Meta Launches Camera-Free Ray-Ban Audio Glasses at $349 to Address Privacy Concerns

Meta introduced a camera-free version of its smart glasses at its annual device event on Wednesday, a move aimed at easing privacy concerns that have drawn the social media company into a broader backlash against AI gadgets capable of recording people without consent.

The new model, called Ray-Ban Meta Audio, will ship from October 13 at a starting price of $349 — $100 less than the latest camera-equipped Ray-Ban glasses. It is the latest product from Meta's partnership with eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica.

Alongside the hardware launch, Meta said it would expand its Muse AI assistant across its smart glasses lineup, adding capabilities such as computer use and integration with retailers and services including Walmart, Best Buy and Gap. Muse is set to become the primary interface for the glasses, letting users shop, book appointments and carry out other tasks through voice commands.

The company also refreshed its camera-bearing Ray-Ban line with two new styles, the Aviator and the cat-eyed Zena.

Privacy remains a central question. The Meta Audio glasses can still record sound and offer no clear signal to bystanders that recording is underway, unlike earlier smart glasses that flash a light while filming. Critics argue that removing the cameras alone may not be enough to allay concerns.

"They are addressing some of the privacy issues, but there is still the ability to kind of misuse audio or record audio without consent. And that is really the key here. This is all about consent," said Jitesh Ubrani, a director at market research firm IDC. "Meta needs to figure out a way to warn users they are being recorded, even though it just might be audio only."

Dropping the cameras could also weigh on demand, since capturing photos and video is among the most popular features of smart glasses. "Consumers may ask why they need smart glasses rather than Bluetooth earbuds if the primary experience is limited to voice interaction, microphones and speakers," said Linda Sui, founder of Smart Analytics Global.

Meta said privacy was not the only reason for the audio-only design and that a market exists for smart glasses without cameras. "Audio has been our most popular feature since day one because our glasses give you high-quality sound without closing you off from the world around you," the company said.

The design change allowed Meta to build its thinnest pair yet, weighing about as much as a golf ball, and to introduce new shapes such as the browline Clubmaster and the squared, retro Burbank. Battery life has been stretched to 12 hours on a single charge, compared with nine hours on the latest third-generation Ray-Ban glasses.

Pairing its technology with Luxottica's designs has helped Meta take an early lead in the AI device race, where it faces competition from formats including pendants, pins and recorders that attach magnetically to phones. But that same push has made the company a focal point of concern over devices that work better the more they see and hear, prompting privacy lawsuits and bans at some UK venues. How that debate unfolds could shape a market that technology firms, Meta among them, view as a potential next computing platform and a possible replacement for smartphones.