Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2: Early reviews are in - what do they say?

Meta is back with a new pair of AI smart glasses, and the reviews are in.

To start, I should clarify that the reviews are for the second generation version of the Meta Ray-Ban glasses, which first debuted a couple of years ago. In other words, this is not the upcoming Meta Ray-Ban Display unit that has a display in one of the lenses. The ones we're looking at today have no display, but do come with onboard cameras and some AI features.

Anyway, several outlets have published early reviews of the new display-less Ray-Ban glasses and they have lots of positive things to say. From improved battery life to 3K video recording, it sounds like there's plenty to like about these glasses, even if their reception of the AI features is mixed.

Meta Ray-Ban second generation: What the critics are saying

Here's what everyone has to say about these new specs.

The new battery is a huge plus

First things first, let's talk longevity. Put simply, it sounds like Meta's biggest improvement from the first pair of Ray-Ban glasses comes in the form of longer battery life. Meta rates the new glasses at about eight hours of use on a single charge, though Engadget's Karissa Bell (also a Mashable alum) didn't get quite that much during stress testing.

"I was able to squeeze a little more than five and a half hours of continuous music playback," Bell wrote. "That's a noticeable step up from the battery on my original pair which, after two years, is starting to show its age."

Meanwhile, Scott Stein of CNET had better results under more normal usage circumstances. (CNET is owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis.)

"One day at Meta, the battery lasted from 8 a.m. to nearly 9 p.m. with occasional AI prompts, photos, videos, some music and phone calls. Another day, on a nonstop run to the airport with music and podcasts playing, it lasted from 9 a.m. breakfast to my 1 p.m. flight," Stein wrote. "Results varied day to day, but I'm no longer in the same battery-life panic with my glasses that I used to be."

The point is that the battery is better, even if it might depend on what you actually do with these glasses.

3K video recording is a nice bonus

Perhaps unfortunately, the still camera photography capabilities on the new Meta Ray-Ban glasses are unchanged. The cameras still come in at 12MP with a max resolution of 3024x4032. However, Meta packed in some exciting new video features this time around.

Specifically, you can now record videos in 3K resolution or 60 frames per second, but not both at the same time, sadly. I should also mention that reviewers didn't have access to the 60FPS option because it's coming in a software update. Still, James Pero of Gizmodo had very nice things to say about 3K video recording on the new Ray-Ban glasses.

"Where some edges used to be blurred and a little too smooth, the videos recorded in 3K feel like a more accurate slice of life," Pero wrote. "That’s not going to be important to everyone (a lot of people are just going to take still photos), but if you’re like me and you want to capture some beautiful foliage on a bike ride, the upgrade is welcome."

That said, not everyone was as impressed by the new video shooter. Michael L. Hicks of Android Central said the difference wasn't that noticeable. He also lightly took Meta to task for the lack of improvements to still photography.

"Honestly, I just wish we'd seen a photo quality boost, as well," Hicks wrote. "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."

AI features are hit-or-miss

Lastly, just like before, these glasses offer hands-free, voice-activated AI features. You can look at something with the camera and ask the voice assistant to identify it for you, as an example. Reviews were mixed on these features. Let's go to Hicks for more.

"Meta AI can be undeniably helpful for on-the-go questions, live translations, or Live AI. But I'd like it to be better at answering questions about the glasses themselves, such as telling me what video resolution is active or what the touchpad shortcuts are, rather than telling me where to look for myself," Hicks wrote. "And I hear the response 'I can't help with that, but I'm learning more every day!' if I ask it to do anything too complicated, such as 'Take a 15-second video.'"

Meanwhile, Stein over at CNET had trouble with its recognition functionality.

"While these glasses can describe your surroundings or offer supposedly helpful commentary by snapping a photo and analyzing it, the range of responses is unpredictable. Sometimes Meta is accurate; other times it just makes things up," Stein wrote. "Most days, I find myself having existential arguments with the on-glasses AI voice of Judi Dench (one of several voices you can choose from) about things like the stuffed animals my son is holding up on the sofa."

Live translation also sounds like a major perk here. Over at Engadget, Bell had positive things to say about her experiences with that feature, while noting that it can also be a huge battery drain.

"On a recent trip to Argentina, I used live translation to follow along with a walking tour of the famous Recoleta cemetery. It wasn't perfect — the feature is meant more for back-and-forth conversations rather than extended monologues — but it allowed me to participate in a tour I would have otherwise had to skip," Bell wrote.

All in all, it sounds like these new Meta glasses are a decent upgrade over the original, especially when it comes to longevity. However, if you want to feel really futuristic, you might want to wait for the Ray-Ban Display glasses instead.