I don’t miss the camera on the Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses

The other day I whizzed past several people while running in the park, my playlist blasting at full volume. The next morning, I smiled at a barista while ordering a caramel apple-flavored matcha latte. Afterward, I sat on a park bench reading a book, called up a pal to chat about her recent trip to Prague, and then asked my Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses what meetings were coming up on my calendar. The chipper AI voice said I hadn’t connected my Google Calendar yet (I had) and asked if I would like help connecting. I sighed and then asked it to play an upbeat song. It picked Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

These past few days, dozens of people have seen or interacted with me while wearing smart glasses. Not a single person noticed. Probably because these audio-only versions look just like normal glasses. They come in a retro Clubmaster look — like the ones pictured in this review — or a more Wayfarer-esque Burbank style. Honestly, people usually don’t notice when I wear camera glasses either. But for once, I didn’t feel like a creep.

The audio-only Ray-Bans aren’t a novel concept. Seven years ago, I strutted around Manhattan taking calls and listening to tunes in the Bose Frames, which also combined Bluetooth audio with stylish sunglasses. Nobody noticed me in the Bose back then, either. What makes this pair notable is that it’s 2026, they’re made by Meta, and, well, there’s been vigorous discourse about whether smart glasses are a form of spyware.

Let’s get privacy out of the way. During setup, all the privacy and data opt-out disclosures were much more prominent than when I’ve previously tested Meta glasses. A screen explained how visual data from AI experiences is handled. (You can opt out of Meta using that data to improve AI; voice data, however, is still used.) There’s no visual data from these glasses — this is simply the new messaging for any pair of Meta glasses. You can also opt out of sharing “additional data” with Meta as well, which is enumerated in a separate document online. This is a good thing, though it doesn’t address what makes people uncomfortable about smart glasses: the uneasy feeling that someone else is recording you.

You know what sort of does, though? Removing the camera. The Bose Frames never triggered the same level of distrust because they were “just” sunglasses-shaped headphones. That applies here too. Frankly, I felt much lighter wearing these out into the world precisely because I couldn’t record footage of anyone. (Even if I feel lame saying “Hey Meta” in public.)

I can imagine people still distrusting these Ray-Bans because they have always-listening capabilities for waking up the AI assistant. However, you can disable the wake word in settings and use a customizable button on the right temple arm instead. (This automatically feels 10 percent less silly if you “must” talk to AI assistants outside the home.) There’s no native way to record a conversation directly from the glasses. Any other audio-based feature, like live translation, has to be manually started.

I’m not saying these can’t be modded or used for evil out of the box. Where there’s a perverse mind and ill will, there’s a way. I’m saying it’d take more effort because these glasses simply don’t do very much.

At least, not yet.

Meta’s Muse AI is eventually coming to the glasses, but it’s not available right now. Right now, the glasses ship with the less powerful Muse Spark model. It’s better than what was on the Ray-Bans in 2023, but it’s still meh unless you’re using it for accessibility reasons. In which case, these glasses may not be the best use of $350. A camera-equipped model is more helpful for low-vision and blind users. For hard-of-hearing users, the FDA-cleared hearing assistance feature isn’t available yet, and for deaf users, the Meta Ray-Ban Display may be more useful because they support live captioning.

For everyone else, Muse Spark is nerfed without the camera but can still come in handy. For example, granting access to your messaging apps, Google Calendar, and email lets it do some light scheduling and correspondence on your behalf. If you enable location sharing, you can send where you are to the group chat. It’s fine for these tasks, but not great. It’s adept at short queries like “What’s my next calendar event?” or “Set a reminder to update my editors at 12PM.” With more complex asks, I’ve found Muse Spark gets confused, and it’s faster to whip out my phone. I ended up mostly asking it to set reminders for to-dos I remembered while in the middle of something else.

Muse Spark can also give you local recommendations and turn-by-turn audio directions while walking. As I’ve written before, that’s great if you’re traveling. Less so if you’re familiar with your local haunts. In my neighborhood, I already know which coffee shops have the best Wi-Fi and snacks — and it wasn’t the one Muse Spark suggested. As for walking directions, they’re not something I need that often. When I did, I found using Google Maps on my phone more helpful for getting my bearings.

I’m sure Muse will open up more possibilities when it arrives later this year. Then again, I’ve seen demos, and I’m still skeptical that agentic AI will be the thing that convinces people to buy smart glasses.

So what do I like about these? They’re simply a good pair of open-ear headphones.

I said good, not great. Sound quality is decent, but you’re still dealing with all the tradeoffs that come with this form factor. They struggle at louder volumes. The trebles start to get tinny, and bass can sound distorted. There’s inevitably sound leakage. My spouse frequently reminded me that they could hear everything I was listening to, all of the AI’s responses, and my phone calls. Conversely, even at top volume, ambient noise can still drown out your content. These won’t cut it on a loud subway, for instance.

Still, it’s nice to listen to audiobooks around the house without jumping out of my skin anytime my spouse or cats want my attention. On my daily walks, I’m less afraid of my maniac neighbors mowing me down in their murder mobiles. (New Jersey drivers, man.) It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s a meaningful improvement to my day-to-day routine. And I don’t have to think too hard about it.

At 43 to 47g, these are also much comfier than every other pair of Meta glasses I’ve tried. So far, I’ve worn them for two full days, including a 30-minute run and multiple walks, with zero issues. My Clubmaster review unit also has nose pads — huzzah for anyone with a low nose bridge. That also made for a huge improvement in call quality since the mic for calls wasn’t smushed up against my schnoz. The temple tips can also be adjusted for a better fit.

I usually ding smart glasses for not supporting my -10 prescription and severe astigmatism. These support a range of -12 to +6 — I’m still waiting on a prescription pair, but at least my garbage eyeballs don’t preclude me from wearing these as my daily glasses. All in all, these glasses will fit a much broader range of faces and vision needs.

Battery life is also phenomenal. I was able to eke out two full workdays without sticking the glasses back into the case.

Okay, I lied — one more gripe. These feel expensive for headphone glasses that don’t do much yet. The Meta Glasses, for example, now start at $250 and technically do more. These are $100 more for what, exactly? The Ray-Ban branding? The privilege of not worrying about freaking out other people? If these were $150 or $200, I’d say these would be a no-brainer. Starting at $350 without prescription lenses, without the hearing assistance features, without Muse? That feels off.

But pricing complaints aside, I didn’t miss the camera. (I only ever use it to take cat videos anyway.) Muse Spark isn’t what I’d call the most compelling AI model, but it’s useful now and then. For the casual user, the headphones are the most useful part of smart glasses.

I wish I could just thrust these into the air and declare that nixing the camera solves the privacy problem. I can’t. Yes, I’m relieved that I don’t have to worry about people punching me in the face if I wear these out and about. I don’t think most people want more than this right now. Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t personally know several people who would miss the camera. Not because they’re perverts, but because they find them to be genuinely useful tools for candid home videos, content creation, accessibility, or multimodal AI. For those people, this type of smart glasses isn’t a real option.

Besides, who’s to say Meta won’t add more ambient listening features down the line? Then what? The lack of a camera is only a comfort for now. It doesn’t negate the need for continued, thoughtful discussion about AI wearables, the definition of recording, and what role these gadgets ought to play in our lives.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge