When Mark Zuckerberg walks on stage at Meta Connect in San Francisco, he won’t be talking about slimmer phones or extra cameras. Instead, he’ll double down on a bold vision: smart glasses will replace the smartphone – not in decades, but starting now.
It’s a message that sharply contrasts Apple’s incremental iPhone 17 lineup reveal last week. While Apple is tinkering with size and lenses, Meta is aiming to leapfrog the smartphone era entirely.
With global smartphone sales flattening, Zuckerberg believes the next major platform shift is here – and Meta intends to lead it.
Ray-Ban Smart Glasses – Meta’s Surprise Hit
Despite missing the smartphone boom and stumbling with its Metaverse bet, Meta has found unexpected momentum in smart eyewear.
The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, launched in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, have turned out to be a breakout success. Their October 2023 second-generation release sold over 2 million units, with sales tripling in Q2 2025 and fueling Meta’s 22% year-over-year revenue growth. Zuckerberg is now targeting 5 million units by year’s end.
Unlike clunky, futuristic AR headsets, these glasses don’t scream “sci-fi gadget.” They look and feel like regular Ray-Bans – lightweight, stylish, and familiar – while quietly packing AI superpowers.
They can:
- Identify food items at the grocery store
- Translate real-time conversations
- Snap hands-free photos and videos
- Let users make calls or listen to music without pulling out a phone
As Zuckerberg boldly declared in July’s earnings call:
“If you don’t have glasses with AI, you’ll soon be at a significant cognitive disadvantage.”
Why They Work Where Others Failed
From Google Glass to Snap Spectacles, the industry has seen failed experiments in smart eyewear. High prices, poor design, and limited features doomed those products.
Meta, however, paired utility with familiarity – delivering something practical and wearable at a consumer-friendly price point.
The success was strong enough for Meta to buy a 3% stake in EssilorLuxottica, owner of not only Ray-Ban but also Oakley, Prada, and dozens of iconic eyewear brands. The move secures Meta’s place at the center of the eyewear world.
The Next Leap: Displays and Gesture Control
At this week’s Connect conference, Meta may reveal new glasses with built-in displays for apps and notifications – reportedly priced at $800, the same as an iPhone 17. A wristband for gesture control is also rumored.
This would be a step closer to Orion, Meta’s prototype for fully augmented reality (AR) glasses that could eventually replace smartphones altogether.
Currently, the Ray-Ban glasses only offer audio-based interactions. But with Google showcasing AR display glasses, Meta will need to respond quickly if it wants to maintain its lead.
Meta Already Ahead in the Smart Glasses Race
While the race is far from over, Meta has clearly carved out an early lead. Apple, Google, and Amazon have yet to make a strong commercial impact in this space.
Meta’s advantage lies in:
- Partnership with EssilorLuxottica (massive global retail reach)
- AI integration driving practical use cases
- Consumer-friendly design that doesn’t feel dystopian
Still, Meta lacks Apple’s vertically integrated tech stack, particularly in chip design and distribution ecosystems. To win long-term, Meta must move fast, innovate aggressively, and build a smart glasses app ecosystem before competitors catch up.
The Bigger Picture
For now, smart glasses remain a small slice of Meta’s revenue. But they represent something far more valuable: the chance to break free from reliance on Apple and Google’s app stores.
If Meta can successfully shift consumers to a new interface – from pocket to face – it could redefine how billions of people interact with technology.
The question isn’t if smart glasses will go mainstream, but when – and whether Meta can stay ahead in a race it has unexpectedly started winning.
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