Consumer targeted wearable devices seldom offer an experience that competes with smartphones, but Ray-Ban's new Meta smart glasses promise an all-in-one solution for listening, calling, and live-streaming. Introduced in September 2023, these next-generation smart glasses have become my go-to wearable camera and sunglasses for the past month, primarily due to their seamless integration into my life as a creator.

I opted for the Wayfarer smart glasses in Shiny Caramel and my experience has been intriguing. As a South African, the onboarding and pairing process with the Meta View app was quite frustrating, initially requiring changes to my iCloud account because it was unavailable in South Africa at the time but this has since changed (May 2024), I can now access the Meta View app with my normal South African based iCloud account and this provides all the features except for META AI!!! Hopefully we will also be able to soon command Meta to "look and tell me what's in front of me".

THE EXPERIENCE

The first thing you'll notice when wearing and shooting with these glasses is their effortless integration into daily life—they feel and function like premium sunglasses, only better. Equipped with a 12MP ultra-wide camera, two open-ear speakers, and weighing just 52 grams (compared to my normal prescription glasses which weigh 24 g), I wondered how they managed to pack so much tech into such a sleek, unnoticeable small framed design.

What continues to impress me about these smart glasses is their ability to deliver on their promises. They enable me to:

• Listen to music or podcasts
• Take calls via Bluetooth
• Start an Instagram live stream using the incredible 12MP camera

Sounds amazing, right? However, it's important to note a few drawbacks. While the speaker quality is superb, external sounds can be distracting in crowded environments—the glasses lack noise cancellation, they are open-ear speakers after all. Taking calls in public looks odd because the glasses look like everyday glasses, making it appear as though I'm talking to myself unless among friends who recognise the device.

One standout experience was live-streaming with the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. It's the easiest way to bring my audience along with me through a POV shot, although I must remain cautious about what I say because “I am live”  and there’s no post-production process. I appreciate how these glasses elevate the POV experience for creators, eliminating the need to use my phone for live streams.

Considerations from a creator's perspective:

Video Aspect Ratio: While the video quality is excellent, the 3:5 aspect ratio at 30 FPS feels restrictive for social media. I often need to frame shots carefully to fit them into a 9:16 format for platforms like Instagram or TikTok in post production. Reframing to 9:16 also compromises the quality, in my opinion.

Battery Life: The glasses perform well as sunglasses (they block the sun), but battery usage spikes when actively listening to podcasts, calls, or video recordings. They're not an all-day device unless you have the charging case with you.

Weight Behind the Ears: Compared to my normal daily prescription glasses the Ray-Ban Meta’s do carry weight that eventually feels uncomfortable behind my ears when wearing them for a long time. If you’re a glasses-wearing person, you’ll feel the difference.

Video Recording Confirmation: The glasses do make an initial sound when I start recording or take a snap but specifically with recording video I often have to check if the LED light on the right corner is blinking to show it is recording - I especially do this in noisy spaces such as events because I could not hear the “video recording confirmation” sound turn off.

Recording Limit: The glasses do a great job for video content creators because I can generate a lot of high-quality video content with great audio captured by the 5 hidden mics on the frame of the glasses. In August 2024, the video recording limit was improved from 60 seconds to 3 minutes (this drain the battery) which makes it a great companion to have on the go and make it easier for me to capture videos.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, I'd invest in custom prescription lenses to ensure a comfortable fit for myself. Storage, video quality, and content exporting haven't posed issues, making these glasses ideal for capturing daily short-form vlogs without compromising quality. They're perfect for BTS vlogs or sharing memories on social media without distraction. Are they advanced videography tools? Not quite, but they're versatile devices enabling creative content diversification while multitasking with features like calls and podcasts.