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Recently, I've been documenting more of my life with the Meta Ray-Bans than with my phone. Maybe it's the fact that I'm not shoving a camera in front of friends and family, or perhaps they're not catching the pulsing white indicator whenever I hit the record button on the glasses, but the footage I've gotten has felt more genuine, natural, and truly representative of those precious moments in time.
While much progress has been made with smart glasses in 2025, many of which make the Meta Ray-Bans appear less capable, I would still put my money on the latest model to sell the most during the holiday season.
Also: Missed out on Meta Ray-Ban Display? Verizon is selling the smart glasses now, but act fast
At a starting rate of $379, they're $80 more expensive than their predecessor, but still competitive compared to the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display. After testing the second-gen glasses over the past month, I've settled on two takeaways, both of which are good news for Meta and consumers like you.
1. The upgrades are worth it for these users
There's not a lot that separates the first- and second-gen Meta Ray-Bans, but the few differences do matter, especially if you're a content creator.
First, an enhanced 12MP camera sensor can now capture in 3K (3024 x 4032) resolution at 30fps or 1080p at up to 60fps. With the sharper video recording, I've found footage to appear less noisy and colors to be more accurate, resolving two of the issues I had with the original Meta Ray-Bans.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Meta says the new glasses' image stabilization has improved, and I believe it. When comparing footage to the previous model, there's a noticeable lack of shakiness as I'm walking and bobbing my head. For content creators who want higher-quality POV shots without losing the convenience of the smart glasses form factor, the new Ray-Bans get the job done.
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