Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
The Meta Ray-Bans have been a success since their launch, with consumers (like me) drawn to their regular form factor packed with mics, cameras, speakers, and AI. Now, Meta is catering to a more athletic audience with its new Meta Oakley smart glasses -- and with them, it has upped the ante across nearly every spec.
As a glasses wearer, photo fanatic, and AI reporter, it was an absolute no-brainer for me to purchase the Meta Ray-Bans. After months of trying them, I was mostly impressed. My biggest qualm was the battery life, which only lasted four hours.
So, when Meta announced the Oakley version would have eight hours of battery life, I was immediately intrigued. I spent one day with the Meta Oakley HSTN Limited Edition, and they exceeded my expectations.
First and foremost: more power
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
There are many practical reasons an athlete would want to wear smart glasses, including hands-free access to music, messages, AI assistance, a camera, and video. However, this means that the glasses have to be comfortable, durable, and have a battery that lasts the duration of your activity.
Also: Your Meta Ray-Bans just got a major feature upgrade for free - and it feels surreal
Meta executed on all of these fronts with Meta Oakley HTSN Limited Edition glasses, packing an eight-hour battery life from a single charge (up from four on the Meta Ray-Bans) and up to 48 hours with the fully charged carrying case, according to Meta.
To accommodate outdoor activities in all terrains, the glasses have an IPX4 water resistance rating, a step-up in durability from the Ray-Bans. The video quality is also higher, capturing 3K video, up from 1080p on the Meta Ray-Bans.
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