Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 hands-on: Better battery life and a price hike

The latest lineup comes in two new frame styles: Aviator and Zena.

Karissa Bell for Engadget

Meta just showed off its third-generation lineup of Ray-Ban-branded AI glasses, and the latest frames come with more hours of battery life and a bit of a price hike. Starting at $449, the Gen 3 Ray-Ban Meta Glasses now come in an Aviator style and a more angular frame called Zena.

Some of the most noticeable changes will look familiar if you've used the Ray-Ban Meta Optics line or any of the Meta Glasses line. Like those, the Gen 3 frames also come with a programmable action button. This can be customized to trigger a specific Meta AI command, capture mode or just about any other feature. The glasses also come with the same adjustable temple tips that we saw on the Optics line, which should make for a slightly better fit.

Speaking of fit, the aviator frames are quite a bit thicker than some other Ray-Ban Meta models I've tried, and they did feel a bit loose on my face. It's a bolder style than the boxy Wayfarers we're used to seeing from Meta (there is a Gen 3 Wayfarer model too) but I was just happy to see another tortoiseshell frame. As always, what looks lame on one person's face might look cool on someone else.

Karissa Bell for Engadget

The most important Gen 3 upgrades aren't immediately visible: better battery life and microphones. According to Meta, the Gen 3 line now top out at 9 hours of battery life. I haven't had my pair long enough to test this out but in my experience, battery life claims really depend on how close your use is to what Meta considers "typical." For example, I got a little more than 5 hours from my Gen 2 Ray-Ban Meta glasses with continuous audio playback. Either way, another hour should be noticeable enough for anyone wearing these for extended sessions.

Meta has also added an extra mic to its Gen 3 frames, bringing the total number of microphones to six. The company says this should reduce background noise to make it easier for people (or its AI) to hear you in noisy environments.

Karissa Bell for Engadget

Some of the updates I'm most looking forward to trying aren't out yet. These include the ability to — finally — capture photos and videos in landscape orientation. (This capability will eventually roll out to other models too.) The Gen 3 line will also be the first to support recording with Dolby Atmos in videos, and allow users to capture spatial sound alongside their videos. I feel like this is a somewhat niche feature, but I'm interested to see how much of a difference it makes.

One of the biggest benefits of Gen 3 is just how many options Meta now offers. "Meta Glasses" used to be synonymous with dark Wayfarers, but that's no longer the case. Between Ray-Ban, Oakley and its own Meta-branded line, the company says that it will have more than 100 different frame styles and color variations by the end of the year.