Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) Reivew: Technically an upgrade

A few years ago, smart glasses were still a novelty defined by the spirit of Google Glass and niche products like Snap’s often overlooked spectacle. But times have changed, and now meta is the most important gravitational force in space. With its newfound hardware relevance, it’s not just looking to win by being the first major player to popularize the category; it looks to be productive. It is looking for more smart glasses, and a lot of them.

One of the newest side effects of that blanket approach is the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) – yes, count them, three generations. It’s hard to believe we’re already here, but here we are, and with another iteration of Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the world, things are starting to get a little iterative.

A small upgrade, but an upgrade nonetheless

The list of what’s the same in the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) smart glasses is longer and more striking than the list of what’s new. In this generation, which starts at $449, you get the same 12MP camera with up to 3K video capture, the same AI feature set, the same controls, the same general in-your-face feel, the same (albeit very good) audio quality, and the same existential dread that comes with a Meta product. All of this leads to the logical next question: What exactly makes this a new product other than the number 3 instead of 2?

First there is the battery. Meta has extended the battery life of the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) by one hour, this go-around to nine hours max. The nine-hour figure, it should be noted, is with general/mixed use, meaning it varies greatly depending on what you do with your glasses and for how long. One of the first things I did when I tried the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) was put that battery life to the test, and it looks like you really get some extra juice.

While the previous generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses logged around five hours of battery life with constant audio playback, my testing would suggest that the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) gets around six. After an hour of testing music playback on the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) at about 60% volume, the smart glasses dropped from 100% to 85%, which corresponds to more than six hours in total. Not a huge improvement, but an improvement.

Another feature that Meta has worked on in this generation is calling, which was already quite good in previous generations. Specifically, Meta says it includes one more microphone in the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) smart glasses, for a grand total of six, which is intended to better cancel background noise, cutting it by as much as 90%. Of course, I put this to the test as well, and the results were…not great.

Previous generations were rock solid with environmental noise cancellation (I had conversations in the middle of Midtown Manhattan without people knowing I was outside), but the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) seems to pick up more of my surroundings. While my voice was never completely obscured by background noise like some other cheap pairs of wireless headphones or earbuds, both people I called heard cars, trains, and people talking very clearly in the background during our several-minute conversations.

I tested calling outside in the real world in the indoors with simulated background noise from my laptop, and on both occasions there was a discernible amount of ambient noise, according to the people I called. Don’t get me wrong, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) still has better call quality than most smart glasses and the vast majority of wireless earbuds and headphones, but based on my tests, they didn’t feel like the big upgrade that Meta made them out to be.

One highlight audio-wise, however, is the addition of spatial audio, which started in September via a software update. I would recommend going in and enabling the option in the Meta AI app if you haven’t already. Audio has always been a bright spot in the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, but spatial audio definitely adds more dimension. In fact, going back to non-spatial audio feels a little tinny in comparison. If you’re listening to music in your Meta-made smart glasses, you should give it a whirl—just go to your device in the Meta AI app, tap “Audio,” and turn it on. Make sure you’re on the latest software first!

While you’re at it, you can also note new features like mono audio, which plays the same audio on both sides of the glasses, and a new audio balance feature that allows you to increase the volume on one side if you want. Both are meant to be accessibility-focused updates, so it may not be applicable to everyone, but it’s nice to have. Although I would love to try 360-degree spatial audio capture with Dolby Atmos, that won’t be released until later this year.

Some minor tweaks to hardware

One of the most obvious things you’ll notice in the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) is some new styles. The one I’m testing is the Zena, which has a cat-eye frame, but it also has the classic aviator shape this time. I don’t think either really break new ground in terms of goggle style, but it’s nice to have more options, and all styles now have adjustable temple tips, which is good if you have a wider head that’s prone to squeezing.

In addition to the new styles, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) are also slightly thinner, reducing the arm height by 1mm, which isn’t a whole ton of shrinkage, but they feel noticeably less badass if you’ve been paying attention. Speaking of shrinkage, the camera is also less noticeable. Like the Meta Fury smart glasses I tested, Meta made the camera 36% smaller than the previous generation, which feels like something of an upgrade and a downgrade.

It’s an upgrade for anyone who wants their smart glasses to look more like regular glasses, but potentially a downgrade for anyone worried about smart glasses invading their privacy. With a smaller camera and overall profile, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) are harder to see.

While Meta recently introduced Private Processing, a technology meant to protect user data, the company hasn’t made much effort to address external privacy concerns from a hardware perspective. There’s no shutter for the camera or anything like that, and no new features like HTC’s optional voice command feature that lets people say “stop filming” to turn off recording. There’s still a capture LED that shows when you’re recording, which is hopefully harder to tamper with, but that hasn’t exactly been effective in stopping people from recording others without their knowledge.

Similar pain points remain elsewhere. While I think Muse, Meta’s newest AI model, is a significant upgrade to the AI ​​experience in Meta’s smart glasses (I wrote as much in my last review of Meta’s smart glasses), there are still quirks, to say the least. For example, I can’t get it to play ambient music on Spotify, for some reason. Every time I ask it to do that, it just plays my favorite songs. It’s a small thing, but if you use Muse for long enough, you’ll encounter your own idiosyncrasies.

An iteration at its most iterative

With all that said, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) feels like a lightweight iteration on the previous generation, but with a few advantages. This generation still has the longest battery life, for example, and the thin arms and adjustable temple tips are advantages. On the less bright side, the calls, which should have been improved, don’t feel upgraded to me.

For the most part, these are similar smart glasses that cut around the edges, and while the software upgrades are nice, they’re not exclusive to the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3), so it’s hard for me to urge anyone to rush out and buy a pair if they already own the latest generation. For now, Meta seems to be in an iteration stage, which is good for first-time buyers, but a bit unstable for anyone who has already invested.