The glasses include two speakers at the bottom of each temple, but they’re not great. The two 5-megapixel cameras don’t take the best pictures or videos. Modern smartphones come with multiple lenses that offer zoom or wide-angle capabilities for fitting more into a picture, and most have a sharper 12-megapixel resolution. But the glasses were good for quickly capturing moments on the go. Augmented reality features, which let you overlay digital content on top of the real world, are notably absent.
The Ray-Ban Stories are fully compatible with prescription lenses. The glasses will start at $299, with polarized and transition lens options coming in at a higher price point. A white LED lights up on the top right of the glasses when users take a photo or video to indicate the glasses are shooting a photo or video.
I was less impressed with the Stories’ photo quality, but I suppose it could be useful if you wanted to take a pic without pulling out your phone. You can import your photos and videos from the smart glasses into Facebook View, a new app that lets you quickly edit your media and share it to practically every social media site (yes, even Snapchat!). Ray-Ban Stories’ dual integrated 5MP cameras let you capture life’s moments as they happen from a unique first-person perspective. The social network on Thursday showed off the glasses, called Ray-Ban Stories—a direct rival to Snapchat’s Spectacles. The $299 Facebook glasses, which use EssilorLuxottica SA-owned Ray-Ban’s classic Wayfarer frame style, let users take photos and video, listen to music and answer phone calls.
But then, this spring, Snap made a leap by revealing actual augmented-reality glasses. Sure, they’re limited to developers, and they have poor battery life, but they offer a true volumetric AR experience. Facebook, meanwhile, has been working on these Ray-Bans since at least 2019, and it almost certainly clubmaster will take a swing at AR glasses in the future. But in terms of both commercial availability and advanced features, the new Facebook Ray-Bans are years behind Snap’s glasses. Most smart glasses have unusually large temples to accommodate all the necessary sensors and chips and batteries.
Snapchat parent Snap Inc. first released Spectacles in 2016 with a built-in camera for shooting video. In 2019, Amazon.com Inc. launched smart glasses to take calls and use Alexa, but those also don’t include AR. In May, Snap also announced a version of Spectacles that feature AR capabilities, although those aren’t available for consumers. Apple Inc. plans to enter the glasses space later this decade with an AR-capable offering, Bloomberg News has reported. The glasses were most fun to wear while playing with my kids at the park, as playground shenanigans (such as creeping inside a tunnel meant for 5-year-olds) make it tricky to pull out a smartphone to capture moments.
Because these can smear your sunglasses that not even the lens cleaning cloths can remove. Polycarbonate lenses like those found in most spectacles these days, are hurt by abrasive cleaners. So, avoid cleansers, polishes, ammonia, or bleach based cleaners. Many of these can strip the coatings completely away over time.
Streamlined, open-ear speakers are built in, and Ray-Ban Stories’ three-microphone audio array delivers richer voice and sound transmission for calls and videos. Beamforming technology and a background noise suppression algorithm provide for an enhanced calling experience like you’d expect from dedicated headphones. The smart glasses are designed with two 5MP cameras, which you can use to take photos and record videos as long as 30 seconds. To capture a moment, either click the capture button on the frame or use Facebook Assistant voice commands — just say “Hey Facebook” and direct the device to snap a shot or start recording. Still, I was surprised by how smooth video footage looked; it reminded me of YouTube professionals like J. It was also nice to have both hands free to capture fleeting moments of play with my daughter.
Sign up for email to get news, offers, and receive 10% off your first order. The glasses also aren’t water-resistant, so you’ll need to be careful if you’re wearing them on the beach or by the pool. Sign up to get the latest on eye health, other eye care matters, discounts and promotions. Timeless and iconic styles made to celebrate clubmaster authenticity, self-expression and confidence. To control the Ray-Ban Stories, you can either invoke the Facebook assistant by saying “Hey Facebook” or by tapping the button on the right arm, or swiping on the side touchpad. Personally, I never want to be caught in public talking to Facebook, so I mostly relied on touch controls.
This style can easily be dressed up or down and is a great style for everyday wear. The frame is durable and the shape is flattering on almost anyone. It comes with a nice leather case, with a felt lining to help prevent scratches. Be sure to head below the jump to find the rest of our top picks. What’s more, for all the smarts that are packed into the glasses, they’re all tucked away.
Apple is working on its own AR glasses that are still several years out. In June of last year, Google bought the AR glasses startup North, signaling its interest in re-entering the consumer market after Google Glass failed nearly a decade ago. The deal was sealed when Zuckerberg flew to Milan in early 2019 to meet with Leonardo Del Vecchio, Luxottica’s founder and chairman.