Meta has unveiled its first line of smart glasses under its own brand, marking a significant expansion of its artificial intelligence hardware strategy as competition intensifies in the wearable technology market. The new Meta Glasses, developed in partnership with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, are priced from $299, making them the company's most affordable AI-powered eyewear to date.
Unlike Meta's previous wearable products that carried Ray-Ban or Oakley branding, the latest range is sold solely under the Meta name. The move signals the company's confidence that its AI ecosystem has become a strong enough consumer proposition without relying on established eyewear brands, while also allowing it to reduce the entry price for buyers.
The new collection includes three frame styles, Adventurer, Fury and Starfire, with the latter co-designed by Kylie Jenner. Buyers can choose from multiple frame colours, lens options and prescription configurations, giving the lineup broader consumer appeal than earlier generations.
Despite the lower price, the glasses retain many of the capabilities found in Meta's premium wearable products. They feature an integrated camera, open-ear speakers, microphones and hands-free access to Meta AI. Users can capture photos and videos, listen to music, make calls, receive translations and interact with the AI assistant using voice commands without taking out a smartphone.
The latest generation is powered by Meta's Muse Spark large language model, enabling more natural conversations and improved contextual understanding. Meta says the upgraded AI can better interpret what users are looking at and deliver more relevant responses, moving the glasses beyond simple voice commands toward more intelligent real-time assistance.
Meta has also redesigned the hardware with comfort in mind. Adjustable nose pads, flexible temple arms and lighter materials are intended to encourage longer daily use, while maintaining a conventional eyewear appearance rather than emphasising the technology inside.
The launch comes at a time when competition in AI wearables is accelerating. Snap recently introduced its consumer Specs glasses, while Google continues working with eyewear partners on Gemini-powered smart glasses. Apple is also widely expected to enter the category in the coming years, making wearable AI one of the technology industry's fastest-growing battlegrounds.
Meta currently holds the largest share of the smart glasses market through its partnership with EssilorLuxottica. By lowering prices and introducing its own branding, the company appears to be targeting mainstream consumers rather than early technology adopters, broadening the market for AI-powered wearables.
The launch also reflects Meta's broader ambition to position AI as an everyday consumer experience rather than a workplace productivity tool. As generative AI becomes increasingly integrated into hardware, devices such as smart glasses are expected to become a primary interface for interacting with AI throughout the day.
For marketers and technology companies, the announcement highlights how AI is expanding beyond software into consumer devices. Wearables capable of understanding visual context, translating languages, capturing content and providing real-time assistance could reshape how consumers discover information, interact with brands and engage with digital services.
As competition in AI hardware intensifies, Meta's latest launch demonstrates that the next phase of generative AI may be defined not only by increasingly capable models but also by the devices through which consumers access them. Affordable smart glasses are emerging as one of the company's biggest bets in bringing AI into everyday life.