EssilorLuxottica and Meta present a new generation of AI glasses
On the sidelines of the Meta Connect event, EssilorLuxottica and Meta Platforms unveiled a new generation of smart glasses. The two partners continue to develop a product category that they have been jointly exploiting since the launch of Ray-Ban Stories five years ago.
Three product lines presented at Meta Connect
EssilorLuxottica and Meta revealed several new products at the Meta Connect event on September 24, 2026. The range is enriched with a new audio glasses offering (Ray-Ban Meta Audio), without photo or video camera, presented by the two companies as the thinnest and lightest in the lineup (43 grams), available in Clubmaster and Burbank models.
The partners also presented the third generation of Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3), available in 27 color and lens combinations, including Aviator, Zena and Wayfarer models. Two additional models (Capri and Nova) were announced as part of the Meta Glasses line, with styles designed in collaboration with artist LISA. According to the two companies, the range will include more than 100 different styles of AI glasses by the end of the year.
New features and geographic expansion of distribution
The two companies announced the arrival of Muse, Meta's personal AI agent, across the entire range, initially in the United States. Other features include a dynamic mode and landscape reframing for the camera, Dolby Atmos sound, as well as Hearing Enhancement, an FDA-approved software feature for adults experiencing perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, available in the United States.
On the distribution front, EssilorLuxottica plans to expand access to these products to new markets in the coming months, including Poland, Portugal, Israel, South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Meta Ray-Ban Display, already available in the United Kingdom and Canada, will open preorders progressively starting September 24, 2026, beginning with France, Italy and Germany, through a selection of retail points.
Privacy: connected glasses under increased scrutiny
This expansion comes in a context of growing concerns about privacy and the use of connected glasses equipped with sensors. The CNIL believes that these devices present particular difficulties in informing people that they are being filmed or recorded and recommends in particular turning them off when asked to turn off one's phone, as well as avoiding their use in places where people do not expect to be recorded.
According to Reuters, the French authority has also received fewer than ten complaints related to the use of connected glasses at work and is increasingly being questioned by companies about the possibility of banning their use. Restrictions already exist abroad: some British cinemas have banned connected glasses, the courts of England and Wales have prohibited the use of Meta glasses, while Oslo has banned them in schools. Australia is meanwhile studying a possible ban on connected glasses equipped with cameras in government workplaces.
