Meta’s $799 Ray-Ban Display glasses finally add a screen — and a neural wristband

At its annual Connect conference, Meta unveiled its most advanced wearable yet: the Ray-Ban Display smart glasses. The new model, which launches in the US on September 30th, is the company’s first to feature a full-color, in-lens display and will cost $799. The glasses ship bundled with a new “Meta Neural Band,” a wrist-worn device that uses EMG technology to translate subtle hand and finger movements into controls, marking a significant step forward from the company’s previous camera-and-audio-only smart glasses.

A heads-up display for your face

The main event is the monocular heads-up display built into the right lens. The 600 x 600 pixel display is designed for quick, glanceable interactions, allowing users to view messages from apps like WhatsApp and Messenger, see turn-by-turn walking directions, get live translations, and use the screen as a viewfinder for the glasses’ 12MP camera. Meta says the display is bright enough for outdoor use but private enough to prevent significant light leakage, so others nearby shouldn’t see your notifications.

The Ray-Ban Display glasses, which weigh about 17 grams more than their screen-less counterparts, feature a six-microphone array, open-ear speakers, and up to six hours of mixed-use battery life. The included charging case can extend that to a total of 30 hours. They will be available in Black and Sand colors with Transitions lenses.

Your new mouse is a wristband

To control this new interface, Meta is shipping the glasses with its Neural Band. This wristband uses surface electromyography (sEMG) to detect tiny electrical signals from the muscles in your wrist as you move your fingers. This allows for discreet control, such as swiping with your thumb to navigate menus or pinching your fingers to select an item. During a live demo, Mark Zuckerberg showed how the band could be used to type out messages by mimicking writing on a surface. The wristband is water-resistant and has a claimed battery life of up to 18 hours.

More glasses, but not everything went to plan

Alongside the headlining device, Meta announced two other wearables. A second-generation version of the standard Ray-Ban Meta glasses (without a display) is available now for $379, featuring double the battery life and an upgraded camera that captures 3K video. Additionally, the company unveiled the Oakley Meta Vanguard, a $499 sport-focused model with a wraparound design and a centered camera, available for preorder.

However, the presentation wasn’t without its issues. Live demos of the new technology suffered from several glitches, which Zuckerberg and other presenters attributed to a poor Wi-Fi connection. In one instance, an AI-powered cooking assistant gave incorrect instructions, and in another, Zuckerberg failed multiple times to answer a video call using the Neural Band. “You practice these things like 100 times, and then you never know what’s going to happen,” he said.