Meta Oakley smart glasses debut with 3K video, $499 price tag

On Friday, Meta announced the upcoming launch of its newest smart glasses, part of a collaboration with Oakley. The Oakley Meta HSTN will be available for preorder starting July 11 and they’ll retail for $499.

A press release states, "Our first product for athletes and fans alike, Oakley Meta HSTN (pronounced HOW-stuhn), based on the HSTN style of Oakley glasses, combines bold aesthetics with cutting-edge tech."

Meta calls the new wearable AI Performance Glasses, and they have some key differences from the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses that are already available.

Some of the key upgrades with the Meta Oakley glasses include:

• A longer battery life: Eight hours (or 19 hours on standby).

• An improved camera: The smart glasses offer Ultra HD 3K video.

• Onboard AI assistant: Users can “get answers to a range of questions.”

Like the Meta Ray-Bans, the new glasses will have an IPX4 water resistance rating and come with a charging case. Users can use the Bluetooth smart glasses to listen to music, take pictures, and record video.

We knew these glasses were coming, and Meta finally unveiled its collaboration with Oakley in a splashy video campaign on Friday. The video featured athletes such as Stephen Curry and Kylian Mbappé, as well as several surfers and skateboarders.

In the promo video, Curry says, “This is gonna change everything.”

OK, Curry.

That’s a bold, hyperbolic claim, but in line with comments made by Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is a big believer in smart glasses — the founder has even predicted this technology will one day replace mobile phones.

Zuckerberg has been the biggest booster of Meta’s smart glasses, and he often wears the glasses during panels and events. Like other leading tech companies, Meta is investing heavily in its smart glasses tech.

Samsung and Google are both working on their own smart glasses technology, both separately and together. Apple is also rumored to be exploring smart glasses.