Meta Unveils Ray‑Ban Gen 2 With Longer Battery and Smarter Audio

Meta’s Ray‑Ban Gen 2 lands with bigger battery and smarter audio

Meta announced the Ray‑Ban Gen 2 smart glasses, available now for $379. On paper the update is straightforward: same familiar Wayfarer look, but twice the battery life, improved imaging and a set of AI audio upgrades aimed at real‑world use.

What’s new at a glance

Key upgrades target two of the biggest user complaints: battery life and camera quality. Meta also extended AI features for on‑the‑fly translation and added a Conversation Focus audio mode to filter background noise.

• Battery: Meta says 8 hours of device battery and 48 hours with the charge case; fast charging reaches 50% in 20 minutes.
• Camera: Upgraded to 3K video with new slow‑motion and hyperlapse modes, though video keeps a vertical wide‑angle framing.
• Audio and AI: Conversation Focus filters ambient sound and locks onto the person you’re facing; live translation adds Portuguese and German to English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Why the battery change matters

Battery life has been the daily friction point for smart glasses owners. Doubling nominal runtime to eight hours and adding a faster top‑up could move these from niche gadgets to practical everyday wear for commuters, field workers and event staff who need hands‑free capture or quick translations.

Audio, translation and accessibility

Conversation Focus could be meaningful as an assistive feature, similar to what premium earbuds offer. If it reliably isolates the speaker ahead of you, those with hearing challenges or professionals in noisy environments may find it valuable. The tradeoff to test will be how much extra battery this mode consumes when continuously active.

Live translation expands to six languages, but the set remains Eurocentric compared with phone‑based translators that support many more tongues. That matters for global teams or travelers who rely on real‑time interpretation.

Other models and the bigger picture

Meta also introduced an Oakley Vanguard sports model and a higher‑end Ray‑Ban Display Glasses with in‑lens displays and a neural wristband. The ecosystem is expanding: expect more premium and specialized smart specs from other vendors next year.

Should you buy now?

If battery life was your main hesitation, Gen 2 makes a strong case for purchase. But consumers and IT buyers should wait for thorough third‑party tests to confirm real‑world runtime, Conversation Focus power draw, and camera performance before rolling out at scale.

How organizations should evaluate these glasses

For enterprises, accessibility programs, and device teams, the real work is mapping device specs to operational needs. Below are practical tests and KPIs worth running before deployment.

• Battery runtime under typical tasks and while Conversation Focus is active.
• Camera quality and codec testing for uploads, storage and sharing in enterprise workflows.
• Translation accuracy and supported language coverage for your user base or field teams.
• Usability and privacy considerations around always‑on audio processing and captured media.

Meta’s Gen 2 feels like an iterative but practical step: it fixes the most noticeable pain point and nudges smart glasses closer to regular, reliable wear. The next questions are about real‑world endurance, how well Conversation Focus performs in noisy environments, and whether translation support grows beyond European languages.

If you’re evaluating smart glasses for a team or accessibility program, consider measuring these devices against operational KPIs before committing to a rollout. Practical pilots will reveal whether the promise on the box matches daily life.