Meta Glasses review: A bit less polish, a lot more baggage

Published 20 July 2026 · tech

In terms of functionality, there isn't much of a difference between Meta's newest glasses and the rest of its Gen 2 lineup. The latest glasses

In terms of functionality, there isn't much of a difference between Meta's newest glasses and the rest of its Gen 2 lineup. The latest glasses have the same 12-megapixel camera and microphone setup as other recent models. Meta says the glasses have "more than eight hours" of battery life, but it really depends on how intensely you're using them. I tended to get closer to four and a half hours on a charge if I was listening to music pretty consistently. The newest frames also have the same action button as the Ray-Ban Meta Optics glasses. This is a programmable button that you can set as a shortcut for a specific command to Meta's assistant. I like to set mine to read my latest text messages, but you can also use it to quickly access almost any feature, including translation abilities or to capture different styles of video.

Speaking of the camera, Meta recently added a "dynamic capture" setting that's kind of like Meta's version of a live photo. When enabled, it allows the camera to capture a burst of several photos at once and then you can choose the frame you like best later, or you can view them with a bit of animation like you would a native live image. I don't shoot a ton of photos with my glasses, but I could see how it can be useful for capturing moments with kids or pets when there might be a lot of motion in the frame. Karissa Bell for Engadget Meta has also previewed a new pedestrian navigation feature that can help you get around with audio cues. Walking directions was a neat feature in Meta's display glasses, so I've been curious to see how well it will work in an audio-only format.

Unfortunately, the feature isn't available yet so I haven't been able to actually try it. I'm often surprised when I chat with people who own a pair of Meta-branded glasses that they don't use the AI features much, if at all. I think this is because those capabilities aren't necessarily obvious with most day-to-day use, but also some of the more advanced features, like Live AI, can still feel like more of a novelty than something most people actually need. If you do want to use Meta AI on the glasses, it's now powered by the company's latest model, Muse Spark. I've found that the update has generally led to a smoother and more capable assistant. It's also worth considering that Meta seems to want to tie some of its glasses' AI experiences to its new subscription offerings.

So far, the only glasses-specific feature that's been rate-limited is Conversation Focus, which can amp up the volume of someone speaking to make in-person conversations easier to hear in noisy environments. Anyone who wants to use the feature for more than three hours a month must pay for a $20/month Meta One plan. While that's the only subscription-based feature for now, I fully expect to see more paywalled features from Meta by the end of the year.