Smart Glasses

At Connect 2026 on 23 September, Meta introduced Ray-Ban Meta Audio, its first AI glasses without a camera. They weigh 43 g, last up to 12 hours on a charge (48 hours with the case), come in Clubmaster and Burbank styles with 23 colour and lens combinations, support prescriptions, and start at $349 with shipping from 13 October. This article explains why Meta built camera-free glasses after the “pervert glasses” backlash, what they can and cannot do, how they compare with the $449 Gen 3 and older camera models, whether six microphones still raise privacy concerns, the unclear hearing-aid feature, and what businesses should change in their smart glasses policies.