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Meta to bring flagship Ray-Ban AI glasses to India ‘soon' in global rollout expansion

Meta to bring flagship Ray-Ban AI glasses to India ‘soon' in global rollout expansion

Indian Express23-04-2025
The Ray Ban-Meta glasses will be coming to India soon, the company announced on Wednesday, April 23, without mentioning a specific date.
The popular AI-powered smart glasses offer a hands-free experience to wearers who can ask questions on-the-go and receive real time information. 'These stylish glasses offer everyday wearability and help you be more present with friends, family, and the world around you by letting you capture a moment or listen to music, while your phone stays in your pocket,' the company said in a press release.
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses will be made available in India almost two years after the tech giant launched its first-ever smart glasses (Ray-Ban Stories) in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the company behind Ray-Ban.
The next-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses were launched in September 2023. Besides India, Meta said its smart glasses will also be rolled out in other countries including Mexico and the United Arab Emirates.
'We're also expanding access to Meta AI on Ray-Ban Meta glasses in even more countries in the EU today, and starting next week, we'll be rolling out the ability for you to ask Meta AI about the things you're looking at and get real-time responses to all our supported countries in the EU,' the company said.
Furthermore, Meta announced that its flagship smart glasses are now available in a new Skyler Shiny Chalky Gray with Transitions Sapphire lenses. In terms of software upgrades, the company said it is rolling out the live translation feature globally to all markets.
This feature allows wearers to hold seamless conversations across English, French, Italian, and Spanish by hearing what their conversation partner is saying in their preferred language through the glasses in real time. It also works without WiFi or network connectivity as long as the language pack has been downloaded in advance.
'You'll also soon be able to send and receive direct messages, photos, audio calls, and video calls from Instagram on your glasses,' Meta said. Access to a feature that lets wearers ask Meta AI to play music through Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Shazam is being expanded to countries outside the US and Canada.
This feature also gives users the ability to ask Meta AI for information about the music they are listening to, the company added. Vision capabilities of the AI-powered smart glasses are also being made available in the US and Canada.
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Smart glasses market surges 110% in H1 2025, with new Meta, Xiaomi launches
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Smart glasses market surges 110% in H1 2025, with new Meta, Xiaomi launches
Smart glasses market surges 110% in H1 2025, with new Meta, Xiaomi launches

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Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Xiaomi AI Glasses, first such wearable from the company TCL-RayNeo with its RayNeo V3 series Thunderobot with the AURA smart glasses Kopin Solos AirGo V series Global smart glasses shipments grew 110% year-over-year (YoY) in the first half of 2025, driven by strong demand for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses According to Counterpoint's global smart glasses model shipments tracker, new players such as Xiaomi, TCL-RayNeo and several smaller brands have entered the space, preparing the ground for rapid growth of the market throughout 2026 and smart glasses accounted for 78% of total shipments in the first half of 2025, up from 46% in the same period last year and 66% in the second half of report added that the AI glasses segment grew by over 250% YoY, significantly outpacing the overall AI smart glasses market is set to expand in late 2025 with new launches from Meta , Alibaba, and potentially Apple. Oakley Meta glasses, targeting athletes and sports enthusiasts, have received positive feedback with improved battery life and enhanced video-shooting of Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses grew over 200% YoY during the period, reflecting strong market demand and increased manufacturing capacity at Luxottica, Meta's key production partner. The smart wearable drove Meta's share of the global smart glasses market to 73%.Analysts expect the Mark Zuckerberg-led company to broaden its lineup at Meta Connect to further drive growth. The company is expected to showcase more smart glasses, along with metaverse offerings, during the event in broader disruptions in the electronics industry caused by global tariffs, the smart glasses segment remains research analyst Flora Tang said, 'The global tariff crisis for electronic devices during the first half of the year has had a limited impact on the smart glasses market so far, as the situation still appears manageable for key OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and their manufacturing partners.'Beyond Meta, several Chinese brands gained traction in the AI smart glasses market during the first half of 2025, with Xiaomi emerging as a major player. The company is expected to enhance the product's performance through software updates in the coming months, the report list of new entrants includes:Commenting on the market dynamics, Tang said, 'Xiaomi's AI glasses emerged as a dark horse in the global smart glasses market—becoming the fourth best-selling model overall and the third best-selling product in the AI glasses segment—despite being on sale for only about a week in H1 2025.'The research further showed an upward market forecast for smart glasses for the remaining year and ahead, expected to grow at a CAGR of over 60% between 2024 and 2029.

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