I adore my Meta Ray-Bans, but these new Oakley smart glasses are making me jealous

Date:
Fri, 20 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Description:
After months of rumors and an official teaser, Meta and Oakley's smart
glasses are here and they're gorgeous.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Meta
and Oakley are officially making smart glasses They're based on Oakley's HSTN glasses design Launching later this summer, they'll start at $399 / 399

Its official. Following a teaser earlier this week, Oakley and Meta have made smart glasses, and as an owner of the almost two-year-old Ray-Ban Meta smart specs, Im green with envy.

Later this summer, six pairs of Oakley smart specs will be available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and several other European countries, starting at $399 / 399 (were still waiting for Australian pricing details).

Limited-Edition Oakley Meta HSTN (featuring gold accents and 24K PRIZM polarized lenses) will be available for preorder sooner from July 11 for $499 / 499 (again, were waiting for Australian pricing). Image 1 of 4 The limited edition Oakley Meta glasses (Image credit: Oakley / Meta) Image 2 of
4 (Image credit: Oakley / Meta) Image 3 of 4 (Image credit: Oakley / Meta) Image 4 of 4 (Image credit: Oakley / Meta)

Why am I jealous? Well, for a start, these smart glasses are set to boast a few important hardware and software upgrades over my Ray-Bans.

First is an upgrade to the camera. The Ray-Bans have a built-in 12MP snapper which can capture full-HD (1440x1920 resolution) video at 30fps. Meta is promising these Oakley specs will record Ultra HD (3K) video, perhaps making them possible alternatives to the best action cameras for people who want to record their sporting stunts and look good doing it.

Secondly, theyll be able to record for longer with a boosted battery life. My Meta Ray-Bans boast a four-hour battery life for standard use. They can play music, Meta AI can answer the odd question, and they should last about this long; as soon as you start capturing videos, their battery will drain much faster

With the case recharging them, the Ray-Bans can get up to 36 hours of total use.

Meta is doubling the glasses built-in battery with its Oakleys, promising theyll last for eight hours with standard use, and 19 hours if theyre on standby. Meta adds that you can recharge them to 50% in just 20 minutes with their case, and said the charging case holds up to 48 hours of charge. (Image credit: Oakley / Meta)

Finally, Metas AI will still be able to answer various questions for you and use the camera for context to your queries, as weve seen from the Ray-Ban
Meta smart glasses, but it will also get some new sporting-related knowledge.

Golfers can ask about wind speed, while surfers can check the surf
conditions, and you can also ask the glasses for possible ways to improve
your sporting technique, too.

As with all these promises, well want to test the Oakley Meta HSTNs for ourselves to see if they live up to the hype, but one way we can already see theyre excelling is on the design side.

Damn, are these things gorgeous. (Image credit: Oakley / Meta)

Interestingly, the Oakley specs design choice is one major detail the leaks got wrong. Instead of its Sphaera visor-style shades, its Oakleys HSTN
glasses (Im told its pronounced how-stuhn).

These glasses look like more angular Ray-Ban Wayfarers you know, one of
Metas existing smart glasses designs but they do boast a serious design upgrade for athletes that you wont find on Metas non-Oakley specs: Oakleys PRIZM lenses.

Without getting too technical, PRIZM lenses are designed to provide increased contrast to what you can see. There are different models for snow sports, cycling, and other sports (as well as everyday usage), but each is designed
to highlight key details that might be relevant to the wearer, such as the contours in different snow terrains, or transitions in trail types and possible road hazards.

If PRIZM lenses sound like overkill, you can also get a pair with transition lenses or with completely clear lenses. The Ray-Ban specs still look great
too (Image credit: Meta)

I swapped my always-shaded Ray-Bans for a pair with transition lenses, and
the difference is stark. Because theyre clear in darker environments and shaded in brighter weather, Ive found it so much easier to use the transition lens pair as everyday smart glasses. Previously, I could only use my shaded pair in the sun, and that doesnt come out all too often here in the UK.

The complete list of six Oakley smart glasses options is: Oakley Meta HSTN Warm Grey with PRIZM Ruby Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN Black with PRIZM Polar
Black Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN Brown Smoke with PRIZM Polar Deep Water Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN Black with Transitions Amethyst Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN
Clear with Transitions Grey Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN Black with Clear Lenses (Image credit: Oakley / Meta)

Beyond the style and lenses, one striking factor is that despite some serious battery upgrades, the frames dont seem massively chunky.

Like their Ray-Ban predecessors, theyre clearly thicker than normal specs,
but they dont look too much unlike normal shades.

All in all, these Oakley glasses look and sound really impressive. Im
chomping at the bit to try a pair, and if youve been on the fence about picking up the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, these enhanced options could be what convinces you to finally get some AI-powered eyewear. (Image credit: Oakley / Meta) You might also like New Meta XR glasses again tipped to land later this year The Valve Deckard VR headset is shaping up to be a beast here are 5 things we know I test VR headsets for a living, and this Meta Quest 3 accessory has taken my setup one step closer to Ready Player One



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/i-adore- my-meta-ray-bans-but-these-new-oakley-smart-glasses-are-making-me-jealous


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)