The Oakley Meta Vanguard
Image: Meta
Meta has unveiled several new smart glasses lines, most notably the Oakley Meta Vanguard and the Meta Ray-Ban Display, as part of its push into AI-powered wearables.
These were introduced at Meta Connect 2025.
These glasses are aimed at athletes, people in high-intensity sports like running, cycling, skiing and who want to capture, monitor, and share their performance without being weighed down or distracted.
Camera & Capture: A centred ultra-wide 12-megapixel camera (122-degree field of view), able to capture up to 3K video. New capture modes include slow motion, hyperlapse, and improved video stabilisation.
Audio / Voice: More powerful open-ear speakers (louder than previous models, to cope with wind and movement), coupled with a five-microphone array for better noise reduction during calls or voice control.
Durability & Fit: IP67 rating (dust & water resistance), optimised for use with helmets/hats, multiple nose pads for a comfortable fit, wraparound design with Oakley PRIZM lenses to block sun/wind/dust.
Battery Life & Charging: Up to nine hours of general usage, or around six hours of continuous music playback. The charging case included offering another 36 hours of extra charge. Fast-charge: approximately 50 % in 20 minutes in the case.
Smart / Fitness Integration (“Athletic Intelligence”):
Meta AI is built in so you can ask metrics in real time (e.g. “Hey Meta, what’s my pace?” or “How’s my heart rate?”) without looking at a screen.
Automatic capture (“auto-capture”) of video clips when certain milestones are hit (distance, speed, elevation, heart rate).
Integration with fitness platforms like Garmin and Strava. For Strava, there’s also the ability to overlay performance metrics onto video/photos captured by the glasses, and share those with the Strava community.
Meta Ray-Ban Display
Image: Meta
While the Oakley Vanguard is display-free (i.e. no transparent or heads-up display in the lenses),
Meta’s other new model, the Ray-Ban Display, does include an in-lens display.
This changes what you can do with your glasses.
Messaging & Video Calls via WhatsApp / Messenger: Users will be able to view texts, WhatsApp messages, and Instagram content directly on the display, hands-free.
You can also take video calls via WhatsApp or Messenger, and share your point of view (what your eyes/glasses are seeing) through the glasses.
The wearable also allows for real-time walking directions (pedestrian navigation), live captions and translation of speech, preview and zoom via camera viewfinder in the display.
The glasses will also allow you to make gesture controls via a wristband (Neural Band).
Pricing & Release:
The Ray-Ban Display model is priced around $799 (R13,847) and includes the glasses and the Neural Band and is set to go on sale September 30, 2025, in the US at select retailers initially.
