On December 24, according to the Financial Times, Meta plans to add a display to its Ray-Ban smart glasses as early as next year, as the US tech giant accelerates its plans to develop a lightweight head-mounted device that it intends to replace smartphones as the primary computing device for consumers.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Meta plans to add a display module to its $300 sunglasses, manufactured and sold in partnership with eyewear group Essilor Luxottica. The upgraded Ray-Ban glasses may launch as early as the second half of 2025, the sources said. The microdisplay may be used to display notifications or replies from Meta's virtual assistant.
Currently, Meta is further expanding into the wearable device field. CEO Mark Zuckerberg expects wearable devices to become the next computing platform, while competitors such as Apple, Google, and Snap are also racing to develop their own similar products.
In September, Meta showcased its Orion augmented reality glasses prototype. Due to enthusiastic response from early testers, the company accelerated Orion's development. Sources familiar with the matter indicated that Meta has already planned to turn the device into a consumer product, although its release may still be several years away.
Orion’s compact design, lightweight frame, and innovative display allow 3D content to be overlaid on the real world, and this design is hailed as a breakthrough after years of failures with AR headsets such as Google-backed Magic Leap and Microsoft’s HoloLens.
Meta declined to comment on its smart glasses strategy. But in mid-December, the company’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, wrote that 2025 would be “an extremely important year in the history of Reality Labs,” the manufacturing division of Meta glasses and the Quest virtual reality headset.
As part of Zuckerberg's long-term bet on the metaverse, Reality Labs has been operating at a loss since its founding in 2020. The division lost $13 billion in the first three quarters of 2024, with revenues of only about $1 billion.
Image source: Paixin.com licensed image library
The latest version of Ray-BanMeta glasses, launched in September 2023, unexpectedly became a consumer favorite. Current models feature independent in-ear speakers, a camera, and a microphone, allowing users to listen to music, take photos, and chat with Meta's AI assistant.
While the first version of the display may only be able to show simple text and images, it represents a key step toward merging the device with Zuckerberg’s long-term vision of creating AR glasses that can display both the real and virtual worlds.
Meta is still in the early stages of experimenting with AR headsets. Its Orion glasses are controlled by a wristband that receives signals from the body (including the brain) via a neural interface. A source familiar with the matter said Meta is also exploring using a touchpad or a track-based ring to control the headset.
Experts say the platform faces significant obstacles in developing stylish eyewear that combines sufficient hardware performance, long battery life, and reasonable pricing. Furthermore, it faces serious challenges in the supply chain.
One of Orion's greatest innovations is its innovative use of silicon carbide lenses. This material, which has never been widely used in the field of optics before, helps Meta create larger and brighter images for Orion users than with ordinary glass lenses.
However, the high cost of silicon carbide lenses and the lack of large-scale production capacity will be a major obstacle to Orion becoming an affordable mass-market product. (Source: VR陀螺)
