Testing the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 glasses for the past week, after two years of wearing the original Ray-Ban Metas on and off, has made it immediately clear that Meta significantly improved these glasses in key ways — but left the core experience (and some of my old complaints) unchanged.
Meta handed out the Gen 2s like candy at Connect 2025, making me the unexpected owner of the Shiny Cosmic Blue Wayfarer Gen 2 frames with Transitions lenses.
Switching from my old Matte Black Gen 1 sunglasses allows me to use them around the house or for evening runs, which I love.
But these extra sessions, enhanced by better battery life, also give me more opportunities to notice these smart glasses' pain points.
My full review will come in a few weeks after more testing. But for anyone deciding now whether to upgrade or keep using their current pair, my early impressions can help you decide.
Battery life is the Gen 2 star
When I first started using my 2023 Ray-Bans, they typically lasted about three hours with music streaming, frequent photos, and the occasional phone call or command. By early 2025, when I ran a half-marathon wearing them, they barely lasted two hours. Having a strong Gen 2 baseline will be important to new buyers, who know the capacity will fade with time.
So far, the Gen 2s use up about 20% capacity per hour, including one 3K video, frequent Meta AI commands, and high-volume music streaming to combat outdoor ambience. A two-hour run left me at 60% capacity, while a one-hour run the next day left me at 79%.
Using them indoors at a lower volume, with Meta AI commands turned off to conserve power, the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2s were at 69% after two hours — very efficient! Then, a two-minute phone call and filming my cat in 3K for another minute cut another 8% power, so take that into account.
I don't believe you could consistently use these for all-day audio streaming, unless you're willing to take them off once or twice for a quick top-off in the charging case. But it's much better than before, and the 50% recharge in 20 minutes helps.
Overall, the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 battery boost makes me much more likely to wear them for an outing or work event, knowing they won't become a pointless face-weight after a couple of hours.
These glasses don't feel THAT different, but they'll keep changing
Around the Oakley Meta Vanguard launch in late October, Meta will push several new updates to the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2s: slow motion and hyperlapse videos, Garmin/ Strava integration for real-time workout stats, "conversation focus" mode to enhance the voice of whomever you're speaking with, and new voice command shortcuts like "Photo" without the Meta AI wake word.
Meta has also promised that the Ray-Ban Gen 2s will be able to shoot in 1200p resolution at 60 FPS, but the option isn't available yet. Meta has even opened up its "Wearable Device Access Toolkit" so that devs can integrate Meta AI glasses directly with their third-party apps — but we probably won't see the results until 2026 or later.
Aside from battery life, the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2s don't feel that different today. But all of the above features make me optimistic that they'll feel more "next-gen" soon.
On that note, even though the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 glasses offer "over 2x more pixels" than the last generation for video recording, the difference doesn't feel that stark. You can notice more details and less compression in side-by-side videos if you look closely, at least..
But Nick, who tested the identical cameras on the Oakley Meta HSTNs, agrees with me that the image stabilization is fantastic at 1080p, creating a super-smooth, gliding video while running fast that almost recreates the effect of a dolly shot in movies. So I find myself preferring that mode; maybe the 1200p 60FPS mode will feel like a nice, smoother compromise between the two, once that arrives.
Honestly, I just wish we'd seen a photo quality boost, as well. The unchanged 3024 X 4032 resolution is still great in ideal conditions, but I'd still like to see better low-light quality, color balancing that's not quite so oversaturated, or some kind of optical zoom (if that's feasible in glasses form) when the Gen 3s arrive in a couple of years.
The cons and nitpicks that you'll have to live with
With my last Ray-Bans, I wore a "Large" pair that put less pressure on my face but wasn't well-fitted, so it slid down my face while walking (or running, especially). With this pair, I got the Standard size, and now they stay firmly in place for a ten-mile run, no matter how sweaty I get.
That's great, but now that I'm wearing them on consecutive days instead of sporadic weekends, the better fit also puts more pressure on my nose bridge and ears. Even though the Gen 2s only weigh about 2g more — a fair trade-off for the battery boost — not everyone will enjoy that extra weight for long-term wear.
The design blends in much better than the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, and I like their style more than the Oakley HSTNs, but not everyone will agree with me. For example, my fiancée isn't a fan, whether on her face or mine.
Meta AI can be undeniably helpful for on-the-go questions, live translations, or Live AI. But it's limited for things like what video resolution is active, what the touchpad shortcuts are, which apps are connected, or to "take a 15-second video." It'll either tell you where to look on your phone or respond, "I can't help with that, but I'm learning more every day!"
The integrations with current music and messaging apps are pretty good, if a bit slow to work; I could call certain contacts or pull up a specific music playlist or song if I remembered the name. But Meta is working at a disadvantage compared to future Samsung or Apple glasses that'll have closer system integration with your phone.
The Gen 2s deliver rich audio, but not noticeably improved from last generation, and you typically need to turn it up to higher volumes. The real issue, though, is the audio bleed: My fiancée confirmed she can hear a song's melody at about 50% volume and can clearly make out the lyrics at higher volumes. These glasses aren't best suited for open-space offices.
I've been spoiled by my open-ear Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds, which look much dorkier but have more targeted sound that goes directly into your ears for less bleed, along with several modes like bass boost, voice, or Dolby Audio to customize the sound to your tastes. I'd love for Meta to offer something similar.
Ultimately, the millions of people who bought the first Ray-Ban Meta will like the Gen 2s just as much, while anyone turned off by the noticeably thick frames and obvious camera cutouts won't find anything that different to tempt them.
I gravitate toward the sporty Vanguard design with its IP67 water resistance and nose pads, but my Transitions Ray-Bans are better suited for any environment or time of day, and they're more affordable, too. The Gen 2s are where most smart glasses newbies or vets should start.
The Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) glasses come in Wayfarer, Headliner, or Skyler styles starting at $379, with an $30 surcharge for polarized lenses, $80 for Transitions, and an additional cost for prescription inserts. You get stronger battery life and higher-res videos than the first-gen models.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
