September is shaping up to be one of the most exciting months of the year for new tech launches, and we’re not just talking about the iPhone 17. Meta is reportedly set to unveil its next generation of smart glasses, codenamed Hypernova. That’s why BloombergStarting in 2021, the base model of the computer glasses will be available for about $800, which is at least $200 less than expected.
These glasses will reportedly differ from the current Ray-Ban Meta in that they will have a small augmented reality display integrated into the right lens and only visible to the wearer. On the screen, you’ll see widgets and notifications, and you can control the content with the same neural input armband used to control the Meta Orion AR glasses.
“Meta was clearly encouraged by the success of its Ray-Ban eyewear,” said Leo Gebbie, analyst and director of Americas at CCS Insight.
The big question for the Hypernova will be how far it deviates from Ray-Ban’s current smart glasses model, which has proven very successful. “The demand for these glasses is because they look like regular glasses from a well-known brand and offer an impressive range of features at a relatively affordable price,” Gebbie said.
The Hypernova glasses cost about $500 more than the Meta Ray-Ban, a significant price difference. Gebbie said it’s not yet known if the Hypernova glasses will be as stylish as the Ray-Bans.
Knowing it would be difficult to sell, Meta was able to lower the price by $1,000 by accepting lower margins, according to Bloomberg. The company likely hopes that by keeping costs as low as possible, it can convince more future buyers to buy into its theory that glasses are the future of technology.
Even at a lower price, you’ll probably pay more for lenses or styles.
Smart glasses: the phone killer?
The question hanging over all smart glasses, including Metas, is whether they will ever free us from our smartphones.
“These new advanced smart glasses from Hypernova do more than just a phone by integrating things like a small display at the bottom right of the right lens, creating the first Meta augmented reality glasses available to consumers,” said Frederick Stanbrell, head of wearables at IDC.
They are also said to have a smartphone camera and a competent voice-activated AI consulting tool. When you add it all up, Stanbrell said, “These glasses are starting to look like a cellphone competitor.”
But as far as we know so far, the Hypernova glasses won’t be a standalone device, at least not for a while, according to Stanbrell. Instead, they’re designed to blend in with your phone and give you a glimpse into the future.
“We will probably one day see the first generation of a device that Mark Zuckerberg sees as a replacement for cellphones,” he said.
