Still the best non-display smart glasses

It is never ideal to be the second most something in the world, but there are also worse places to be. The same goes for Ray-Ban Meta Ai Glasses Gen 2, which was the second most exciting thing that Meta announced on Meta Connect this month. The first, whose popular statement is any indication, is Meta’s Ray-Ban screen that you may have already collected has a screen in it.

But even if the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 (starts at $ 379) is the second most exciting pair of smart glasses coming out of Connect, they can still be the first thing and in my discretion they are. This is the best pair of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses you can buy without a screen. Period.

What is new in Ray-Ban Meta Ai Glasses Gen 2?

I’ve already covered this a few times so I keep it short; The biggest updates in the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 are battery life and video. The size (except for 2 grams additional weight in Gen 2) is the same, all the same features as the original, and the speakers and microphones are all transferred.

However, the life of the battery is now assessed to double, which in this case corresponds to approx. 8 hours of general use. The charging case also gets a shock from 32 hours to 48 hours. The battery’s rise in the smart glasses is thanks to what Meta calls “Ultra-Narrow Steelcan” batteries-the same as it puts in the Meta Ray-Ban display, its smart glasses with a screen in them. On the video page of things, it increases the maximum resolution of recording to 3K and also introduces a 60 FPS option, although it will only be available if you record in 1080p. Unfortunately, for anyone who is more interested in still images, the sensors are the same this generation. It is 12 megapixels with a maximum resolution of 3,024 x 4,032.

It may not sound much, but you can’t really underestimate the importance of battery life and videos in a pair of smart glasses – they are pretty important for any device that would dare to go into the phone area. More importantly, however, is what videos look like and whether the life of the battery is actually as advertised. On that front, Meta delivers mostly.

I often use my first-gene ray-ban meta to record video while cycling because it is a kind of death wish to record with your phone in one hand while on a bike in New York City. Here is a comparison side by side of a still frame drawn from Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1’s maximum 1080p video versus an image from Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2. As you can see in the screen on the right, Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 Get out of less blurred, which can be expected with the resolution increase.

In my experience, the improved detail of image quality is pretty noticeable. Where some edges used to be blurred and a little too smooth, the videos that are recorded in 3K feel like a more accurate slice of life. It won’t be important for everyone (many people will just take stills), but if you are like me and you will catch some beautiful foliage on a bike ride, the upgrade is welcome.

There is another aspect of the video upgrade, 60 fps that I would have loved to test for you, but unfortunately it is not available yet. According to a meta representative, 60 FPS will be rolled out in a software update for Ray-Ban Gen 2 on October 1, coinciding with the release of Oakley Meta Vanguard Smart Glasses. I update this review when my review device gets the 60 FPS setting.

What about the battery?

So the other big piece of the puzzle is the battery. While it may not be as easy to test as recording videos, I tried my best to use Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 as long as possible. The verdict here is that although you may not get the full 8 hours promised, you definitely get a lot more battery than Gen 1.

As is the case with any gadget, the life of the battery depends largely on density or size but also on your use. One thing that I love to do with the first general Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses is to use them as open ear headphones, and I think many people who own them would agree. The speakers are the same here, so there are no upgrades in Fidelity, but I would test mileage when it comes to sound. When I listen to a podcast and finally a live radio broadcast (Buffalo Bills Sports Talk Radio, if anyone wants to know), I was able to walk about 5 hours, which drained the battery from 100% to approx. 15%. However, the volume was pretty high (a metric that affects the life of the battery) as I listened to a crowded coffee shop and needed to overhear music and scrap. It is not the 8 hours promised by Meta, but it is also an improvement over the first general smart glasses, which usually expire fully after approx. 3 to 4 hours for sound flow.

It is not gold medal-worthy news, but again your battery will depend on what you are doing with Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 .. My other favorite use of Ray-Ban Meta Ai Smart Glasses takes calls with them. I jumped on a call with my mom lasting 32 minutes in full volume and the smart glasses hardly got a hit, battery. I started at 100%and after more than 30 minutes of talking they were 96%. Again, your mileage here will vary based on what you are doing. Do you take lots of 3K video? Well, you can expect Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 to die before. Using them at intervals for sound and call? You may get closer to the announced 8 hours of battery life.

One thing is for sure: the battery definitely Get more juice, which should be welcome to anyone who is sick of having to blow up their smart glasses back in the case just so they can listen to some music while going for a walk. How this battery holds up under the stem of the Meta Ray-Ban display is anyone’s guess, but this is definitely the best battery in a pair of non-display beam-Ban Meta AI glasses.

Are you going to upgrade?

These are the two most important arenas where you need to see improvements gene-over, so if you want to have higher resolution videos or you really long for more battery life, Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 should be on your radar. However, if you are comfortable with how your smart glasses work in these areas, I do not see a reason to hurry out and pick up a new pair. Whether the updates appeal to you or not, however, these are still the best pair of non-Display-beam-Ban Meta AI glasses you can buy, even though I would have liked to see material improvements of things like Meta AI that are still fine at best. Still images could also have used an update, but you will have to continue to wait for it.

As for connection to other apps, things are also the same. Spotify is what I use the most and it works well most of the time. Meta’s voice assistant nails your simple commands most of the time (like jumping this song or playing and paus), but asking it to play specific songs or artists can be hit and miss. What is also the same is the fact that messages and calls are still limited. There is no direct integration with iOS and Android, so if you want to call or SMS with your smart glasses via the voice assistant, link your Instagram or WhatsApp. For some people it will be fine, but for others who do not use these platforms, it can be a dealbreaker.

Oh, and the Meta AI app, unfortunately, still loves to promote AI -Slop. And while it works well for transferring and storing pictures and videos from your smart glasses, I still want it not shoe horns a LLM (large language model) in there.

As is the case with any of Meta’s products, you will have to be okay with knowing that you will not always get the best protection when it comes to personal privacy. As I have previously pointed out, Meta has a pretty bad track record on that front, so if the idea of ​​Meta using photos and videos you take by using the “Hey, Meta” feature to train its AI-jerk you out, you will best avoid Ray-Ban smart glasses.

The second general glasses are not groundbreaking, but they are improved. And for anyone who is not willing to spend $ 800 on the Meta Ray-Ban display, the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 is probably the only smart Ray-Ban smart glasses worth buying.