Meta introduced Ray-Ban Meta Audio at Connect 2026 as its first glasses without a camera. The $349 frames keep speakers, microphones, and access to its Muse assistant. Meta says they weigh 43 grams and run for up to 12 hours on one charge.
The camera’s removal changes both the social question and the tasks the glasses can do. TechCrunch reports that people have criticized camera-equipped glasses after users recorded others without consent. A pair with no camera removes that way of recording someone through the frames. It still has microphones, since calls, voice commands, and translation need them. Meta has announced a coming “private processing” option, but has not given enough detail in these announcements to assess how it handles voice data.
What audio can still do
Meta lists music and podcasts, phone calls, live conversation translation, and questions to Muse. It says Muse can provide sports scores, restaurant suggestions, and help with a calendar or personal plans. These are tasks built around listening and speaking. Ray-Ban Meta Audio cannot capture a photo or video, and a request that needs the assistant to inspect what the wearer sees would need a camera-equipped model.
The glasses come in Clubmaster and Burbank styles with 23 color and lens combinations. Meta lists adjustable temple tips, swappable nose pads, and prescription compatibility. Its announcement says preorders start now and shipments begin October 13. TechCrunch reports an October 13 preorder date, so buyers should check the current ordering page for their market.
Meta also introduced Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 with a 12-megapixel camera, 3K video, and a claimed nine hours of battery life. That gives a direct comparison within this launch: the audio model is rated for three more hours per charge. Those are Meta’s estimates for different devices, rather than a controlled test of what removing the camera alone saves.
