Meta, owned by eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica and launched its camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2021, is working on a second-gen model. The company’s internal roadmap shows that a new version will hit the streets in 2025, featuring a viewfinder element designed to enable you to read incoming texts and scan QR codes while controlling the device with your hands. You can even use a virtual keyboard and type at roughly the same rate as you can on mobile phones.
The new glasses will also raise the audio playback volume if the surroundings are too noisy and include a “Hey FYI, I am recording you” LED indicator. These are much more minor tweaks and not likely to spur a rush of sales, but they’re necessary steps in the steady evolution of these camera-equipped smart glasses.
More importantly, the 2025 update will also allow livestream spectators to communicate with the video’s creator while recording. This could open up the possibility of a more interactive social experience, especially with the ability to chat in real time and share content with friends who might not be present while filming.
Interestingly, the company will also launch a smartwatch to pair with your Ray-Ban Stories to add functionality. The idea is to position it as a replacement for the neural interface band that comes with the sunglasses, but it will also work with other third-party apps.
In 2027, the company will release a pair of augmented reality smart glasses, codenamed Orion, which are expected to be more powerful and cost significantly more. They’ll offer a full range of AR capabilities and can project avatars as high-quality holograms superimposed over the real world.
Adding these two additional features to the camera-equipped Ray-Ban Stories might help the wearables gain a competitive edge over rivals, especially considering that Google is working on its own augmented reality glasses. However, the more significant issue is whether these smart glasses will be able to convince consumers that they’re worth the price and overcome privacy concerns. Meta is trying to build some protections, but it’s mostly putting the onus on users to be responsible with their devices, which isn’t the most convincing strategy. It can convince people that these are valuable tools and will improve their lives, so it’s on to a bright future. This year, you can try out the current version of the camera-equipped Ray-Ban Stories by visiting a store in your area. You’ll get an overview of the current features and decide if it’s right for you. Alternatively, you can sign up for a pre-order of the next pair to be notified when they become available. More details can be found on the Facebook page for the camera-equipped Ray-Ban Stories. The company hasn’t given an exact launch date, but the first pairs are expected to be shipped soon.
