Meta used its annual Connect conference overnight to refresh its entire smart eyewear portfolio and confirm that its AI assistant, Muse, will be deeply woven into the hardware ecosystem, signaling that the social media giant is moving into a new phase of wearable AI development.

The company unveiled its first camera-free smart glasses, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, with a starting price of $349 and an October 3 shipping date. At the same time, it introduced a third-generation camera-equipped Ray-Ban Meta model, which starts at $449.

Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg took the stage wearing a pair of the smart glasses himself, with the focus firmly on the Muse AI assistant. He announced that in the coming weeks, Meta's eyewear will receive a major AI upgrade, with Muse gaining full contextual awareness and the ability to run continuously in the background.

Zuckerberg stated that Muse will remain free for most consumer use cases, with the company planning to monetize it down the road by taking a small commission from transactions that the agent helps facilitate. He also stressed that the broader industry currently treats AI agents as a single-player experience, while the real breakthrough lies in agents collaborating with one another, adding that Meta has already begun internal research in that area.

Camera-Free Newcomer: Privacy Concerns and Product Differentiation The Ray-Ban Meta Audio is Meta's first smart glasses without a camera, available in Ray-Ban's classic Burbank rectangular frame and Clubmaster styles. A single charge delivers up to 12 hours of battery life, a clear step up from the nine hours offered by the third-generation camera version. Early hands-on impressions indicate that the new glasses show no meaningful difference in thickness or weight compared with ordinary Ray-Ban frames.

Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth told Bloomberg that the camera-free version was added to the product roadmap about two years ago, largely because audio has consistently ranked as the most popular feature across the company's glasses lineup. Removing the camera enabled Meta to lower the price, cut weight and extend battery life. Bosworth acknowledged that Meta was fortunate to already have an audio-only product in development before global privacy scrutiny around smart glasses intensified.

That said, Bosworth pointed to a gap between the public privacy debate and the usage data Meta has observed internally. Sales figures, adoption rates and user engagement are all showing very positive trends. He noted that privacy protections have been central to Meta's messaging for its eyewear from the start, such as an indicator light that activates when capturing photos or recording video so bystanders are aware.

Third-Generation Ray-Ban: Price Increase Reflects Cost Pressures The third-generation camera-enabled Ray-Ban Meta starts at $449, marking a roughly 19% rise over the $379 starting price of the previous model. Bosworth attributed the increase mainly to inflation and component shortages, adding that volatility in memory costs could persist for two, three or even four years. Meta had to factor that uncertainty into how it priced the new product.

On the hardware side, the third-generation glasses feature a slimmer frame than their predecessor, come in the Aviator and Wayfarer classic styles alongside a new cat-eye shape called Zena, and add a customizable action button. That button, for instance, can be set to instantly summon the Muse voice assistant. The microphone system has also been upgraded for better call noise cancellation, and the temple tips are now adjustable for greater wearing comfort.

Additionally, Meta introduced a new $249 version of its own lower-priced eyewear line that debuted in June, undercutting the prior $299 price point. The company plans to expand that series into markets such as Singapore and South Korea, and it is also releasing a $399 limited edition developed in partnership with K-pop group Blackpink member Lisa.

Muse Integration and AI Upgrades: From Q&A to Full-Context Agent Zuckerberg made it clear during the presentation that the AI experience on Meta glasses is about to be completely overhauled in the coming weeks. When users summon Muse, they will no longer receive a simple answer to a single question. Instead, they will engage in an ongoing conversation with an AI assistant that retains full dialogue context, and Muse will also be able to proactively execute tasks in the background on the user's behalf.

The name of Muse's customizable plush mascot was also officially revealed at the event as Jolly. On the business model front, Zuckerberg reiterated that Muse will remain free for most consumer scenarios, with the monetization path centered on taking a modest commission from transactions completed through the agent. He also shared his view on where the AI agent industry is headed, arguing that most players currently see agents as tools for a single user, whereas Meta believes the real breakthrough lies in agents collaborating with one another, and the company is already advancing research in that direction internally.

Software Features and the AR Roadmap Beyond the hardware announcements, Meta rolled out a number of software updates. A new Dynamic Photos feature captures multiple images simultaneously, letting users pick the best frame from the companion mobile app, and the glasses now support landscape photo and video capture. Later in 2026, Meta glasses will gain Dolby Atmos 360-degree spatial audio recording, and more data processing will shift onto the device itself to reduce reliance on cloud transfer.

Meta also introduced an FDA-approved hearing aid feature comparable to what Apple offers with the AirPods Pro. Activation will cost $150, and it could arrive later this year as part of the Meta One subscription service.

On the full AR glasses roadmap, Bosworth stopped short of committing to the previously mentioned 2027 launch window. He said there are voices within the Reality Labs team that firmly believe a release is possible next year, but he personally will not make a call until the product reaches a sufficient level of maturity. He reiterated that the company remains fully committed to developing true AR glasses.