Will Meta’s Bet on Practical AI Glasses Pay Off in the Long Run?

Are they a breakthrough in wearable tech? Just another pair of smart glasses? Or a product destined to struggle for relevance? Meta’s Ray-Ban Display promises everyday utility with AI integration, but winning over consumers will be the real test.

The company recently unveiled its $799 Ray-Ban Display smart glasses at Meta Connect 2025, presenting them as a practical tool for everyday tasks rather than a futuristic headset, as PYMNTS reported.

What Meta Is Offering

The Ray-Ban Display includes a small display in one lens and a Neural Band wrist controller that converts subtle finger movements into commands. The glasses are designed for quick interactions such as reading a message, navigating a map or translating a conversation. Battery life is estimated at six hours on a charge and up to 30 hours with the carrying case.

Meta already sells the Ray-Ban Gen 2 at about $379 and the Oakley Meta Vanguard at about $499. Those products helped normalize camera-equipped eyewear and gave Meta shelf space in optical retail channels. The new Display model builds on that momentum while moving further into artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted tasks.

Targeting Lifestyle Adopters

“Glasses are the only form factor where you can let an AI see what you see, hear what you hear, talk to you throughout the day,” Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg reportedly said at the developer conference. IDC has said Meta’s second-generation Ray-Ban models have already “taken consumers by storm,” helping shift smart glasses from novelty items to everyday wearables

Consumer adoption is still niche, but interest is rising. According to Forrester, approximately 17% of U.S. online adults reported using smart glasses in 2025, up from 4% in 2024. A follow-up pulse survey across the U.S., U.K. and Canada found 20% expressed interest in Meta’s new Ray-Ban Display, though only about 6% said they were likely to buy. Forrester notes that while affordability has improved and people are less bothered about being filmed in public than a decade ago, smart glasses still need to prove their value beyond what smartphones already offer.

The Display is not expected to displace Oculus Quest headsets. Quest continues to target immersive gaming and entertainment, while the Display serves as an on-ramp for lighter daily use. It serves as a casual gateway to immersive experiences, rather than a replacement for deep VR. Meta is running parallel strategies, keeping Quest for full VR while using smart glasses to broaden the entry point.

The Market Landscape

Shipments of smart glasses and headsets are expected to accelerate as consumers adopt the technology. According to IDC, the combined market for AR and VR devices is expected to expand nearly 40% in 2025 to approximately 14.3 million units, with much of the growth driven by utility devices rather than full augmented reality devices. There are many levels of augmented reality devices, as well as price points.

For example, Apple’s Vision Pro retails for approximately $3,500 and is designed for high-end immersive computing. Reports indicate Apple is working on lighter and less expensive versions as well as a distinct glasses product that may arrive as soon as 2026 or 2027. Google has scaled back its consumer eyewear projects, Microsoft has narrowed HoloLens to enterprise and defense, and Snap is preparing a consumer AR release expected in 2026.

IDC estimates that Meta accounted for roughly 60% of the global market for display-less smart glasses, along with AR and VR headsets, in the second quarter of 2025. From late 2023 through mid-2025, the company shipped more than 3.5 million pairs of Ray-Ban smart glasses. IDC expects the market for smart glasses without displays to reach 9.4 million units in 2025, a 247.5 percent increase from 2024, with most of that growth driven by Meta.

Tech companies still need to convince consumers that smart glasses are worth hundreds of dollars when smartphones already handle similar functions. As Forrester observed, AI integration has opened new possibilities, but widespread adoption may take several years as habits shift.

As PYMNTS has reported, sales of Ray-Ban Meta glasses more than tripled in the first half of 2025, rising more than 200 percent compared with the prior year. The holiday season will provide the first real test. The Display is likely to appeal to early adopters and gift buyers, while the Ray-Ban Gen 2 and Oakley Vanguard are better positioned for volume sales. A strong performance could help offset slowing Quest sales, which contributed to more than $4 billion in Reality Labs losses in the first half of 2025.

Risk and Long-Term Stakes

Meta’s approach comes with significant risks. Technical glitches during Connect presentations raised doubts about the reliability of the device. Privacy concerns remain equally pressing. Civil liberties groups warn that camera-equipped eyewear could act as wearable surveillance, and while Meta has added visible recording lights and stricter disclosure policies, skepticism lingers. The company must prove that its devices can perform consistently while navigating scrutiny from regulators wary of how data is collected and used.

At the same time, the strategic opportunity is clear. If consumers shift even small daily tasks from smartphones to glasses, Meta could reduce its dependence on rival phone platforms and embed its Llama-based AI more deeply into daily life. Adoption at the $799 price point is uncertain, but Meta’s lower-cost models may broaden appeal. Much will depend on day-to-day reliability, evolving privacy rules and Apple’s next steps with lighter or more affordable devices.