Meta Oakley HSTN Smart Glasses
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The newest sensible glasses by Meta characteristic an enhanced design and options optimized for out of doors use.
- An upgraded digicam decision and battery life headline the perfect options.
- They’re pretty costly at $499, and the type may not attraction to some customers.
extra shopping for decisions
jul / 2025
The Meta Ray-Bans have been a hit since their launch, with customers (like me) drawn to their common kind issue filled with mics, cameras, audio system, and AI. Now, Meta is catering to a extra athletic viewers with its new Meta Oakley sensible glasses — and with them, it has upped the ante throughout practically each spec.
As a glasses wearer, photograph fanatic, and AI reporter, it was an absolute no-brainer for me to buy the Meta Ray-Bans. After months of trying them, I used to be principally impressed. My largest qualm was the battery life, which solely lasted 4 hours.
Additionally: Meta Ray-Bans vs. Oakley: I tested both smart glasses, there’s a clear winner
So, when Meta introduced the Oakley model would have eight hours of battery life, I used to be instantly intrigued. I spent the previous weekend with the Meta Oakley HSTN Limited Edition, and so they exceeded my expectations.
Firstly: extra energy
There are a lot of sensible causes an athlete would wish to put on sensible glasses, together with hands-free entry to music, messages, AI help, a digicam, and video. Nevertheless, because of this the glasses need to be comfy, sturdy, and have a battery that lasts the period of your exercise.
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Meta executed on all of those fronts with Meta Oakley HSTN Restricted Version glasses, packing an eight-hour battery life from a single cost (up from 4 on the Meta Ray-Bans) and as much as 48 hours with the absolutely charged carrying case, in keeping with Meta.
To accommodate out of doors actions in all terrains, the glasses have an IPX4 water resistance ranking, a step-up in sturdiness from the Ray-Bans. The video high quality can be greater, capturing 3K video, up from 1080p on the Meta Ray-Bans.
However these glasses additionally maintain the entire options that made the Meta Ray-Bans so nice, akin to a 12 MP ultrawide digicam, digicam sensors embedded alongside the aspect of the eyewear (nice for recording POV photographs throughout your exercise), two open-ear Bluetooth audio system, and a customized five-mic array.
Throughout my stroll, I listened to Justin Bieber’s new album and was extraordinarily happy with the audio, a lot in order that I used to be content material with my choice to forgo my regular open-ear headphones, the Shockz OpenFit.
I used to be additionally capable of ship audio messages, which is my most well-liked mode of communication, with no challenge. I even acquired the suggestions, “your audio sounds nice, really,” after I apologized prematurely for any splotchiness which will ensue from speaking into my glasses.
I additionally examined the photograph and video capabilities by snapping photographs throughout my stroll. I’ve at all times been amazed at how properly it takes pictures, even when you’re in movement, with the ultimate outcome being steady, good-quality photographs. Probably the most spectacular half, nevertheless, was the improved video high quality, which was evident as quickly as I seen the video after getting residence. You possibly can distinctly hear the sound of my ft hitting the pavement as I did my mild jog, and the standard and POV make it really feel such as you had been taken alongside the trail of my jog.
This performance is especially essential as a result of in case you are available in the market for these glasses to doc your train, on the worth level, which is double that of a conventional GoPro, it’s crucial that the standard of the photographs be as excessive as potential.
Elevated consolation
Regardless of the extra rugged design and the higher elements below the hood, I discovered the glasses to be extra comfy than the Meta Ray-Bans. In response to the specs posted on the Meta web site, each glasses are the identical precise weight at 49 grams. Nevertheless, the Oakley pair sits a lot extra comfortably on the bridge of my nostril that they virtually really feel lighter.
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Utilizing the smartglasses hands-free is simply as straightforward with both voice or touchpad instructions, relying on which you favor. Earlier than my outing, I synced the glasses to Apple Music and my messages, so I did not have to have a look at my telephone in any respect. Slightly, I acquired a voice notification each time I acquired a textual content, and did easy motions on the touchpad, akin to swiping ahead to manage quantity or tapping to pause a track.
Utilizing Meta AI was simply as easy, with a easy command of “Hey Meta” unlocking a multimodal AI assistant that may see what you see, present audio help, and even carry out different extra superior duties akin to AI language translation.
The Oakley pair’s case is a bit bulkier and fewer modern than that of the Ray-Bans. That mentioned, it was probably a purposeful design, as you most likely need one thing extra heavy-duty when on a run, bike experience, hike, and so forth. The Meta Oakley charging case holds 48 hours of cost versus the 32 hours on the Ray-Bans.
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There’s additionally the added comfort of getting high-quality sun shades catered to athletes. The sensible glasses have Prizm 24K Polarized lenses, which not solely shield towards the beaming solar rays outdoor but in addition permit you to see parts you’ll have in any other case missed.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The audiences for the Meta Ray-Bans and the Meta Oakleys are a bit completely different. In case you are an outside fanatic who’s seeking to doc a few of your adventures and have easy accessibility to your telephone, music, and an AI assistant, the added specs and design make the $499 funding within the Meta Oakley HSTN Restricted Version glasses value it.
In case you are simply on the lookout for sensible glasses you should utilize often, with no specific want for prolonged battery life or capturing high-quality video, you might wish to both persist with the Meta Ray-Bans, which begin at $240, or wait till extra fashions are made accessible later this summer season on the cheaper price level of $399.
The newest sensible glasses by Meta characteristic key enhancements that fulfill the shortcomings of the favored Ray-Bans, from the upper decision video recording to the longer-lasting battery life. Whereas the design of the Oakley model will depart clients divided, it additionally covers a spot within the sensible glasses house for customers who search a wearable for extra intense leisure actions.
You possibly can sustain with my newest tales and tech adventures on social media. Comply with me on Twitter/X at @sabrinaa_ortiz and on Instagram at @sabrinaa.ortiz.
