# Meta's slimmest headset may have leaked early

> Firmware files appear to show Project Phoenix, a glasses-shaped Meta headset with a wired compute puck.
- Title: Meta's slimmest headset may have leaked early · The Verge
- Summary: Firmware files appear to show Project Phoenix, a glasses-shaped Meta headset with a wired compute puck. Meta looks set to slot a slim, tethered headset…
- Keywords: meta, wearables, leaks, technology, culture, Meta's, slimmest, headset, may, leaked, early, The Verge
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/tech/994055/meta-project-phoenix-headset-leak
- Author: Stevie Bonifield
- Published: 2026-09-11T15:38:31+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: meta, vr, xr, wearables, leaks, technology, culture
## A leak right before Connect
UploadVR posted images that appear to show Meta's "Project Phoenix" headset, roughly two weeks before Meta Connect opens on September 23rd.
## Found inside firmware
The images came out of the HorizonOS Prescription Lens firmware package, according to UploadVR, rather than any official Meta reveal.

> found in the HorizonOS Prescription Lens firmware package
## Aimed at Xreal and Viture
The design suggests Meta wants a piece of the mixed reality glasses market, where rivals sit above Ray-Ban smart glasses but below a full Quest 3.
## Neither glasses nor headset
Lenses are set into a slim, glasses-style frame. It is much smaller than Meta's other headsets without pretending to be ordinary eyewear.

> almost in between larger headsets and smart glasses
## A wire out the earpiece
A shot from behind shows a cable running from one earpiece, likely to a battery or compute puck. Outward- and downward-facing cameras appear in the earpieces too.
## Not this year, and not alone
Project Phoenix has been in development a while and is not expected until next year. Google is building Project Aura XR glasses with a similar wired puck.
## Key takeaway

Meta looks set to slot a slim, tethered headset between its smart glasses and the Quest, with a launch still a year out.