Meta Ray-Ban Display First Experience Collection: A Sticky Note Floating in Reality

For just $799, get a tiny sticky note floating in the real world.

It's no exaggeration to say that in the long journey of smart glasses truly becoming the "next - generation computing platform", the keynote speech at Meta Connect 2025 this year is destined to be a key event that will be repeatedly mentioned.

The reason is simple. Just by transforming the Orion project, which was still in the concept stage a year ago, into a mass - produced AR glasses product - Meta Ray - Ban Display, priced at $799 (about 5,700 yuan), and accessible to consumers, Zuckerberg has once again established Meta's undisputed position as the "leading company" in the era of AI glasses.

The scene of the Meta Connect 2025 press conference | Image source: Meta's official website

However, like all AR hardware products in the past decade, after leaving the beautiful pre - set environments in the laboratory, they always face a sharp decline in real - life experience. In addition, rumors such as "multiple blunders by Meta at the press conference", "Meta loses $1,000 on average for each pair of glasses", and "it's actually an immature experimental hardware product" have emerged multiple times, further enhancing the mystery surrounding this product.

But this still doesn't stop Meta Ray - Ban Display from being a "hard - to - get" hardware product. After its official release in October, all offline sales channels in the United States quickly ran out of stock. American users shared information in various group chats about which nearby stores had just restocked, and panic - buying was common. This craze even spread to Xiaohongshu. Whether it was the excitement or the flaws of the product, many first - batch users excitedly shared their first - hand experiences.

Users' sharing on Xiaohongshu under relevant keywords | Image source: Xiaohongshu

After the spotlight of the press conference faded, after in - depth wearing and experience by many top global technology media for days or even weeks, we finally have the opportunity, along with the real experiences of the first - batch users, to look beyond the official hype and deeply explore this highly - anticipated product, hailed as the "prologue of the post - smartphone era".

Is its real - world experience a revolutionary breakthrough or just another flashy and expensive toy?

"A sticky note floating in the real world"

In the feedback from the first - batch users who got their hands on Meta Ray - Ban Display, almost everyone who first experienced it quickly reached a consensus: This is by no means a revolutionary augmented reality AR glasses like those in science - fiction movies where the field of vision is completely covered by digital information. This won't change, but its presence is much more subtle and smarter.

Scott Stein, an editor at CNET, described the core of his experience after wearing it for two days as "a small, bright sticky note floating in the world".

This description perfectly summarizes the core experience that the current monocular full - color Micro LED display can offer users - it's a "personal heads - up display" (HUD) located in the upper - right corner of your field of vision, highly contextual, and only appears when you need it.

The actual display effect of the Meta rayban display screen | Image source: Future

This 600x600 - pixel MicroLED display has a peak brightness of up to 5,000 nits, which means that whether in a dimly - lit indoor environment or under the bright California sun, the content on the screen is clearly visible. It's enough for you to see the preview of a message from Whatsapp, the track currently playing on Spotify, or the core information including turning arrows during navigation.

But that's about it. The design philosophy of this small display is "assistance" rather than "intrusion". It quietly stays in your peripheral vision and only becomes the focus when you actively direct your attention to it. The rest of the time, it hardly interferes with your perception of the real world.

The display effect of the glasses seen by the outside world at the highest brightness | Image source: CNET

This "hands - free, instant access" information experience is unprecedentedly elegant and efficient in certain scenarios. Imagine riding a bike through the streets of an unfamiliar city. In the past, you had to take out your phone from time to time while bumping, unlock it, check the map, and then clumsily put it back. Now, a simple arrow and distance indicator float in the corner of your field of vision. You just need to take a quick glance to confirm the direction without interrupting your cycling rhythm or taking your eyes off the road ahead.

The communication experience is also redefined. When your hands are covered with flour in the kitchen while preparing dinner and your family sends you a message, you no longer need to wash and dry your hands in a hurry to check your phone. The message content is directly displayed in front of you, and you can even reply directly via voice commands, making the whole process seamless.

The video - calling function brings a new level of intimate sharing. A reporter from ZDNet described his video - calling scene with a colleague. The other person could see in real - time everything he saw, whether it was the new laptop he was reviewing or the view outside the window.

This is a real "first - person perspective sharing", making people thousands of miles apart feel as if they are on the spot. The warmth and immersion of this experience are unparalleled by traditional mobile phone video calls.

Of course, its limitations are also obvious. The 20 - degree field of view (FoV) determines its current mission. This "magic window" is still small and only suitable for carrying lightweight, high - information - density content such as text, icons, and symbols.

You can't use it to comfortably watch short videos or movies, nor can you use it to play an immersive AR game.

More straightforwardly, it isn't and can't be a replacement for your phone screen. At this stage, it can only be an extension and supplement of the powerful glass screen in your pocket in specific scenarios, your most intimate "second screen".

For professionals who need real - time information feedback or explorers who desire seamless translation during travel, this small window is enough to open up a whole new world.

