Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 Costs $449; the Camera-Free Audio $349

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) starts at $449 with a 12 MP camera and up to 9 hours a charge; Ray-Ban Meta Audio starts at $349, has no camera at all, and runs up to 12 hours. If you want photos and video from your glasses, the Audio is out; if you only want music, calls and Meta AI by voice, it is $100 less and lasts three hours longer on Meta’s figures.

Below both sits the new floor: a Meta Adventurer with a plug-in case at $249, on sale 23 October. Every figure here is from Meta’s newsroom of 23 September and its US store, read on 7 October 2026.

The lineup, in Meta’s figures

Model	Camera	Battery (glasses; case)	From (US list)	Availability
Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	12 MP, 3K video	Up to 9 h; 50 h more	$449	On sale since 23 Sep
Ray-Ban Meta Audio	None	Up to 12 h; 48 h more	$349	Pre-order; ships 13 Oct
Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) Wayfarer (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	12 MP, 3K video	Up to 8 h; not stated	$379	On sale
Meta Adventurer (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), Capri, Nova	12 MP, 3K video	Over 8 h; 40 h more	$249 (plug-in case), $299	$249 version on sale 23 Oct
Oakley Meta HSTN (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	12 MP, 3K video	Up to 8 h; 48 h more	$399	On sale
Oakley Meta Vanguard (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	12 MP, 122° centred	Up to 9 h; 36 h more	$499	On sale
Meta Ray-Ban Display	12 MP, 1080p+ video; in-lens display	Up to 6 h; 24 h more	$799	On sale; online ordering since 23 Sep
Meta VR Glasses	Passthrough camera; photo capture not stated	Up to 3 h of media playback	$1,299.99	Spring 2027

Meta’s Gen 2 case figure did not appear on any page we read, so that cell says so. The $249 Adventurer’s battery is the one figure to treat with care: Meta quotes “over 8 hours” and 40 more from the case for the Adventurer, and does not say how a plug-in case changes that.

Gen 3 against Gen 2: an hour and a button

Meta’s own summary of Gen 3 is up to 9 hours a charge, “an hour more than Gen 2”, plus a slimmer frame, professionally adjustable temple tips, a 6-mic array it says cuts more than 90% of background noise, and a customisable action button. The camera is the same on paper: 12 MP, 3K video at 30 frames per second. Both have 32GB of storage, which Meta rates at more than 1,000 photos or over 100 30-second clips.

The price gap is $70 at the bottom of each range — $449 against $379 for the Gen 2 Wayfarer — and it widens with lenses: a Gen 3 Wayfarer with Transitions is $529. Gen 3 comes as Wayfarer, Aviator and Zena; Ray-Ban lists a limited-edition Aviator at $579.

The Audio: lighter, longer, no camera

Meta calls Ray-Ban Meta Audio its “first-ever audio glasses”, and its FAQ answers the camera question with one word: “No.” What remains is open-ear speakers, the same 6-mic array as Gen 3, an action button and Meta AI by voice. That means no photos, no video, and no asking Meta AI about what you are looking at.

In return Meta claims up to 12 hours a charge and 48 more from the case. The weight depends on the frame. Meta’s newsroom says “just 43 grams”, but its store lists the standard Burbank at 43.1g and the Clubmaster at 47.1g, against 51.5g for a standard Gen 3 Wayfarer.

The Audio comes in Clubmaster and Burbank, from $349; Transitions versions are $429 at Ray-Ban. For scale, Bose rates its Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) at up to 9 hours a charge, so Meta’s 12-hour claim is longer than those open-ear buds on paper. Meta also says the Audio only captures sound when you say “Hey Meta” or press the action button.

Meta Glasses: the cheaper range

Meta Glasses, the EssilorLuxottica range Meta launched earlier this year, carry the same 12 MP camera and 3K video as Gen 3, with “over 8 hours” a charge. Capri and Nova start at $299; the LISA editions and the new Ivory Kylie Jenner Starfire start at $399. The new black Meta Adventurer with a plug-in case is $249, which Meta calls its “most accessible price yet”.

Meta’s own pages disagree on the floor. The Meta Glasses page heads with “Starting at $249”, while its FAQ still says the range starts at $299, and the compare page and Meta’s newsroom both give $249. The $249 version is a pre-order until 23 October.

What else is still on sale

• Oakley Meta Vanguard ($499) has the widest camera, 122° and centred rather than off to the left, up to 9 hours, and no prescription lenses.
• Oakley Meta HSTN ($399) has the 12 MP camera and 3K video, up to 8 hours a charge and 48 more from the case.
• Meta Ray-Ban Display ($799) is the one with a screen, in the right lens, controlled with a wrist band. It gets up to 6 hours. Meta added online ordering in the US on 23 September and is selling it in Canada and the UK, with France, Italy and Germany from 13 October.
• Meta VR Glasses ($1,299.99) are a different product: a roughly 100-gram VR headset in glasses form, tethered to a pocket puck, due in spring 2027. Xreal’s Aura, also wired to a puck but with see-through lenses, is $1,279 and expected before the holidays.

Prescriptions narrow the list

If you need lenses, the choice shrinks. Meta lists -12.00 to +6.00 for Gen 3 Wayfarer, Zena and the Audio frames, but only -6.00 to +4.00 for the Gen 3 Aviator and -12.00 to +2.25 for Meta Glasses. Display covers -4.00 to +4.00, and Vanguard takes no prescription lenses.

What this does not cover

On the camera models, what the capture light shows and what it misses is in how to tell if Meta glasses are recording. Meta also says its Muse agent is coming to the glasses “in the coming months”, and what Muse can see and how to limit it applies there too. For a display in glasses at a different price, Snap’s Specs cost $2,195, and Snap gave no firm ship date when we wrote about them in September.

Questions people ask

Do Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses have a camera?

No. Meta’s own FAQ answers that question with a flat no. They have open-ear speakers, a 6-mic array, an action button and Meta AI by voice, and Meta quotes up to 12 hours a charge.

What is the difference between Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 and Gen 3?

Meta lists an hour more battery for Gen 3 (up to 9 hours against 8), a slimmer design, a 6-mic array and a customisable action button. Both have a 12 MP camera and 3K video. Gen 3 starts at $449 and the Gen 2 Wayfarer at $379.

How much are Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses?

From $449 on Meta’s US store and Ray-Ban’s, read 7 October 2026. Transitions lenses take the Wayfarer to $529, and the limited-edition Aviator is $579 on Ray-Ban’s site.

When do Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses ship?

Meta says 13 October 2026. They were on pre-order from 23 September, starting at $349 for clear or sun lenses; Transitions versions are $429 on Ray-Ban’s US site.

What are the cheapest Meta glasses?

The Meta Adventurer with a plug-in case, at $249, which Meta calls its most accessible price yet. It goes on sale on 23 October. With a charging case the Adventurer is $299.

How long does the battery last on Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3?

Meta quotes up to 9 hours on a single charge and up to 50 more from a fully charged case, adding that battery life varies with use. These are Meta’s figures; we have not measured them.

Can I get Meta glasses with a prescription?

Most of them. Meta’s store lists -12.00 to +6.00 for Gen 3 Wayfarer, Zena and the Audio frames, -6.00 to +4.00 for the Gen 3 Aviator, -12.00 to +2.25 for Meta Glasses, and none for Oakley Meta Vanguard.