-Ban line.
Meta captured a commanding 60.6 percent share of the combined AR/VR + smart glasses market in Q2 2025, far outpacing all competitors. Its lightweight Ray-Ban smart glasses and leadership in Mixed Reality (MR) give Meta a dual advantage, positioning the company to define the next generation of true Augmented Reality (AR) eyewear, Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.
Rivals such as Xiaomi (7.7 percent share), XREAL (4.1 percent), RayNeo (2.7 percent), and Huawei (2.6 percent) trail significantly, with Xiaomi’s strength concentrated in China. As global demand accelerates, Meta’s innovation and market dominance make it the key player shaping the future of AR/VR and AI-powered smart glasses.
Despite demo glitches during the event, industry experts say the Ray-Ban Display offers “great value for the tech,” positioning Meta as a key player in the rapidly evolving augmented reality and AI wearables market.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
