If you’ve been curious about Ray-Ban’s Meta smart glasses, right now they’re on sale in Meta’s biggest deal event outside Black Friday. As part of the company’s Summer Sale event, which runs through May 26th, the original model is on sale starting at $224.25 ($74 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Meta, matching its best price to date. The newer, second-gen glasses are also discounted, and you can grab a pair for $322.25 ($57 off), which is a new low price, at Amazon, Best Buy, and from Meta.
No matter which model you buy, you’re getting largely the same core experience. As far as smart glasses go, both are pretty stylish and look like a normal pair of Ray-Bans. They also offer the same feature set, letting you snap hands-free 1080p photos and short videos as well as livestream straight to Instagram or Facebook. Both glasses also double as surprisingly capable open-ear headphones, with speaker quality that’s great for listening to music while letting you stay aware of your surroundings. You can also take calls through a five-mic array that does a good job of keeping your voice sounding clear.
You also get access to all of Meta’s AI assistant features. If you’re planning to travel this summer, for example, the assistant can translate supported languages like Spanish, French, and Italian in real time, and answer questions about landmarks you’re looking at. They can also come in handy in everyday life, helping you brainstorm recipes based on whatever ingredients you already have in your fridge, reminding you about upcoming appointments, scanning QR codes, and more.
The main difference is that the newer model shoots sharper 3K video at 30fps, up from 1440 x 1920 at 30fps, which translates to slightly sharper video and improved image quality. The Gen 2 also can last up to eight hours with heavy use, which is twice that of the original pair’s, and means you can likely comfortably wear them all day before recharging.