Meta and Ray-Ban hope to change all this with the release of their range of smart glasses and smart sunglasses.
I tried a pair of the Ray-Ban smart glasses when they were launched to see if they provide a glimpse into the future.
What’s so special about Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses?
You can take pictures, live stream, listen to music, and take calls via a range of touch controls on the arms of the glasses or by using voice commands.
AI updates are promised next year which will supposedly allow the glasses to perform additional tasks, including identifying landmarks in front of you and translating signs.
When I got hold of a pair, I used the QR code on the box to download the app which stores all your photos and videos, and I was ready to put them through their paces.
Ray-Ban smart glasses at a glance
'Iconic Ray-Ban style'
On first look, these Meta glasses offer that iconic Ray-Ban style and are hard to distinguish from their non-smart counterparts.
Previous versions of smart glasses have veered toward an unnatural cyborg-look, but not these.
Give them a closer inspection and you'll notice the small cameras in the front, slightly thicker arms and heavier feel.
I opted for clear Wayfarers, but you can also get them in dark, transition and prescription lenses, as well as a range of frame colours, including matte black, shiny caramel, and matte jeans.
It feels like Ray-Ban have sought to make the price point of these glasses accessible. An original pair of Wayfarers can range anywhere between £147 and £223, while the smart glasses start at £299.
No sooner had I paired the Meta glasses with my phone, my girlfriend called and I answered on them while preparing our dinner. You can obviously talk hands-free with headphones too, but if you’re wearing the glasses anyway, it provides quite a seamless experience.
However, it did make me think that I'm going to look a little strange wandering around outside and talking to seemingly no one. We’ve become used to this with people wearing earbuds, but we don’t yet live in a world where people chatting away to their specs has become the norm.
When it comes to making and receiving calls then, these smart glasses are quite good in private but potentially a little strange in public.
Do they take good photos and videos?
Before heading into the Which? office, I went for a walk around my local park to get a few snaps with my new Ray Ban smart glasses. I used the button on top as I didn’t want to alarm too many people by suddenly declaring ‘OK Meta. Take a picture.’
I enjoyed the experience of taking photos at the touch of a button, but you have to remember to hold still for a couple of seconds to ensure that pictures don't end up blurry.
As for the video features on the smart glasses, again, it takes some getting used to. Slower head movements help to create steadier video footage, but it can also leave you looking like you're scanning the area like the Terminator.
There are obvious privacy concerns about these glasses which Meta has tried to circumnavigate with a bright light on the side that shines while filming and live streaming.
I’m in two minds about it. It’s long been an ambition of mine to take more videos and I like the fact that you can do so easily with smart glasses. They seem ready-made for festivals and outdoor events.
However, is a light enough to indicate to others that they’re being filmed - especially if you’re live streaming straight to social media? Again, I felt comfortable in private settings but wouldn't be as relaxed in public.
As for the final quality, I was impressed. The smart glasses produced photos and videos with good clarity and detail as you can see below.
'Music started blaring out in my quiet office'
Going into work wearing the Meta glasses, my colleagues didn't immediately know they had smart capabilities. Some simply asked when I'd started wearing glasses.
It became much more obvious when I gave them a tap and music started blaring out in a quiet Which? Office.
According to Ray-Ban ‘everything is for your ears only’, but at full volume, the sound leaks out quite significantly. This made me think back to the slightly irritated glances I was getting on the tube in the morning when playing music.
You can turn the volume up and down by swiping the right-hand side, and play and pause with a tap.
Now to check the battery life. Four hours of use is what Ray-Ban says you can expect, and I found this to be almost exactly right when I streamed music through them continuously.
When the battery ran down, I put them inside the charging case (which also looks super stylish) and they were back up to full power within an hour. They also fast charge to 50% within 20 minutes.
The case should charge your glasses up eight times before it needs to be plugged in itself via the USB port.
Where can I buy these smart glasses?
Are the new Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses worth it?
When you get a shiny new piece of tech, the excitement starts off high before starting to fade. However, for me, there was a lot to like about the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
I loved the ability to slip them on and capture a few videos and pictures that I wouldn’t have taken otherwise.
These included a special moment at my Mum’s birthday celebration where I shot a video of her retelling the story of how she met my Dad almost 50 years ago. She'd have started to feel too self-conscious if I was pointing my phone at her.
I appreciated the hands-free call feature and listening to music without uncomfortable earbuds was a bonus. They also look fantastic.
On the other hand, sly filming, talking seemingly to no one while out and about on a call and music leaking out the sides are all potential pitfalls of using them in public.
I bought the clear frames so that I could use them indoors, but this wouldn’t be the case if you opted for a pair of the sunglasses, which make up the bulk of the products on offer.
While they’re not for everyone and privacy concerns remain, plenty of people will find a lot to like about these glasses as I did.
We're planning on keeping hold of them to take photos and videos of our tests in the Which? lab and to check how the promised AI updates add to the user experience. We'll let you know.
We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available. Pricing and availability last checked: 10 November 2023.source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/are-the-new-ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses-worth-it-aSfxq9j3vg7D