Meta Ray-Ban Display and everything else unveiled at Meta Connect 2025 (techcrunch.com)

At Meta Connect 2025 Mark Zuckerberg unveiled three new AI-enabled smart glasses and a wristband controller as Meta doubles down on wearables: Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2), Ray-Ban Display with the Meta Neural Band, and Oakley Meta Vanguard. The keynote highlighted advances—Meta claims 2M Gen 1 sales—and ambitious features, but also suffered an awkward Live AI demo failure that underscored real-world reliability challenges. Notably, Meta prioritized glasses over new Quest VR hardware this year, signaling a strategic push to make AR wearables the company’s next consumer frontier. Technically the lineup raises the bar for on-body AI input and display. Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 boosts battery to ~8 hours, supports ultra-HD 3K video (twice the sharpness of Gen 1), and introduces “conversation focus” and a power-hungry Live AI assistant (1–2 hour practical runtime); price $379. The Ray-Ban Display adds a right-lens HUD for apps and directions and ships with the Meta Neural Band—a surface electromyography (sEMG) wrist strap that decodes fine finger gestures (air-writing to compose messages); price $799, ships Sept. 30. Oakley Meta Vanguard targets athletes with a single front lens, 12MP/122° camera, up to 3K video, IP67, ~9-hour battery (6h continuous music) plus a charging case providing 36 extra hours; price $499, on sale Oct. 21. The lineup showcases meaningful sensor and UI innovation (sEMG input, lens HUDs) but faces key hurdles—battery/energy limits, app ecosystem, privacy and social acceptance—if Meta hopes to nudge users away from smartphones.