The Meta may have released the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) in late October, but they aren’t much different from the last-gen models introduced in 2021. The overall experience is very similar, which is why the original Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses Remains a great buy, especially now that they’re on sale for an all-time low of $238.99 ($60 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for Black Friday.
Like their successor, the first-generation Ray-Ban Meta lets you listen to music, take photos, record 1080p video, and make hands-free calls thanks to the five-microphone array. You can upload the resulting photos and videos – and even livestreams – to Facebook or Instagram via the companion app. The glasses also support a number of AI-powered features, letting you use your voice to take photos, learn the history of a landmark, ask questions, or get recipes based on what’s in your fridge. They can also translate multiple languages in real time, helping you with Spanish, Italian, French, and other languages you may be less familiar with.
Additionally, many of the same software upgrades currently expected to roll out to the Gen 2 models — including new slo-mo and hyperlapse video modes, as well as the new “Conversation Focus” feature that enhances the audio of whoever you’re talking to — will roll out to the original pair as well. The upcoming software update, scheduled for autumn, will also improve the live translation feature by expanding it to support additional languages, including German and Portuguese.
The biggest upgrade with the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 is that they have double the battery life: they offer up to eight hours of continuous use and a charging case that adds an additional two days of runtime compared to 32 additional hours with the first-gen model. You’ll also get slightly faster 3K video at 30fps, but since both models use the same 12-megapixel sensor, the difference isn’t that significant.
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