Meta launches camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses at $349

Meta confirmed earlier reports on Wednesday by announcing its first pair of camera-free AI glasses, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, at its Connect 2026 conference. Designed to counter criticism of AI glasses being used maliciously — some critics have nicknamed camera-equipped models “pervert glasses” — the audio-only device lets users listen to music and podcasts, take calls, translate speech, and talk to Meta’s AI assistant, Muse. The glasses, designed with Meta’s hardware partner EssilorLuxottica, start at $349 and go up for preorder on October 13.

Meta already sells a range of AI glasses in various styles, colors, and capabilities, but the camera-free option could help the brand recover from reputational damage after critics pointed out that people — often men — were using AI glasses to record videos without subjects’ consent. Meta had tried to address the issue with an update that disables the camera if its recording-indicator light is tampered with, but the “creepiness factor” remained, giving the new audio-only glasses a chance to serve as an answer to devices like Apple’s Siri-powered AirPods instead. “Once you get used to high quality audio, it’s just a thing that you want all the time, right?” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during Wednesday’s keynote.

Because they skip the camera, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses are slimmer than Meta’s other models and weigh just 43 grams, with adjustable temple tips, swappable nose pads, and overextension hinges. Battery life runs up to 12 hours per charge, extending to 48 hours with the included charging case. The glasses come in 23 color and lens combinations across two new styles, a retro “Clubmaster” and a rectangular “Burbank,” and can be ordered with an optical prescription.

Alongside the audio glasses, Meta also announced its next-generation camera-equipped model, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3), adding Aviator and Zena styles to the existing Wayfarer. Those glasses carry a 12 MP camera supporting 3K Ultra HD video, a six-microphone array, and up to nine hours of battery life. Meta’s EssilorLuxottica lineup will also expand to more countries and add a new brand partnership with singer Lisa, following an earlier tie-up with Kylie Jenner.

Why it matters

By splitting its glasses lineup into a camera-free audio model and a more capable camera model, Meta is betting it can keep growing AI-glasses sales even among buyers wary of the surveillance backlash that has dogged its camera-equipped devices.