Regarding the issue that many users have encountered - glasses prescription, Meta Rayban Display supports prescriptions for myopia/hyperopia/astigmatism within 400 degrees. More troublesome than paying extra might be that you need to get your glasses prescribed at an offline store with a prescription. If you're interested in buying, be sure to pay attention to this detail.

"The magic hand"

If the display is the "magic eye" that peers into the future, then the EMG myoelectric wristband that comes with it is the "magic hand" that casts spells in the air.

The wristband is an important part of the current Meta Ray - Ban Display experience | Image source: future

This might be the most futuristic part of the whole experience Meta has delivered and also the part that requires users to invest the most learning cost to adapt to.

It no longer relies on the physical interactions like touching and clicking that we're used to. Instead, it tries to establish a deeper and more intuitive human - machine connection.

This wristband, which looks like an ordinary bracelet, first appeared on last year's Meta Orion prototype. It contains the essence of Meta's decade - long research and development. Through myoelectric sensors, it precisely "listens" to the weak electrical signals emitted by the forearm muscle group when you move your fingers and wrists and decodes them into a series of precise digital instructions. The whole process is full of a sense of science - fiction. After a short calibration process - the system will guide you to make several specific gestures to learn your unique muscle signal patterns - you'll seem to have some kind of superpower.

The advantage of the wristband is that the interaction isn't limited by the range of the camera, and you can interact naturally with your hand down | Image source: Cnet

Mark Gurman, the chief technology reporter at Bloomberg and an old friend of digital enthusiasts, detailed this wonderful interaction experience. A gentle pinch of the thumb and index finger in the air means "confirm" or "select", and this action has almost become the basis for all operations.

When you're listening to music, sliding your thumb left and right on the side of your index finger can easily switch songs. Pinching your fingers and then turning your wrist like turning a virtual knob adjusts the volume. The feedback of these gestures is extremely sensitive with almost no perceptible delay.

The real charm of this interaction method lies in its privacy and convenience. When you're in a crowded subway car during rush hour, surrounded by people, it's even difficult to raise your arm to touch the temple of your glasses.

At this time, you just need to let your hand hang naturally by your side and quietly move your fingers without being noticed to complete operations such as answering a call or pausing a podcast. This kind of elegance is beyond the reach of traditional smart wearable devices.

As a hardware product form, we're more familiar with the wristband compared to the glasses | Image source: Bloomberg

The "gesture typing" function demonstrated by Zuckerberg at the press conference was also proven not to be a gimmick in actual experience. Although the current typing speed of 30 English words per minute is obviously no match for a physical keyboard or a mobile phone touch screen, it truly proves the great potential of this technology.

You just need to look at the virtual keyboard floating in front of you and select letters through small finger movements, which is itself an exploration of future input methods.

However, this "magic hand" isn't perfect. It still has the immaturity of a "first - generation product". The wristband occasionally loses signals or misinterprets instructions, especially during relatively strenuous exercise. Moreover, asking users to wear an additional device and charge it every day on top of the glasses itself raises the threshold of use.

The current wristband is also a device that needs to be charged independently | Image source: Bloomberg

At present, it's more like an "advanced accessory" for developers and enthusiastic early adopters. It represents an important cornerstone on the path to a more natural and seamless human - machine interaction future. It allows you to glimpse a future where you can control the digital world without any physical medium, just by intention and micro - movements. But there's still a long way to go before everyone can easily "play the air".

Balance and compromise in real - world experience

No matter how much intelligence and magic are given to a pair of glasses, its foundation always lies in its essential attribute as a pair of "glasses". If it can't be worn comfortably throughout the day, then even the most powerful functions are just castles in the air. Meta understands this well, which is the fundamental reason for their in - depth cooperation with top glasses brands like Ray - Ban and Oakley.

In terms of appearance design, Meta Ray - Ban Display follows the classic aviator - style series, which is undoubtedly a smart choice, enabling it to naturally fit into most people's daily outfits - or at least that was Meta's initial design goal.

Just from the appearance, many people can hardly tell the difference between it and the previous Rayban Meta series | Image source: Zdnet

In reality, to accommodate the display module, chip, battery, and camera, the temples and the overall frame of Meta Ray - Ban Display are much "sturdier" and heavier than the ordinary Ray - Ban Meta. Its actual weight reaches 69 grams.

However, several long - time wearers said that its weight distribution is quite good and doesn't cause unbearable pressure on the nose and ears, making continuous wearing for several hours completely feasible.

The built - in auto - tinting lenses also allow it to seamlessly switch between indoor and outdoor scenarios, eliminating the trouble of changing sunglasses.

However, when it comes to the real - world scenario of all - day use, battery life becomes the most realistic and unavoidable problem. All reviews point to a common conclusion:

Battery life is its biggest shortcoming at present.

In the "light - use" mode, where the display isn't used frequently and it's just used as an ordinary AI glasses for taking photos, listening to music, and answering calls, it can barely last