If you want a camera on your face, Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are both stylish and functional.

• In October, we reviewed the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses for you.
• The camera, audio and calling features were useful and easy to use.
• The glasses look and feel similar to traditional Ray-Ban glasses.

Ray-Ban released its second-generation glasses in October, and I've been testing them for the past few weeks. Despite the higher price point compared to regular Ray-Bans, I still find them to be worth it.

The $299 Headliner model I possess is virtually indistinguishable from traditional Ray-Bans, but with added functionality. This model enables you to capture videos, take photos, make phone calls, and listen to music. The speakers are 50% louder, as per Meta. Additionally, the camera now takes photos in portrait mode, making it more suitable for social media posts.

Despite contributing less than 1% to Meta's revenue, its wearable products, including the smart glasses and Meta Quest, represent the company's efforts to establish a presence in the devices industry, alongside its significant advertising and social media presence.

Here’s what you should know about the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

What’s good

Ray-Ban Meta glasses are designed to be worn daily like regular sunglasses, and they are marketed to be comfortable, stylish, and practical. Meta and Ray-Ban have successfully achieved this aspect.

The glasses are lightweight and comfortable to wear, with a design that resembles classic Ray-Bans. While testing them in the office, I was asked why I was wearing sunglasses indoors, indicating their similarity to the iconic glasses.

Although I didn't utilize any of the technological features of my smart sunglasses, they functioned similarly to a standard pair of polarized Ray-Ban sunglasses. For those seeking to replace their corrective lenses, prescription lenses can be obtained in the same manner as with their current pair.

The glasses are convenient for taking pictures without having to reach for your phone. Simply press a button on the right side or say "Hey Meta, take a photo." I used them to capture moments while walking around New York City. See the side-by-side comparison of the same tree, with the left photo taken with my iPhone and the right with my glasses.

You can effortlessly import images and videos to the Meta View app on your phone and save them to your camera roll.

When you take a photo or video, it's evident to others due to the flashing circle on the right side of your glasses.

Ray-Ban Meta glasses are not mainstream because they are easily recognizable when worn, and they cannot be used to take photos in low light conditions.

The audio and calling capabilities are my favorite part, though.

I listened to music while strolling around Central Park in New York with glasses instead of earbuds. Although the audio was still rich, I was more aware of my surroundings, which proved beneficial when a dog approached me and a biker disregarded a traffic signal.

Listening to music is somewhat like having a background soundtrack, rather than a fully immersive experience that many new headphones offer. If you have AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, it may be worth comparing the noise transparency feature.

The audio leakage with these glasses is more than what I experienced with my 3rd Generation AirPods. However, they are quiet enough not to disturb my roommate while I listen to music at home. If you don't want to disturb your fellow passengers on the train, you may still opt for earbuds.

I appreciated the convenience of pausing and resuming my music with a single tap on the right side of the glasses and adjusting the volume with a slide of my finger.

The glasses are suitable for phone calls as well. I tested them in various settings, including my room and noisy areas, and the callers did not complain about the audio quality. Additionally, the conversation on my end was clear, and I appreciated the ability to answer incoming calls with a simple double-tap on the right side.

The glasses have a hard shell case that charges them when stored, and the case can be recharged using a USB-C port, which is not included with the glasses. The case provides approximately eight charges before needing to be recharged, an improvement from the previous model's three additional charges.

What’s bad

The difficulty of taking pictures while wearing a ball cap is a major drawback of these glasses. However, this issue does not arise for individuals who do not wear hats. It was frustrating to have to adjust my bill slightly every time I wanted to take a photo without the camera capturing my hat as well.

The glasses allow you to use voice commands to send messages or ask questions, but I found them more like a gimmick and I don't see myself using them consistently. Additionally, as a sports enthusiast, this voice assistant doesn't provide the score of the previous game like other assistants.

I don't use voice commands on my watch or phone frequently.

These glasses have a battery life of four hours for mixed use, which may vary depending on usage. My review unit charged from 7% to full in 50 minutes, which is fast.

If you need to wear glasses all day with prescription lenses, you may encounter difficulties with full functionality as you cannot remove them to charge in the middle of the day.

Regular glasses are not water resistant, but waterproof glasses are, so you need to be careful in rainy weather with regular glasses.

Should you buy them?

These glasses are worth buying because they offer great music, headset, and photo features while maintaining the comfort and classic style of Ray-Bans.

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