Big ·MetaMark Zuckerberg laughs after the demo of his new $800 smart glasses goes horribly wrongBy Ashley LutzBy Ashley LutzExecutive Director, Editorial GrowthAshley LutzExecutive Director, Editorial GrowthAshley Lutz is an executive editor at Fortune, overseeing the Success, Well, syndication, and social teams.
She was previously an editorial leader at Bankrate, The Points Guy, and Insider, and a reporter at Bloomberg News.
Ashley is a graduate of Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism.SEE FULL BIO Mark Zuckerberg's demo at the Meta Connect event.David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMeta’s smart-glasses lineup includes the Ray‑Ban Display with a built‑in lens display, the d Ray‑Ban Meta Gen 2, and the sport‑focused Oakley Meta Vanguard, with headline prices of $799, $379, and $499, respectively, at Meta Connect 2025.
But Wednesday’s grand unveiling was overshadowed by a on‑stage demo that repeatedly failed, culminating in Mark Zuckerberg being unable to answer a call via the new neural wristband while assuring the audience “it’s all good” amid Wi‑Fi excuses.
What they are Meta is pushing a tiered family of AI glasses that range from camera‑ and audio‑first models to a new pair with an integrated transparent display, all centered on hands‑free capture, Meta AI assistance, and voice or wristband control.
The Ray‑Ban Display adds a see‑through lens readout and relies on a neural wristband for subtle gesture control, marking Meta’s first consumer smart glasses with a built‑in display.
Models and price Ray‑Ban Display: $799, see‑through display in the right lens, controlled via a neural wristband; slated to go on sale September 30 with two sizes and prescription options.
Ray‑Ban Meta (Gen 2): Starting at $379, with an upgraded 12-megapixel camera, 3K capture, up to eight hours of typical use, 32 gigabytes of storage, IPX4 water resistance, and wider lens/frame options; Gen 1 remains at $299.
Oakley Meta Vanguard: $499, sport‑oriented frames with IP67 durability, 12-megapixel ultra‑wide camera up to 3K , louder speakers, five‑mic array, fitness integrations, and quick‑charge to 50% in 20 minutes.
Key features Meta AI powers voice queries, hands‑free photos and , real‑time translation, and context‑aware assistance across the lineup, with the Display model extending glanceable interactions into the lens itself.
A neural wristband enables subtle finger gestures for control on the Display glasses, and Meta also highlighted “conversation focus” audio cessing to better hear voices in environments.
Reception so far Early hands‑on coverage has been notably upbeat for the Display glasses, with one reviewer from The Verge calling them the best smart glasses tried to date and another saying they “feel the future,” while also noting they’re the duct to beat for the category.
Broader coverage praised Gen 2’s practical upgrades and battery gains, but also flagged the high‑file AI demo faltered on stage, tempering the otherwise strong showing.
Zuckerberg’s demo misfires During a cooking segment, the glasses’ AI misinterpreted mpts, insisted base ingredients were already combined, and suggested steps for a sauce that hadn’t been started before the host punted back to Zuckerberg citing Wi‑Fi issues, mpting his “it’s all good” reassurance to a laughing crowd.
“The irony of all this whole thing is that you spend years making nology and then the Wi-Fi on the day kinda… catches you,” Zuckerberg said, laughing.
“We’ll go check out what he made later.” Later, while wearing Ray‑Ban Meta glasses and the neural wristband, Zuckerberg repeatedly failed to answer an incoming call on stage despite multiple attempts, eventually giving up as the ringtone continued, with other outlets noting similar struggles during the event.
Long-term bets Fortune has reported on Meta’s broader smart‑device roadmap, including a “Hypernova” pair of smart glasses expected to use a wristband controller akin to the company’s ambitious Orion AR ject, underscoring Meta’s long‑term bet on neural wrist interfaces across its wearables.
That wrist‑first interaction model mirrors the neural-band apach Meta just showcased for the Ray‑Ban Display, suggesting strategic consistency between near‑term ducts and pipeline devices.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing. Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh.
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