'Our goal is to reach every corner of the market': Meta CTO Andrew 'Boz' Bosworth on the new $299 EssilorLuxotica Meta Glasses

Date:
Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Description:
Meta and Essilor Luxottica just released more stylish and much more
affordable AI smart glasses, and Kylie Jenner even helped design one pair
but we had questions.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Meta unveils $299 / 269 /
AU$599 smart glasses (Meta Glasses) designed with EssilorLuxottica They match Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses on virtually all features They add adjustable nose pieces, and a lot of design and color choices "Its pretty easy to make
glasses that dont look good, it turns out," chuckled Meta CTO and Head of Reality Labs, Andrew 'Boz' Bosworth, shortly after unveiling a bumper crop of new Meta eyeware, simply called Meta Glasses, all fashioned in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica.

Bosworth says the team argues over "every gram, every quarter of a
millimeter" in an effort to bring ever lighter, ever more comfortable, and ever more fashionable AI eyewear to the market. With this foray into making frames with a slightly less well-known brand than Ray-Ban, Meta is bringing the new frames Adventurer, Fury, and Starfire Kylie [Jenner] Edition to market at a somewhat startling price: $299 /269 / AU$599 (not counting prescriptions). No one size or style fits all when it comes to eyewear, Ankit Brahmbhatt, Meta's Senior Director of Product for AI glasses, told me as he walked me through some of the new frames. There are, he added, eight
colorways and 26 different style options. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Image 1 of 6 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit:
Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Ogling the style choices As I looked around the room in the Manhattan event space, I spotted black, something like ivory, tortoiseshell, deep black, green, and a dark maroon. The frames range from larger and almost boxy-looking to thinner and lighter frames. In fact, many
of the EssilorLuxottica frames are so relatively thin and light that you
might miss the cameras hidden in the front, and the slightly thicker stems to accommodate components and batteries, and mistake them for normal frames.

Kylie Jenner's cat-eye-style frames are particularly fetching, and surprisingly looked halfway decent on me. You may like Meta just debuted a
duo of new AI glasses style in its Ray-Ban smart specs Splash out this May Bank Holiday! Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses hit record low price Ray-Ban Meta (2nd generation) review: still the best smart glasses for most people, but beginning to lag behind

Brahmbhatt told me Meta worked closely with Jenner to develop the design, adding signature touches like a tiny gem in the frame, a mirror in the case, and even Kylie Jenner's voice in the Meta AI.

There are structural changes new to the Essilor Luxottica frames. The nose piece adjusts with a push to three different positions, the stems are
bendable at the ends (Bosworth noted that the wires are coated with a kind of cellulose plastic), and the stems actually flex outward. I tried on almost every style I could find, and they were all quite comfortable. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

One of the biggest changes, though, is the addition of a small button behind the traditional Meta AI glasses button that you might use to capture a photo or start a video: it's a tiny Meta AI summoning button, and I used it interchangeably with saying, "Hey, Meta." More and better AI Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) This is also the first set of Meta AI glasses to feature a Meta AI system backed by the company's more robust Muse Spark models, which provide a more conversational voice, better context awareness, and the ability to tap into the zeitgeist by checking out social media (at one point I asked Meta AI if there was chatter online about fake food, and it confirmed that many were talking about it on social media).

I tried the new Meta AI in a few scenarios, and it ably identified whatever I was looking at (I could hear it snap a picture before the analysis), launched a music playlist based on my surroundings, and translated Arabic print for
me. What to read next Meta is rumored to be working on an AI pendant and new smart glasses I love my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses but this summer Im giving up on them This May Bank Holiday deal makes the refurbished Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses impossible to resist

That all of this comes in for under $299 (Ray-Ban Meta frames start at $379), and without compromising on the 3K video-shooting quality, 12MP photos, microphones, array, or speakers, is remarkable; but these are still
relatively early days in the wearable AI space. Getting it right and making
it safe Meta CTO Andre Bosworth (left) and Meta Head of Industrial Design Peter Bristol (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Design is "really important if you want people to wear them as daily driver glasses," said Meta Head of Industrial Design Peter Bristol, who joined Bosworth on stage and
took some questions from reporters.

In perhaps a nod to how thick and oversized AI glasses can look, the pair talked about how they made subtle changes to the designs, slimming down the frames, or simply making them look thinner by, for instance, adding a chamfer along the top edge of the frames, near the brow.

A good design means less friction, which Bristol believes can help with AI adoption.

For Meta, the goal is to "reach every corner of the market," said Bosworth, but that approach does come with risks. Image 1 of 6 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) When asked about growing concerns about the privacy of these glasses (there have been reports of people wearing them to illegally photograph women and even tampering with the glasses to turn off the LED "I'm filming you" light), Bosworth acknowledged these issues, but reminded us that Meta had actually "pioneered putting LED on the glasses," and talked about the anti-tampering technology they put in Gen 2 Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. But, he added, it's "a cat and mouse game."

As for what the future holds, I pointed out to Bosworth and Bristol that, while they now have a lot of styles, not everyone wears, or wants to wear glasses. What about smart contacts?

"Absolutely, that ones top of mind for the design team," said Bristol,
adding, "We are thinking and trying the other potential paths, but its a complicated space, so glasses is front and center for us.

Bosworth agreed with the premise of my question, admitting that hes not a glasses wearer, but is happy to wear Meta AI glasses because they brought a lot of value but Im aware that Im doing it.

"The design team is absolutely captivated by this question. What are the
other ways that we can deliver this capability to people who dont have
glasses on?" Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Check Amazon



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