Meta brings displays to Ray-Ban glasses with Neural Band control

Meta Ray-Ban

At Connect 2025, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled what Meta calls the “next exciting evolution” of AI eyewear: the Meta Ray-Ban Display and the accompanying Meta Neural Band.

The new glasses are Meta’s boldest bet yet on making AI wearables mainstream. They look like a pair of Ray-Bans but pack in a high-resolution, full-colour in-lens display. Instead of gluing you to a phone, the idea is to give you quick-glance access to messages, directions, captions, translations, and even step-by-step AI help.

What sets them apart is the Neural Band — a wrist-worn controller that uses EMG (electromyography) to pick up tiny signals from your muscles. Subtle thumb swipes or pinches let you scroll, adjust volume, or move through tasks without reaching for your glasses or phone. Meta pitches it as “magic” — an interface you barely notice using.

Each pair includes Transitions® lenses, up to six hours of mixed-use battery life (with 30 more from the charging case), and a surprisingly light 69g frame. They come in black or sand, in two frame sizes, starting at $799 (around Rs 67,000). The launch is limited to the US this September, with Canada, France, Italy, and the UK following in early 2026.

Functionally, the glasses extend the playbook from Meta’s earlier Ray-Ban collaboration. AI visuals now mean you can see translations in real time, get turn-by-turn walking navigation, check WhatsApp messages privately, and even take video calls that stream your point of view. There’s also live captions, music playback controls, a camera viewfinder with zoom, and previews of photos and videos. Future updates promise Instagram Reels support and handwriting recognition via the Neural Band.

The design story is as important as the tech. Meta and EssilorLuxottica slimmed down the batteries, reworked hinges with titanium, curved the frames for comfort, and made sure the glasses still look like fashion-first Ray-Bans. The display itself uses a custom light engine with 42 pixels per degree — sharper than anything else in a consumer form factor. Importantly, only 2% of the light leaks out, keeping the private display discreet.

The pitch is clear: this isn’t AR goggles, nor a phone strapped to your face. Meta wants the glasses to sit comfortably in the space between — quick interactions that don’t pull you out of the real world. Whether that strikes the right balance between utility, style, and social acceptance will determine if Meta has finally cracked the formula for everyday AI glasses.