I spent a weekend with Meta’s new Oakley good glasses – they beat my Ray-Bans in each method

Meta Oakley HSTN Smart Glasses

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The most recent good glasses by Meta characteristic an enhanced design and options optimized for out of doors use.
• An upgraded digicam decision and battery life headline the very best options.
• They’re pretty costly at $499, and the type won’t enchantment to some customers.

extra shopping for selections

jul / 2025

The Meta Ray-Bans have been successful since their launch, with customers (like me) drawn to their common type issue filled with mics, cameras, audio system, and AI. Now, Meta is catering to a extra athletic viewers with its new Meta Oakley good glasses — and with them, it has upped the ante throughout practically each spec. 

As a glasses wearer, photograph fanatic, and AI reporter, it was an absolute no-brainer for me to buy the Meta Ray-Bans. After months of trying them, I used to be largely impressed. My greatest qualm was the battery life, which solely lasted 4 hours. 

Additionally: Meta Ray-Bans vs. Oakley: I tested both smart glasses, there’s a clear winner

So, when Meta introduced the Oakley model would have eight hours of battery life, I used to be instantly intrigued. I spent the previous weekend with the Meta Oakley HSTN Limited Edition, they usually exceeded my expectations. 

At the start: extra energy 

There are various sensible causes an athlete would need to put on good glasses, together with hands-free entry to music, messages, AI help, a digicam, and video. Nonetheless, which means the glasses should be snug, sturdy, and have a battery that lasts the period of your exercise.

Additionally: Your Meta Ray-Bans just got a major feature upgrade for free – and it feels surreal

Meta executed on all of those fronts with Meta Oakley HSTN Restricted Version glasses, packing an eight-hour battery life from a single cost (up from 4 on the Meta Ray-Bans) and as much as 48 hours with the totally charged carrying case, in line with Meta. 

To accommodate out of doors actions in all terrains, the glasses have an IPX4 water resistance ranking, a step-up in sturdiness from the Ray-Bans. The video high quality can be increased, capturing 3K video, up from 1080p on the Meta Ray-Bans. 

However these glasses additionally preserve all the options that made the Meta Ray-Bans so nice, similar to a 12 MP ultrawide digicam, digicam sensors embedded alongside the facet of the eyewear (nice for recording POV pictures throughout your exercise), two open-ear Bluetooth audio system, and a customized five-mic array. 

Throughout my stroll, I listened to Justin Bieber’s new album and was extraordinarily glad with the audio, a lot in order that I used to be content material with my determination to forgo my typical open-ear headphones, the Shockz OpenFit. 

I used to be additionally capable of ship audio messages, which is my most well-liked mode of communication, with no difficulty. I even acquired the suggestions, “your audio sounds nice, really,” after I apologized prematurely for any splotchiness which will ensue from speaking into my glasses. 

I additionally examined the photograph and video capabilities by snapping pictures throughout my stroll. I’ve all the time been amazed at how effectively it takes images, even when you’re in movement, with the ultimate end result being secure, good-quality pictures. Essentially the most spectacular half, nevertheless, was the improved video high quality, which was evident as quickly as I seen the video after getting dwelling. You may distinctly hear the sound of my toes hitting the pavement as I did my mild jog, and the standard and POV make it really feel such as you had been taken alongside the trail of my jog. 

This performance is especially necessary as a result of in case you are available in the market for these glasses to doc your train, on the worth level, which is double that of a conventional GoPro, it’s crucial that the standard of the pictures be as excessive as doable. 

Elevated consolation

Regardless of the extra rugged design and the higher elements beneath the hood, I discovered the glasses to be extra snug than the Meta Ray-Bans. In response to the specs posted on the Meta web site, each glasses are the identical precise weight at 49 grams. Nonetheless, the Oakley pair sits a lot extra comfortably on the bridge of my nostril that they virtually really feel lighter. 

Additionally: Halliday’s new AI glasses are what Meta, Google, and Apple have been trying to build

Utilizing the smartglasses hands-free is simply as simple with both voice or touchpad instructions, relying on which you favor. Earlier than my outing, I synced the glasses to Apple Music and my messages, so I did not have to take a look at my cellphone in any respect. Relatively, I acquired a voice notification each time I acquired a textual content, and did easy motions on the touchpad, similar to swiping ahead to manage quantity or tapping to pause a tune.  

Utilizing Meta AI was simply as easy, with a easy command of “Hey Meta” unlocking a multimodal AI assistant that may see what you see, present audio help, and even carry out different extra superior duties similar to AI language translation. 

The Oakley pair’s case is a bit bulkier and fewer glossy than that of the Ray-Bans. That stated, it was doubtless a purposeful design, as you most likely need one thing extra heavy-duty when on a run, bike trip, hike, and so on. The Meta Oakley charging case holds 48 hours of cost versus the 32 hours on the Ray-Bans. 

Additionally: Apple’s Meta Ray-Bans killer is only one of four major launches in 2027 – here’s the list

There may be additionally the added comfort of getting high-quality sun shades catered to athletes. The good glasses have Prizm 24K Polarized lenses, which not solely defend in opposition to the beaming solar rays outdoor but additionally mean you can see components you’ll have in any other case missed. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The audiences for the Meta Ray-Bans and the Meta Oakleys are a bit completely different. In case you are an outside fanatic who’s trying to doc a few of your adventures and have easy accessibility to your cellphone, music, and an AI assistant, the added specs and design make the $499 funding within the Meta Oakley HSTN Restricted Version glasses price it. 

In case you are simply on the lookout for good glasses you should utilize sometimes, with no explicit want for prolonged battery life or taking pictures high-quality video, chances are you’ll need to both follow the Meta Ray-Bans, which begin at $240, or wait till extra fashions are made obtainable later this summer time on the lower cost level of $399.

The most recent good glasses by Meta characteristic key enhancements that fulfill the shortcomings of the favored Ray-Bans, from the upper decision video recording to the longer-lasting battery life. Whereas the design of the Oakley model will go away clients divided, it additionally covers a niche within the good glasses area for customers who search a wearable for extra intense leisure actions.

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