Meta announced its first camera-free AI glasses, named Ray-Ban Meta Audio, at the Connect 2026 conference on Wednesday. Designed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the audio-only device costs $349, weighs 43 grams, and offers features like music playback, calls, speech translation, and interaction with Meta's Muse AI assistant. The new model aims to address privacy concerns and reputational damage associated with video-recording smart glasses.
The glasses offer a slim design without cameras, featuring adjustable temple tips, swappable nose pads, and up to 12 hours of battery life, extending to 48 hours with the charging case. Available in 23 color and lens combinations across Clubmaster and Burbank styles, the device will be open for preorder on October 13. Meta also introduced next-generation camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses alongside expanded styles, global rollouts, and a new partnership with singer Lisa.
This release matters because it introduces a camera-free smart glasses category to mitigate privacy concerns while expanding Meta's wearable AI hardware ecosystem with the Muse assistant.