Meta Connect 2025 – 7 things we learned from a packed keynote with plenty of smart glasses
By Hamish Hector,Jacob Krol
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Meta Connect 2025 – 7 things we learned from a packed keynote with plenty of smart glasses
Hamish Hector
Contributions from
18 September 2025
The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses stole the show
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(Image credit: Meta)
That’s it, Meta Connect 2025 is done and dusted, and it was a jam-packed under-an-hour show filled to the brim with smart glasses galore that we can’t wait to sink our teeth into.
The star of the show was, of course, the new Meta Ray-Ban Display, which finally added a screen to the Ray-Ban smart glasses we know and love. We also got to see new Oakley Vanguard smart glasses that look perfect for sports, Gen 2 Ray-Ban smart glasses that offer a handful of upgrades over what’s come before, and James Cameron almost spoiled the next Quest headset before Mark Zuckerberg ran away with Diplo.
If you didn’t tune in live, you’re in luck. We’ve got a round-up here for you of the 7 biggest announcements from the event so you can get up to speed in no time.
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1. Meta Ray-Ban Display dropped
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
We knew it was coming, but the announcement is no less exciting. Meta’s Ray-Bans finally come with a screen, which will help you perform more everyday tasks with your spectacles, including checking messages, previewing your smart glasses’ photos, and getting around town with on-screen directions.
While not the first smart glasses with a display we’ve tried, what’s cool about Meta’s specs is that the screen is full color, which should make it more useful than the typically monochromatic display glasses we’ve tested so far (like the Rokid Glasses). They boast a solid battery life to boot. Meta is promising “up to six hours of mixed-use battery life” and “up to 30 hours of battery life total” if you use the charging case, which is collapsible for easier storage while you’re wearing the specs.
The only downside is that the glasses are noticeably chunky, though we’ve had hands-on time with them, and in our demo, we didn’t find them to be less comfortable than Meta’s previous glasses.
As expected, you’ll also need to pay a higher price for Meta’s display specs. The glasses start at $799 (other regional prices TBC), and they’ll launch in the US on September 30, which will sneak up on us fast.
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Meta says it’ll expand availability to Canada, France, Italy, and the UK in “early 2026.” Read our first look at the Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses here.
♬ original sound – TechRadar
2. Meta launched a smart band… sorta
(Image credit: Meta)
If you pick up the Meta Ray-Ban Display, you’ll not only get new glasses but a new smart band in the form of a Meta Neural Band.
This EMG wristband is a lot like the one we’ve used with Meta’s Orion prototype – it’s in-development AR glasses – and it lets you control your glasses using hand movements, which can even be quite subtle motions.
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The band apparently relies on “deep learning algorithms based on data from nearly 200,000 consenting research participants”, with Meta adding that this means that nearly everyone should be able to use the band out of the box.
You’ll only need the band to control your glasses, and it should last you the whole day with an 18-hour battery life and reasonable IPX7 water rating – it’ll survive heavy rain, just don’t forget to take it off before you swim.
♬ original sound – TechRadar
3. Gen 2 Ray-Bans are coming too
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Meta didn’t just give us new Ray-Ban specs with a display; it also launched Gen 2 versions of its Ray-Ban glasses, which it calls “the world’s best-selling AI glasses” (based on sales data as of July 2025).
In terms of design, they’re basically identical to Meta’s existing Ray-Ban smart glasses, but with up to two times as much battery life (now up to eight hours) and higher resolution 3K Ultra HD video capture, they should be a more useful AI accessory.
The Gen 1 specs are sticking around for now, too, though they’re sticking at their original price as the Gen 2 glasses start at a higher cost of $379 / £379 / AU$599. We’re waiting on regional pricing for non-standard lenses, but in the US, polarized lenses will set you back $409, while Transitions lenses are $459 – with this being the most expensive option and the one we think most people would find useful based on our experience with the Gen 1 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
♬ original sound – TechRadar
4. Oakley Vanguard will up your sporting game
(Image credit: Meta)
Not to be outdone, Meta’s other EssilorLuxotica collab brand, Oakley, gave us a brand new pair of smart glasses in the form of Vanguard, which follows on from the HSTN smart glasses the duo launched earlier this year.
These athletic shades take on a more visor-like wrap-around design, shifting the camera from the temple (where it is on Meta’s other specs) to the glasses’ center – sitting on the nose bridge.
They rely on Oakley’s PRIZM lenses, which are designed to boost the contrast of your vision so you can more easily spot changes in the terrain you’re running or cycling on. This should help you be better prepared. You’ll also find they come outfitted with a few technological upgrades over the HSTN specs to focus more on being your perfect sporting companion than a fashionable accessory.
Firstly, they boast Meta’s “most powerful speakers” on its AI glasses yet. They’re 6dB louder than the HSTN glasses, which should make it easier to hear what your glasses are saying over the sound of 30mph wind blowing past you as you cycle.
Secondly, you can use the Meta AI app to pair your glasses with compatible Garmin tech and Strava. Using these integrations, you can say something like “Hey Meta, what’s my heart rate?” or “Hey Meta, how am I doing?” to get real-time insights into your fitness to know if you’re pushing yourself too hard or on pace to record a PB.
Meta has also added an auto-capture feature that allows the glasses to automatically capture video when you reach distance milestones, increase your heart rate, or reach a new elevation. We can imagine this being an excellent way to document your next marathon.
♬ original sound – TechRadar
5. Meta’s adding more content options to Quest
(Image credit: Future)
While much of the focus at Meta Connect was on the 2025 lineup of smart glasses, Mark Zuckerberg couldn’t let an entire keynote go by without addressing the Quest line of VR headsets. This time, the spotlight was on entertainment content, going beyond VR games like several Star Wars titles and the forthcoming Deadpool VR experience.
Dubbed Horizon TV, this will serve as the one-stop hub within Quest headsets for discovering content, and it’s bringing a major new service to the platform. Disney+ is arriving for easy access to popular TV shows and movies from one of the top streaming services, and Horizon TV will add support for Dolby Vision later this year to join the Dolby Atmos sound it already offers to deliver a more immersive entertainment experience.
♬ original sound – TechRadar
6. James Cameron almost ruined Meta’s Quest surprise
(Image credit: Future)
James Cameron, the world-famous movie director, came on stage to hype up the Quest’s performance as a home entertainment machine and to announce that an exclusive 3D clip of Avatar: Fire and Ash is available right now in Meta Horizon TV for a limited time.
But what we cared far more about was how close he came to spoiling Meta’s next VR headset.
Annoyingly, he didn’t let much slip at all, but his comments make us believe that while Connect 2025 was the year of smart glasses, Connect 2026 will be all-in on VR once more.
We just have 365 days until we find out.
7. Big VR updates are on the Horizon
(Image credit: Future)
Meta didn’t forget about VR entirely; alongside Horizon TV, it also updated its Horizon Studio and debuted Meta Horizon Engine.
Horizon Engine has reportedly been “built from scratch and optimized to help bring the metaverse to life” by delivering better graphics and a faster performance. A bold promise for developers that could bring its metaverse plans close to reality.
As for Meta Horizon Studio, this hub for creators includes a range of AI tools that will soon be leveraged by an AI agent, enabling it to stitch together a whole VR world based on just a few simple text prompts. This is one we’ll need to test out.
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Hamish Hector
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Senior Staff Writer, News
Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.
With contributions from
Jacob KrolUS Managing Editor News
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