Meta and Oakley announce new 'perfomance AI' smart glasses for athletes

Engadget

17 hours ago

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Meta is expanding beyond its popular Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses with a new lineup of frames created in collaboration with Oakley. The Oakley Meta HSTN (pronounced HOW-stuhn, apparently) will be available in several variants, not unlike Meta's other smart glasses. Meta first teased that it had a new partnership on the way earlier in June, and rumors that the company was expanding beyond its current frames were reported by Bloomberg back in January.
Despite rumors that the Oakley glasses would feature a camera embedded in the bridge of the frame, these first models keep the lens on one side and an LED privacy light on the other. The ultra-wide 12MP camera can capture footage in 3K, compared with the 1080p video that the Meta Ray-Bans are capable of recording. Along with taking POV video calls, shooting photos and livestreaming what you see, the camera can be used to answer questions about what you're seeing with the help of Meta AI.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Threads that these frames, which are based on Oakley's HSTN style, are "built for action." So they're perhaps designed to be more durable than Meta's older models, though they have the same IPX4 water resistance rating. They feature Prizm and Prizm Polarized lens tech from Oakley, which are designed to protect wearers' eyes from ultraviolet light.
The battery is rated for eight hours of typical use on a single charge (which would be double that of the Meta Ray-Bans) and up to 19 hours on standby. With the included charging case, you should be able to juice up Oakley Meta HSTN glasses from zero to 50 percent of battery capacity in 22 minutes, and to 85 percent in 45 minutes. The case, which is not water-resistant, is said to deliver up to 40 additional hours of on-the-go charging.
The new frames have open-ear Bluetooth speakers, five onboard microphones and speakers for talking to Meta AI and the ability to take calls, send messages and play music from your phone. There are touch controls on the side of the frames where you can adjust volume and so on.
Meta has also been rolling out live translation features for its smart glasses. The company says the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses can help with accessibility too. You'll be able to send messages and take photos hands-free. Meta notes that its AI will be able to describe what the camera is seeing. In addition, wearers will be able to connect to the Be My Eyes network and receive assistance from sighted volunteers.
Meta and Oakley say these are "Performance AI glasses." You'll be able to ask Meta AI for contextual information that might help in the moment, such as the wind speed so you can try to adjust for that while you're playing golf.
Meta working with Oakley shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Oakley is owned by EssilorLuxottica, the same fashion conglomerate that owns Ray-Bans. The companies extended their partnership with a new long-term agreement in September 2024 so that they could "collaborate into the next decade to develop multi-generational smart eyewear products."
The first, limited-edition Oakley Meta HSTN have gold accents and 24K Prizm Polar lenses. They cost $499 and will be available to preorder starting on July 11 in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Meta and Oakley plan to bring the lineup to Mexico, India and the United Arab Emirates later this year.
Other models will arrive later in the summer and start at $399. They'll be available in the following frame and lens colors: Oakley Meta HSTN Desert with Prizm Ruby Lenses
Oakley Meta HSTN Black with PrizmPolar 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