Meta and EssilorLuxottica unveil new AI glasses with hearing aid feature

Meta and EssilorLuxottica announced the third-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and a new camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio line at the Meta Connect event on September 24. The Gen 3 models feature a slimmer design, longer battery life, a customizable action button for Meta AI, and 27 color and lens combinations including the Aviator and new Zena styles. The Audio line weighs as little as 43 grams, offers adjustable temple tips and nose pads, and launches in Clubmaster and Burbank styles compatible with prescription lenses.

Meta also introduced an FDA-cleared hearing enhancement feature for its glasses, targeting the one in six Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss. The feature amplifies sound based on a user's hearing profile and uses machine learning to boost voices while suppressing background noise. It launches in the US later in 2026 with a free 30-day trial, followed by a one-time $149.99 payment or inclusion in a Meta One subscription.

“We have a very unique audio platform that has microphone arrays, that has glasses, is socially acceptable in terms of people wearing glasses, and we have onboard compute.”

Meta Research Science Director Ravish Mehra stated the company believes glasses are the ideal form factor because they sit outside the ear, are socially acceptable, and offer onboard compute. He noted traditional hearing aids are expensive and uncomfortable, causing many to ignore the issue. The companies plan to offer over 100 AI glasses styles by year-end and will expand the hearing feature to other countries as medical device regulations allow.