Ray-Ban Meta (gen 1): full specs for the $299-$399 camera smart glasses
Complete spec sheet for the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses: 12MP camera, Snapdragon AR1, 5-mic array, Meta AI voice assistant, 32GB storage, IPX4, $299-$399.
The Ray-Ban Meta (sometimes called "Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses" or informally "Meta Gen 1") is the camera-and-AI smart glasses line that launched in October 2023 as the successor to the 2021 Ray-Ban Stories. There is no display in the lens. The product is built around a 12-megapixel camera, open-ear audio, and Meta's voice-first AI assistant.
This spec sheet covers the original Ray-Ban Meta frame, not the Meta Ray-Ban Display (which launched in September 2025 with a $799 price tag and a built-in lens screen). For a deep-dive on the Display version, see the Meta Ray-Ban Display spec sheet.
What chip and storage does it use?
- Chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 — Confirmed, Meta spec page
- RAM: 2 GB — Confirmed
- Storage: 32 GB — Confirmed, of which roughly 24 GB is user-accessible
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 — Confirmed
- Water resistance: IPX4 (splash-resistant) — Confirmed
The Snapdragon AR1 is the same chip used in the more expensive Meta Ray-Ban Display. The main difference between the two products is the display hardware, not the compute platform.
What about the camera?
- Sensor: 12 MP — Confirmed
- Photo resolution: 3024 × 4032 pixels — Confirmed
- Video resolution: 1080p at 30 fps — Confirmed
- Video length cap: 60 seconds per clip (older firmware) / up to 3 minutes (firmware 14+ released 2024) — Confirmed
- Zoom: 1x digital only (no optical zoom, no enhanced digital zoom) — Confirmed
- LED capture indicator: Yes, hard-wired — Confirmed
- Photo format: JPEG — Confirmed
- Video format: MP4 (H.264) — Confirmed
The 12 MP camera produces images that are competitive with mid-range phones in good light. In low light, the small sensor and fixed-focus lens show their limits.
How is audio handled?
- Speakers: Open-ear directional, one per arm — Confirmed
- Microphones: 5-mic array — Confirmed
- Audio for calls: Yes, full duplex — Confirmed
- Audio for music: Yes, mono mix down to two open-ear speakers — Confirmed
- Audio for Meta AI: Yes, far-field pickup designed for voice assistant — Confirmed
The 5-mic array is the difference between the original Ray-Ban Stories (which had 3 mics) and Ray-Ban Meta. Meta says the extra mics let the glasses pick up the command "Hey Meta" from across a noisy room.
How long does the battery last?
- Glasses battery life: 4 hours of mixed use — Confirmed
- Charging case capacity: 32 additional hours — Confirmed
- Charging case input: USB-C — Confirmed
- Charge time (glasses): 75 minutes from empty — Confirmed
- Charge time (case): 2 hours — Confirmed
Four hours is shorter than the Meta Ray-Ban Display's 6 hours, primarily because Ray-Ban Meta lacks the Display's always-on HUD power management. The charging case design is the same across both product lines.
How heavy are they?
The Ray-Ban Meta is sold in three frame styles — Wayfarer, Headliner, and the newer Skyler — and in standard and large sizes. The weights vary by frame.
- Wayfarer (standard): 48-50 g — Confirmed per Meta spec page
- Wayfarer (large): 51-53 g — Confirmed
- Headliner: 47-49 g — Confirmed
- Skyler: 44-46 g — Confirmed
For comparison, a standard pair of legacy Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses weighs about 32 grams. The Meta version adds 15-18 grams for the cameras, mics, speakers, and battery.
How much do they cost?
- Wayfarer (standard): $299 — Confirmed
- Wayfarer (large): $319 — Confirmed
- Headliner: $299 — Confirmed
- Skyler: $329 — Confirmed
- Prescription lenses: +$50 to +$200 depending on prescription — Confirmed
- Polarized lenses: +$30 — Confirmed
- Transitions lenses: +$80 — Confirmed
The Skyler is a newer frame designed to look more like an aviator than the Wayfarer. It is the most expensive of the three base frames.
What is Meta AI and what can it do?
Meta AI is the voice assistant built into Ray-Ban Meta. It was launched with limited features in October 2023 and gained multimodal vision in April 2024.
- Voice commands: "Hey Meta, take a photo," "Hey Meta, call Sarah," "Hey Meta, play X" — Confirmed
- Multimodal vision: Since April 2024, the glasses can describe what they see. "Hey Meta, what am I looking at?" triggers a description from the on-device AI model — Confirmed
- Translation: Real-time translation between English and Spanish, French, Italian, German — Confirmed
- Web search: Routes through Meta AI's server-side search — Confirmed
- Memory feature: "Hey Meta, remember where I parked" — Confirmed as a beta feature, June 2024+
- No on-lens display: All Meta AI responses come through the open-ear speakers. There is no screen.
Unlike the Meta Ray-Ban Display, Ray-Ban Meta cannot show AI responses visually. You hear them through the speakers. This is the single biggest functional difference between the two products.
What livestreaming does it support?
- Facebook Live: Yes, streaming from glasses to your Facebook profile or a Page — Confirmed
- Instagram Live: Yes, since March 2024 — Confirmed
- YouTube Live, TikTok Live, X (Twitter) Live: No native integration as of June 2026 — Confirmed by absence in Meta's product page
Livestreaming runs over Wi-Fi (the glasses can use the phone's hotspot or a known Wi-Fi network). Resolution is capped at 720p for live broadcasts to keep bandwidth and battery use reasonable.
What is the privacy posture?
Meta has built several privacy features into the hardware:
- Hard-wired capture LED: Cannot be disabled in software — Confirmed
- Voice command required to record: No "always listening" video — Confirmed
- Photos synced to phone only: Cloud sync is opt-in — Confirmed
- Local AI processing where possible: The Meta AI vision model runs on-device for many queries, reducing data sent to Meta's servers — Confirmed per Meta's privacy white paper, March 2024
The capture LED is a meaningful hardware commitment. Even if a malicious app somehow got control of the camera, the LED would light up. This is a real differentiator from competitor products like the Snap Spectacles, which historically allowed the LED to be covered.
How does it work with phones?
The Ray-Ban Meta works with both iPhones and Android phones. The companion app is the Meta AI app (formerly called Meta View).
- iOS: iOS 15 or later — Confirmed
- Android: Android 10 or later — Confirmed
- Companion app: Meta AI — Confirmed
- Required for setup: Yes — Confirmed
For setup steps and troubleshooting, see our setup FAQ.
What is in the box?
- Ray-Ban Meta glasses (frame of your choice)
- Charging case
- USB-C charging cable
- Microfiber cleaning cloth
- Quick-start guide
- Reference guide (safety, warranty, regulatory)
A wall charger is not included.
What are the main compromises?
Three things to weigh:
- No display: You hear Meta AI's responses, you do not see them. For some users this is fine; for others it is the reason to step up to the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display.
- Battery life: 4 hours is short. Heavy users charge the case once a day.
- Camera quality in low light: The small sensor struggles indoors. Outdoor daylight photos are competitive with mid-range phones; restaurant and bar photos are not.
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Do Meta Glasses work with an iPhone?
Yes, Meta Glasses work with iPhones running iOS 15 or later. The Meta AI app is the companion for setup, photo sync, and firmware updates. All features are supported on iOS.