Meta Connect 2026: The 7 biggest announcements

Meta announced a slate of new wearables during its annual Meta Connect showcase on Wednesday. The celebrity of the event was the new Meta VR Glasses, which group virtual actuality tech into a lightweight astute glasses-style example alongside a tethered puck. Meta additionally announced new pairs of screen-free astute glasses, alongside alongside several new AI features and manner and example options.

You can capture up on all the highlights from this year’s Meta Connect below.

Meta’s latest wearable offers complete virtual actuality in a astute glasses-style form factor. Unlike a representative VR headset, the VR Glasses don’t have any straps, and Meta says they’re “five times lighter than Meta Quest 3” at fair 100g. Similar to Google’s Project Aura, the glasses are tethered to a pocket-sized puck alongside the compute hardware, battery, and storage, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite, 128GB of storage, and 12GB of RAM. The 5K micro OLED “Infinite Display” has 2412 x 2288 pixels per eye, alongside a refresh charge of up to 120Hz.

The Meta VR Glasses are launching in fountain 2027 for $1,299, pricier than the Meta Ray-Ban Display but small costly than the Apple Vision Pro, during offering akin features. Users can nexus the glasses to a Mac or Windows laptop for use as a virtual external display, alongside an choice for a virtual exterior keyboard and touchpad.

The VR Glasses additionally have admission to the complete Meta Quest catalog of apps and games and assistance for Xbox Cloud Gaming. Meta says the glasses are “the archetypal IMAX Enhanced certified VR equipment ever,” and users volition be capable to observe “immersive live sports” alongside them as fine as 3D movies. They equal have a “hologram” characteristic that creates a “photorealistic digital type of your face” for using in calls during wearing the glasses, reminiscent of the “personas” on the Apple Vision Pro.

The emphasize of the Ray-Ban Meta Audio is the characteristic they don’t have: built-in cameras. You can use them for things akin listening to music, taking calls, or chatting alongside an AI assistant, but they can’t obtain pictures or document video — features that have sparked privacy and harassment concerns about Meta’s another glasses.

Meta says the new audio-only glasses are additionally its “lightest, slimmest AI glasses yet,” weighing fair 43g. They recommendation up to 12 hours of power division existence per charge, or 48 hours alongside the charging case. The Ray-Ban Meta Audio volition initiate on October 13th starting at $349 alongside 23 distinct color and lens combinations.

Meta launched an updated type of its chief Ray-Ban Meta glasses, starting at $449. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 recommendation up to nine hours of power division life, one hr additional than the Gen 2. They additionally have “a new customizable act clasp for instant admission to Meta AI” and a new six-mic gathering that Meta says “cuts additional than 90% of backdrop noise.”

The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 has a slimmer scheme than the Gen 2 as well, alongside 27 color and lens combinations, including new Zena and Aviator example styles. Notably, one item that hasn’t changed is the built-in LED ray that indicates whenever the glasses are recording, which Meta rolled out a privacy fix for final month.

Alongside its pricier Ray-Ban glasses, Meta additionally announced several updates to its in-house row of glasses. It’s launching a new lower-cost type of the Meta Adventurer, which volition commencement at $249 for a essential scheme alongside dreary frames and gray lenses, launching October 23rd.

Meta is additionally introducing a new “Mix & Match” program for customizing its glasses alongside distinct frames, lenses, and case colors. Plus, its EssilorLuxottica gathering is getting two new styles, Capri and Nova, and the Kylie Jenner Starfire frames are getting a new ivory colorway. Meta’s additionally launching a new collaboration gathering alongside Lisa of Blackpink.

Meta Glasses are expanding to additional countries starting today, too, including Singapore, South Korea, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates, alongside preparedness in Brazil “coming soon.”

A twelvemonth following they originally launched, the Meta Ray-Ban Display are coming to additional regions. The glasses are on transaction in the UK and Canada starting today, and they’ll be accessible in France, Italy, and Germany starting on October 13th. Meta’s additionally introducing online ordering for customers in those regions and the US.

Meta’s launching a new Explore app for Display glasses anywhere users volition be capable to “browse and use a expanding choice of experiences built for your glasses.” The Meta Ray-Ban Display is additionally getting photo editing, an improved calendar, and mirrored phone notifications. Plus, Meta says the “hologram” characteristic launching on its VR Glasses is rolling out on the Meta Ray-Ban Display “in Early Access on WhatsApp to Meta Ray-Ban Display users in the US afterward this fall.”

After launching its new Muse assistant before this month, Meta says it’s “working on” bringing the AI to its astute glasses. When it arrives on the glasses, Muse volition be capable to do things akin guide your workouts, log meals, publish appointments, and “help buy products you see.”

Meta additionally announced several new features for Muse, including video calls alongside a customizable live avatar of the AI. Plus, Muse agents are getting their own email addresses for completing tasks and communicating alongside users.

Mark Zuckerberg teased one final device, Muse Charm, a small AI gadget that houses the Muse delegate and looks a small bit akin a supersized Tamagotchi. More particulars volition be shared “soon,” he said, but the merchandise is expected to container in period for the holiday season.