Those in search of cheap smart glasses won’t find much, unless you’re cool waiting for a discount to hit or going last-generation. Luckily, Amazon is offering both by chopping 25% off the price of these first-gen Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. While the 25% discount is available across lens and Wayfarer colors, the lowest price points come with just a few of the model options.
To be clear, these aren’t AR or XR glasses, so they don’t feature the built-in HUD displays that can be found on some of those models. They do include tons of AI features and a lot of great hands-free functions, however, and the Meta Gen 1 glasses are fairly similar to the newer-generation versions, albeit with a cheaper price tag.
✅Recommended if: you’re in the market for some highly capable smart glasses but you want to save money; you want a pair of smart glasses with lots of storage for photos and videos; you’d rather save money going last-gen than purchase the new second-gen version of these glasses.
❌Skip this deal if: you’d prefer to go with the Gen 2 Meta smart glasses for slightly improved battery life, a lighter overall build, and higher-quality video; you’re looking for XR glasses more so than traditional AI smart glasses; you’d rather go with a modular competitor to Meta’s smart glasses such as the Solos AirGo V or XR-focused ones like the Xreal 1S or RayNeo Air 3S Pros.
The first-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses still have a lot to offer, from crisp, on-the-go video- and photo-taking, and the option for most prescriptions in each clear, polarized, and transitional lenses. While their battery life is not quite as long lasting as the Gen 2s, they’ll still offer up to 4 hours of battery per charge, or 30 minutes of live streaming. They’ll also charge to 50% battery in just 20 minutes, which tends to offer plenty of capacity for most casual or new users.
Still, the second-gen pair boasts a lighter build and longer battery life, plus higher-quality video. With that comes a higher price tag and fewer discounts, however, so choose carefully.
