Meta Unveils Handheld AI Device Charm, VR Glasses and Camera-Free Smart Glasses

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg used the company's annual device event on Wednesday to unveil a small handheld gadget called Meta Charm, designed to work with its new Muse AI assistant. The device, roughly the size of an Apple AirPods case, is set to ship in time for the December holidays, though the company did not disclose a price.

Alongside Charm, Meta introduced a pair of virtual-reality glasses intended for use with a VR console and a set of camera-free smart glasses for everyday wear. The move appears aimed at easing a growing privacy backlash against AI devices capable of capturing video and images of people without their consent.

Priced at $1,299, the Meta VR Glasses are designed to match the capabilities of bulkier and more expensive rivals such as Apple's Vision Pro while weighing about as much as a deck of playing cards. That design was made possible by relocating the battery and processor into a separate puck. The device, which resembles a pair of dark wraparound frames and responds to eye, voice and hand gestures, is scheduled to launch in spring 2027. Meta is betting it can bring a category long constrained by high prices and heavy, uncomfortable headsets into the mainstream.

The company also expanded its Muse AI assistant across its smart glasses lineup, adding capabilities that include computer use and integration with retailers and services such as Walmart, Best Buy and Gap. Meta said Muse would become the primary interface for its glasses, letting users shop, make appointments and complete other tasks through voice commands.

However, the new camera-free glasses, called Ray-Ban Meta Audio, will still record audio and offer no clear signal to bystanders that recording is underway. That contrasts with Meta's camera-equipped smart glasses, which flash a light while filming. Critics argue that removing the cameras alone may not be enough to address privacy concerns.

The Meta Audio glasses are the latest product of the company's tie-up with EssilorLuxottica and will ship from October 13 at a starting price of $349. That is $100 cheaper than the latest version of its Ray-Ban glasses, which retain cameras and will be offered in two new styles, the Aviator and the cat-eyed Zena.

Pairing its technology with Luxottica's designs has helped Meta take an early lead in the AI device race, where it faces competition from a range of new form factors including pendants, pins and recorders that magnetically attach to phones. But it has also made the company a focal point of concerns about devices that work better the more they see and hear, prompting privacy lawsuits and bans at some UK venues. The outcome of the privacy debate could shape a market that technology firms, including Meta, view as the next major computing platform and a potential replacement for smartphones.

"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, 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 may also dampen demand, since capturing photos and video ranks among the most popular features for 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, for its part, 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 absence of cameras has allowed Meta to build its thinnest pair yet, weighing as much as a golf ball, and opened up new designs such as the browline Clubmaster and the squared, retro Burbank. It also extended battery life to 12 hours on a single charge, compared with nine hours on the latest third-generation Ray-Ban glasses.