Oakley’s New Meta AI-Powered Smart Glasses Look Slick

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Today, Meta announced a collaboration with Oakley to release limited-edition Oakley HSTN smart glasses, along with AI integration in other Oakley models. The special edition Oakley HSTN (pronounced "HOW-stun") glasses feature gold accents and Oakley gold-tinted PRIZM lenses and will retail for $499. They will be available for preorder on July 11. Other Oakley models with Meta’s AI tech will be available starting at $399 this summer as well.

Like the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses originally released in 2023, Oakley spectacles will feature a front-facing camera, open-ear speakers, a microphone, and built-in Meta AI capability that allows for visual descriptions, general questions, and real-time translation when paired with your smartphone. But the battery on the Oakley Meta glasses will last twice as long as Ray-Bans'—eight hours of use and 19 hours of standby. The charging case will provide and additional 48 hours of charge compared to 32 from the Ray-Bans. Another improvement: the built-in camera will shoot 3K video, compared to 1080p on second generation Meta Ray-Bans.

I've been wearing Ray-Ban Meta glasses regularly for more than six months, and, tech wise, the Oakleys are definitely an improvement, but an incremental one instead of a game-changing one. Longer battery life is always welcome, as is a camera with three times the resolution, but it's not enough for me to feel like I have to switch. If you're looking for new glasses, though, the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers currently retail for $379 as opposed to $399 for the non-special edition Oakleys. Bottom line: purely in terms of tech, Oakleys are better smart glasses at a comparable price, but whether those difference are enough to make a switch is more of a personal choice.

Given the Oakley brand's association with sports, it's a little surprising that Oakley Meta glasses feature the same water resistance as the Ray-Ban Metas. Both pairs are rated IPX4, meaning your glasses will be OK if you're caught in a light rain. It would be nice to have a fully waterproof, IPX7, jump-in-the-pool smart glasses, but I guess we'll have to wait for that.

As far as looks go, I happen to like the classic Wayfarer style of my Ray-Bans, but the Oakley's definitely look slick. I mean, gold-tinted frames? Come on. Speaking of the design, here are the five varieties of limited edition HSTN frames that will be available in July:

• Oakley Meta HSTN Desert with PRIZM Ruby Lenses

• Oakley Meta HSTN Black with PRIZM Polar Black Lenses

• Oakley Meta HSTN Shiny Brown with PRIZM Polar Deep-Water Lenses

• Oakley Meta HSTN Black with Transitions Amethyst Lenses

• Oakley Meta HSTN Clear with Transitions Grey Lenses