Meta Expands Smart Glasses Lineup, Claims Lead in AI Wearables as Sales Triple

Meta Platforms Inc. unveiled an expanded family of AI-enabled smart glasses at its Menlo Park headquarters, including display-equipped Ray-Ban models starting at $799, as the company positions itself atop the emerging wearables market. EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban's parent, said it sold 7 million pairs of AI-enabled glasses in 2025, with Meta's sales tripling year-over-year. Meta also announced a 100-gram virtual reality headset priced at $1,299, slated to ship in spring 2027. The company's flagship camera-enabled Ray-Bans cost $449, while new audio-only models start at $349. Meta's wearables chief Alex Himel said customers use smart features only about 10% of the time, making fashion and weight critical design priorities. The push faces privacy scrutiny: Meta is defending multiple proposed class-action lawsuits alleging it sent user footage, including personal material, to third-party human reviewers. The company denies the claims and has introduced isolated cloud storage for sensitive data. Analysts expect AI wearables to remain tethered to smartphones for at least five to 10 years due to battery constraints.