7 things to expect at Meta Connect 2026 from camera-less smart glasses to
Meta Ray-ban glasses updates

Date:
Sun, 20 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Description:
Meta Connect 2026 kicks off soon and we're likely to see new smart glasses,
AI improvements, and price hikes.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Its almost time for Meta Connect, with the brand hosting its annual event on September 23 and 24.
Here, were expecting to see several new devices, with a focus on smart glasses.

Software updates are also likely, including to Meta Muse, but between the RAM crisis and a privacy backlash against the companys smart specs, this might
not be an entirely rosy affair. So below, weve detailed the seven major
things to expect at Meta Connect 2026 covering both the good and the bad. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: 1. Camera-free Meta smart glasses The Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 (Image credit: Meta) While smart glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta can be extremely useful, theyre also facing a major backlash right now, with many people worrying about them being used as spy glasses to photograph and video people without their knowledge or consent. As a result, Meta might respond by launching camera-free smart glasses .

These are rumored to land at Meta Connect, and would likely focus on conversational interactions with Metas AI chatbot . It makes sense for Meta
to launch these, though how useful or appealing they will be when the AI cant see what youre looking at remains to be seen. You may like Meta is rumored to be launching camera-free smart glasses codenamed Luna Meta Ray-Ban Scriber Optics hands-on: superb 2026 smart glasses Metas next headset could be what the Quest Pro 2 should have been 2. The Project Phoenix mixed reality headset First official visuals of Meta's Project Phoenix, found in the HorizonOS Prescription Lens firmware package! pic.twitter.com/YmN0SCJNCD September 10, 2026 Weve been hearing for a while that Meta is working on a mixed reality headset codenamed Project Phoenix, and while this reportedly wont launch
until 2027, we might get an official look at it during Meta Connect.

From what weve seen so far, this might look more like smart glasses than the Meta Quest 3S headset , despite featuring both AR and VR functionality. However, Project Phoenix has been pictured with a cable running down from it, suggesting that perhaps the battery and/or processor are external, thereby allowing for a slim design. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

We dont know much else about this yet, but that might change at Meta Connect. 3. New Oakley and Ray-Ban glasses The Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses (Image credit: Oakley / Meta) Were probably due a second generation of the Oakley Meta glasses by now, and theres also a chance well see the Ray-Ban Meta Gen
3, though it might be too soon for them at this year's Connect.

The Oakley Meta specs are sportier than the Ray-Ban line, with things like wrap-around designs and better water resistance, so expect the second generation to continue with that focus. What to read next Meta just fixed a big privacy vulnerability with its Ray-Ban smart glasses Meta and EssilorLuxottica's new AI glasses are both stylish and affordable Are Meta smart glasses doomed to fail like Google Glass?

As for the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3, leaks suggest these could have better battery life, smarter AI, and improved audio. 4. A global launch for the Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses The Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) The Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses are currently only available in
the US, but hopefully at Meta Connect we might see these display-packing
specs go global.

Its certainly about time originally these were planned to get a wider launch in early 2026, but thanks to "unprecedented demand and limited inventory"
this was delayed.

But if youre hoping to get your hands on them youll also have to be prepared to pay a lot, as in the US they retail for $800, so you can expect similarly high pricing elsewhere. 5. Price hikes (Image credit: Future) Alongside new and improved products, we might also see new and not at all improved prices for some things, thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis.

In other words, dont be surprised if prices for new generation models of the likes of Oakley Meta and Ray-Ban Meta glasses are higher than the current generation.

In the case of Ray-Ban Meta glasses we already saw a price hike for the
second generation, so another for the third would be extremely undesirable, but may also be unavoidable. 6. A Meta Muse AI update (Image credit: Shutterstock / jackpress) Meta Muse Metas AI agent that can send emails,
fill out forms, shop, and do other tasks for you only launched recently, but as a major new service its likely to be getting a lot of attention from Meta, so improvements are probably already in the works.

Meta Connect then would be a prime time to find out about any upcoming
changes and perhaps even for Meta to roll out a software update for it or a new model. Or perhaps Meta will announce availability in countries other than the US, so that more of us can try it. 7. Updates addressing the privacy backlash Meta Essilor Luxottica AI Glasses (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) As well as launching some camera-free smart glasses, Meta may use Connect to announce some software updates aimed at addressing privacy
concerns in its existing specs.

Already, the company has rolled out an update that will stop the glasses recording if you cover the LED once a recording has started, but Meta may
well be cooking up additional changes to further prevent surreptitious photography and video recording.

Indeed, Meta's VP of Wearables Alex Himel recently said "were going to keep rolling out updates like this to make sure the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured for someones gallery." So while its unclear what exactly those updates will be, we might learn about some of them at Meta Connect. Today's best smart glasses deals Ray-Ban Meta Headliner (Gen 2) 379 344.55 View See all prices XREAL One Pro 679 549 View See all prices Log in to save 120 voucher gift Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 2) 379 View See all prices Ray-Ban Meta Skyler (Gen 2) 359 View See all prices voucher gift Oakley Meta HSTN 399 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/7-things -to-expect-at-meta-connect-2026-from-camera-less-smart-glasses-to-meta-ray-ban -glasses-updates


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