At this press conference with the most disastrous outcome, I found the product I most wanted to buy.

Early this morning Beijing time, the Meta Connect 2025 new product launch event kicked off, with Mark Zuckerberg himself taking the stage for the demonstration. Unfortunately, the on - site demonstration kept going wrong, even making Mark blush with frustration.

Meta has long "put the future on people's faces". Undoubtedly, the highlight of this launch event is still the smart glasses, ranging from the Meta Display with a screen to the Oakley designed for professional sports.

Mark pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, once again indicating where the entrance to the next computing platform lies.

Ray - Ban Meta Display: The "Display Revolution" of Smart Glasses

First of all, the star of the show is the Ray - Ban Meta Display Glasses (hereinafter referred to as Meta Display). Although it still maintains the classic Ray - Ban sunglasses look in appearance, this is the first smart glasses from Meta to embed a "screen" into the lens.

The Meta Display has a small HUD (Head - Up Display) embedded in the right lens, which is used to display information such as notifications, map navigation, messages, translation results, and feedback from the AI assistant. Users can directly see the information instead of just getting auditory feedback. Moreover, this screen is "basically invisible to others", and Meta says the light leakage is < 2%.

This HUD has a resolution of 600x600 pixels and a maximum brightness of 5000 nits, which is even brighter than the newly released iPhone 17. It also has a UV sensor that can automatically increase the brightness in strong sunlight.

If you are walking on the street now, the glasses can directly overlay a path guide on the side of your field of vision. You can also read emails while walking without bumping into passers - by like when you're looking down at your phone. (But I still suggest not using it while driving.)

In terms of specifications, these glasses are equipped with a 12MP camera, support 3K video recording (the previous generation was 1080P), and also have built - in speakers and a microphone, which can seamlessly connect to the Meta AI assistant. You can use voice commands to take photos, play music, or let the AI analyze the surrounding environment. The weight of the whole glasses is controlled at 69 grams.

In terms of battery life, the Meta Display provides about 6 hours of usage time, which is an improvement compared to the previous generation Ray - Ban Meta's about 4 - hour battery life. However, if the HUD is used frequently, the battery life may be reduced. But Meta has developed a foldable and portable charging case like a glasses case, which can provide an additional 30 hours of battery life.

Meta also equipped the glasses with an innovative accessory this year - a wristband called Meta Neural Band. It can recognize tiny hand movements or electromyographic signals and use natural or very subtle gestures to control the glasses.

You can "virtually type" by pinching your fingers to reply to messages, or slide your thumb to switch menus and rotate your wrist to adjust the volume, instead of shouting "Hey, Meta!" at the glasses in public.

Although Mark Zuckerberg had several failures in gesture recognition during the on - site demonstration, the overall effect is still quite sci - fi.

The addition of the wristband interaction makes up for the interaction short - board of the glasses and also makes the operation of Meta glasses more discreet and efficient. Just like the on - site demonstration by Mark and his colleague: looking at each other with their eyes while making small hand movements constantly. It's simply a godsend for people with ADHD who are prone to distraction.

The wristband itself has a battery life of up to 18 hours. It is sold bundled with the glasses and will be available on September 30th.

However, how sensitive the specific gesture control is, whether it will have false touches, and how ridiculous the movements look to outsiders still need to be experienced with the actual device. If the sensors are not sensitive, users may also become "air conductors".

Generally speaking, this wristband is Meta's exploration of future touch - less interaction and may also become the control center of their future AR and VR universes.

As for another major selling point of the Meta Display - the embedded Live AI, Meta also "tried its best to showcase" it at the launch event.

The first major functional highlight is real - time translation. Real - time translation is not new, but combined with the display, it's like adding subtitles to all conversations. When wearing the glasses to look at a foreign - language menu, Chinese can be directly overlaid on the menu; in the future, people will dare to watch "raw" resources (such as watching original movies or listening to foreign - language podcasts) while wearing the Meta Display; at the same time, it's a blessing for the hearing - impaired, who can capture the language expressions of others through the subtitles.

In addition to real - time translation, Live AI supports feedback from the intelligent voice assistant. For example, when you're cooking while wearing Meta glasses, you don't have to fumble around on your phone to find a recipe. You can directly ask Meta for the operation steps, and it will play the voice while displaying the process in real - time on the HUD of the glasses.

