Meta unveils Ray-Ban smart glasses with built-in display, gesture controls

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demonstrates the new Ray-Ban Display smart glasses during a live on-stage demo at Meta Connect 2025, showcasing real-time messages and gesture control from his point of view.

By TechWatch

Meta introduced its first smart glasses with an integrated display—called the Ray-Ban Display—during its Connect 2025 event. The eyewear, developed in partnership with Ray-Ban, features a discreet full-color screen built into the right lens and connects with a new wearable controller, the Meta Neural Band.

The Ray-Ban Display offers a 600 × 600 pixel resolution with refresh rates of up to 90 Hz, though most content is expected to run at 30 Hz. The display is designed to activate only when needed, such as for navigation, messaging, or prompts from Meta AI. The screen remains invisible when inactive.

Paired with the glasses is the Neural Band, a wrist-worn EMG device that picks up subtle muscle movements and translates them into commands—enabling users to interact with their glasses through hand gestures. The Neural Band is rated IPX7 for water resistance, while the glasses are IPX4-rated.

Weighing around 69 grams, the glasses provide up to six hours of mixed use and come with a charging case that extends battery life to 30 hours. The device supports Meta’s suite of services including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, offering message previews, camera viewfinders, media controls, live captions, and real-time translation.

The product will be available in the US on September 30 through retail partners such as Best Buy, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and Ray-Ban stores. A wider rollout to Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy is scheduled for early 2026. The eyewear costs  USD 799 and includes the Neural Band. It comes in Black and Sand colors and two frame sizes, with support for prescription lenses.

Meta says the launch represents its push toward more natural wearable AI, positioned between standard smart glasses and full AR headsets. Early feedback has noted the glasses’ added weight and questioned how well gesture accuracy and screen visibility hold up in real-world use. Price may also affect adoption.

Still, the Ray-Ban Display marks one of Meta’s most ambitious consumer AI products to date, blending design, utility, and experimental input technology in a single device.