From Engadget · Ian Carlos Campbell · · 2m
Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3: Modest upgrades, steep price
Meta's newest smart glasses add battery life and microphones but cost $70 more than the previous model.
In brief
Meta's newest smart glasses add battery life and microphones but cost $70 more than the previous model. Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses offer longer battery life and better microphones than Gen 2, but at a higher price that makes upgrading difficult for existing users. Originally reported by Engadget.
Meta's new flagship smart glasses
Meta announced Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 at Meta Connect 2026, alongside camera-free options. The Gen 3 carries over improvements from recent updates with new features mostly relying on software rather than hardware changes.
Battery life and microphone upgrades
The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 lasts up to nine hours on a charge, one hour more than Gen 2, and up to fifty hours with its charging case, two hours more than Gen 2's forty-eight hours.
Better audio with six microphones
Gen 3 adds a sixth microphone, one more than Gen 2. Meta says the extra mic and redesigned layout improve background noise reduction for calls and AI interactions. Support for Dolby Atmos spatial audio recording launches later in 2026.
New action button and frame styles
Gen 3 adds an action button that summons Meta AI, acts as a capture button, or shortcuts other features. Two new frame styles debut: Aviator with thick frames in translucent and tortoiseshell colors, and Zena with a cat-eye shape.
Slightly smaller but heavier design
The Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Gen 3 measures one hundred twenty-nine millimetres hinge to hinge, down from one hundred thirty-one millimetres on Gen 2. Temples are one hundred forty-nine millimetres versus one hundred fifty millimetres. Gen 3 weighs fifty-one point five grams versus fifty-one grams.
Software features come to older models
Most features announced with Gen 3 will be available on older Gen 2 models, including FDA-cleared hearing enhancement, Muse AI agent access, and dynamic photo capture that takes multiple shots for you to choose the best framing.
Higher price makes upgrade difficult
Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 starts at four hundred forty-nine dollars, seventy dollars more than Gen 2. Combined with most new software features coming to Gen 2, upgrading is hard to justify for existing users.
“$449, $70 more than the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2”
The big picture
Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses offer longer battery life and better microphones than Gen 2, but at a higher price that makes upgrading difficult for existing users.
