Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
Following the success of the Meta Ray-Bans, the company partnered with luxury eyewear brand Oakley, appealing to an entirely new demographic of users -- athletes and outdoorsy types who appreciate a more rugged pair of shades.
Both smart glasses have built-in speakers, mics, cameras, and AI, with the same functionalities for capturing videos and audio playback, be that music, a phone call, or the Meta AI assistant. However, there are some major differences in specs and design to provide users with different experiences for different environments.
Also: I took a walk with Meta's new Oakley smart glasses - they beat my Ray-Bans in every way
I should mention the Meta Oakley HSTN Limited Edition smart glasses retail for $499, which is $200 more than the starting price of the Meta Ray-Bans. $500 is a hefty investment for any pair of glasses, so if you're wondering if they're worth the extra cash, check out my breakdown below.
You should buy the Meta Oakley smart glasses if…
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
1. You want a higher battery capacity
Despite being a big fan of the Meta Ray-Bans, my biggest critique was their unimpressive battery life. At four hours, the Meta Ray-Bans aren't enough to last through an entire workday, which is especially limiting for basic features like listening to audio or accessing the voice assistant. In that sense, the biggest advantage of the Meta Oakleys is the eight-hour battery life.
While I haven't been able to test the battery life in the same way I could the Ray-Bans (wearing sunglasses for eight hours straight isn't exactly practical), I have worn them for hours at a time on multiple sessions and did not run out of battery, whereas with my Ray-Bans, it feels like the countdown begins right after I put them on.
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