However, this effect completely fell apart during the on - site demonstration at the launch event. The Live AI seemed like Siri from a few years ago, either interrupting the user or repeating the instructions.

Another AI function is environmental analysis. In fact, it's the glasses acting as a camera. You can call up Live AI at any time and ask it questions like "What kind of flower is this in front of me?" or "Tell me about this painting."

Meta gave a demonstration. When you're wearing the glasses and talking to an artist friend, you can scan the current environment (such as the wall hangings) to provide some inspiration for his creation.

Meta's demonstration was still conservative. The most obvious scenario for this function should be a classic romantic comedy plot: a nerdy guy who doesn't know how to date a girl. When he's on a date with his crush while wearing the Meta Display, the AI can quietly assist him on the side. For example, "She's wearing a melange style. You can compliment her on her classic Burberry plaid scarf." or "She said she likes playing tennis. You can talk to her about the recently ended US Open."

However, compared with the previous - generation AI assistant that mainly relied on voice responses, the visual output of the new Meta Display glasses makes the interaction more intuitive. For example, you can directly see the route in the glasses for navigation, and you don't have to take out your phone or play the message reminder by voice.

Mark's on - site demonstration of "multitasking" | Meta

Although the Meta Display can't reach the level of full - field AR like the HoloLens or Vision Pro, the experience of gesture tracking and real - time interaction has taken a big step forward in terms of the interaction, presentation effect, and AI integration of smart glasses. The "semi - AR" state may be the compromise solution considering the current technology, size, energy consumption, and cost.

Correspondingly, the starting price of the Meta Display at $799 is not very affordable. It is more than twice as high as the previous - generation Ray - Ban Meta (which only starts at $299). This price is not a "toy" for many consumers.

If Meta can continuously optimize it through software updates, it may become the "iPhone moment" for AR glasses.

Hold Your Horses, Cool Guys

Another highlight of Meta Connect 2025 is the Oakley Meta Vanguard Sports Glasses. This is the first performance - oriented smart glasses designed for athletes, jointly launched by Meta and the well - known American sports glasses brand Oakley.

In appearance, it inherits Oakley's classic wraparound frame design. The streamlined frame fits the face, making it look more like a professional sports equipment.

In terms of specifications, the Vanguard is equipped with a 12MP camera with a 122 - degree ultra - wide - angle lens, which can capture a wide field of view and support 3K Ultra HD video recording. This means that the videos you record while running will be clearer and sharper, without the blurring caused by the shaking of a mobile phone.

Moreover, the camera is placed right in the center of the glasses, above the user's nose bridge. Meta specially demonstrated the "key action capture" at the launch event: when the system detects high - intensity moments such as a sprint, jump, or sharp turn, it will automatically start recording.

So these glasses look like an intelligent evolution of the GoPro, but without the burden of additional straps and not as bulky as a helmet camera. Users can wear them more naturally, and the perspective has a stronger sense of presence.

These glasses are also equipped with a 5 - microphone array, which can effectively reduce wind noise. Mark said that the noise reduction is so good that he can even hear clearly on a jet plane.

The battery life is up to 9 hours, and 6 hours when playing music. This battery life is designed for a whole marathon.

The accompanying charging case can provide an additional 36 hours of battery life. A 20 - minute fast charge can replenish it to 50%, which is enough to handle an extra training session or a short - distance city bike ride.

The Vanguard is also connected to fitness data platforms such as Garmin and Strava, which can obtain real - time training data such as heart rate, speed, and route, and generate a summary report after the exercise.

Imagine this: when you're running on a mountain path, the glasses can give you real - time sports data and route suggestions through voice, and you can also ask it for your pace at any time. However, this also requires users to have other wearable devices (such as a Garmin sports watch). The Vanguard can only obtain data, not detect it.

If Meta's AI assistant further evolves in the future, for example, by adding heart - rate monitoring and being able to predict fatigue or give recovery suggestions based on physiological data, these glasses will not only be tools for shooting and navigation but also a "personal coach".

The official price is $499, which is in the mid - to - high - end price range in the field of professional sports equipment. Considering that it covers the functions of sports glasses, sports cameras, music earphones, and some sports watches at the same time, this price is not too outrageous for heavy - duty runners or extreme sports enthusiasts.

The Oakley Meta Vanguard will be officially launched or start shipping in markets such as the United States and Canada on October 21st.

Meta also brought an upgraded version of last year's popular glasses, the Ray - Ban Meta Glasses