he best part of Meta's latest AI glasses is a feature that they removed.

On Wednesday, Meta announced the Meta Ray-Ban Audio glasses, which do not have any cameras, and as a result, weigh less, have better battery life, and are less expensive. But most of all, the glasses let you get the audio and AI benefits without people giving you the stink eye because they think you're wearing spy glasses.

"The audio features are our most popular features: listening to music, making phone calls, and talking to AI. We thought that by really just focusing on audio, we could make the glasses way slimmer and lighter with way longer battery life," Ming Hua, Meta's VP of wearable devices, told The Deep View. "The whole consideration is to expand into a new segment and give people new options."

Hua said that Meta has been developing the camera-less version for the past two years. During that time, Meta's AI glasses have received bad publicity from consumers and businesses concerned about the glasses recording video of people without their knowledge or permission. At the same time, the glasses have been praised for their surprisingly good audio quality, the convenience and safety of the open-air audio design, and the fact that the glasses are stylish to wear and don't look like a tech product.

Here are the details of the Meta Ray-Ban Audio glasses:

• 6 microphones (an upgrade from 5 mics on previous glasses)
• 12 hours of battery life (up from 8 hours in Gen 2 Meta Ray-Bans and 4 hours in Gen 1)
• Weigh 43 grams (about 10-20% less than most other models)
• Adjustable temple tips and adjustable nose pads
• Two styles: Clubmaster (looks like 1950s geek glasses) and Burbank (looks like traditional geek glasses such as the Ray-Ban Wayfarer)
• Start at $349
• Begin shipping October 13

And future generations of these audio-only glasses look promising as well, since earlier today Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, a chip aimed at next-generation audio and voice wearables.

Meta also doubled-down on audio technology in general by launching a new software feature called Hearing Enhancement, which uses software to turn Meta glasses into an FDA-cleared over-the-counter hearing aid with some very smart features. With a 5-minute onboarding routine, it can understand your hearing and then boost particular frequencies to help. It also has a directional feature that only boosts the audio of the person you're looking at. Since 1 in 6 people suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss and the Meta software is a one-time $149 fee (compared to $1,000 to $8,000 for the average prescription hearing aid), I expect this feature to be very popular when the software starts shipping later this fall.

Our Deeper View

At the Meta Connect 2026 event this week, I tried the Meta Ray-Ban Audio glasses and the new Hearing Enhancement feature (using a pair of ear plugs to simulate partial hearing loss). Both worked very well and I consider them both welcome developments. After using various models of Meta AI glasses over the past two years, the audio features were by far the most used things for me. But I limited how much I used the glasses because of the cameras and not wanting anyone around me to fear I was invading their privacy. Across all of its Ray-Ban, Oakley, and other product lines, Meta has sold around 10 million pairs of its AI glasses over the past few years. I suspect the Meta Ray-Ban Audio glasses could sell more than all of them combined in the coming year. That's primarily because of the lack of cameras but it's also because of the combination of longer battery life, being lighter and more comfortable, and being less expensive. It also helps that Meta's AI has gotten far more useful, with its Muse app going viral among mainstream users and giving people something interesting to do with the glasses. And for those who want all of the same features without having to wear glasses, Meta teased the Muse Charm, a handheld pendant that will be available at the end of the year.

Disclaimer: Jason Hiner's travel to Meta Connect 2026 event was paid for by Meta. The Deep View's coverage is editorially independent from the companies we cover.