Meta Ray-Ban Audio glasses are sleek and offer long battery life, but where will their AI go next?

I’ve started feeling self-conscious when I wear camera-equipped smart glasses out and about. It’s not hard to imagine why. Public opinion of smart glasses seems lower than it’s ever, driven by a combination of AI fatigue, privacy concerns and a general lack of awareness of what smart glasses can do or why anyone would want to wear them. Some places are also starting to ban them.

Meta’s addressed one concern, at least, with its new camera-free line of Ray-Ban smart glasses. Getting rid of the camera completely on the Meta Ray-Ban Audio means they’re smaller and lighter, and have better battery life, too. But they’re not as cheap as I’d have expected. The two models that are available starting this week, the Clubmaster and Burbank, run from $349 to $429 — just for the frames, depending on whether they have transitions lenses or not. Meta has more affordable self-branded smart glasses staring at $249, but those have cameras onboard.

I’m not sure why Meta didn’t make self-branded, camera-free glasses, too, which could have helped bring the cost down. I’m sure those are coming in the future, but in the meantime, skipping the camera seems to be more about design, privacy and extending audio battery life.

Are they a worthwhile addition to Meta’s lineup? Here’s what I think of them so far.

I’ve been wearing a pair of the Clubmaster glasses, but without my prescription.

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