Meta’s summer sale drops Ray-Ban’s new smart glasses to record-low prices
If you’re curious about Ray-Ban’s Meta smart glasses, they’re currently on sale during Meta’s biggest sales event outside of Black Friday. As part of the company’s Summer Sale event, which runs through May 26, the original model is on sale starting at $224.25 ($74 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Meta, which is its best price yet. The newer, second-generation glasses are also discounted, and you can pick up a pair for $322.25 ($57 off), which is a new low price, at Amazon, Best Buy, and at Meta.
No matter which model you buy, you get largely the same basic experience. As far as smart glasses go, both are pretty sleek and look like a normal pair of Ray-Bans. They also offer the same set of features, allowing you to take 1080p photos and short videos hands-free, as well as live stream directly to Instagram or Facebook. Both glasses also double as surprisingly capable open-back headphones, with speaker quality ideal for listening to music while still allowing you to remain aware of your surroundings. You can also take calls via a five-mic array that helps keep your voice clear.
You also have access to all the features of Meta’s AI assistant. If you’re planning to travel this summer, for example, the assistant can translate supported languages like Spanish, French, and Italian in real time and answer questions about the landmarks you’re looking at. They can also be useful in everyday life, helping you think of recipes based on the ingredients you already have in your fridge, reminding you of upcoming appointments, scanning QR codes, and more.
The main difference is that the newer model records sharper 3K video at 30fps, compared to 1440 x 1920 at 30fps, resulting in slightly sharper video and improved image quality. The Gen 2 can also last up to eight hours of heavy use, double that of the original pair, and means you can probably wear them comfortably all day before recharging.
