```html
Ray-Ban Meta glasses are no longer just a gadget for filming everyday life. In just a few years, smart glasses have carved out an important place in the world of artificial intelligence, and Meta clearly intends to keep developing the concept. After months of rumours, the new generation is now official: the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 were unveiled on 23 September 2026 at Meta Connect.
The third generation doesn't reinvent the formula. Meta keeps the 12-megapixel camera, 3K Ultra HD video recording, open-ear speakers and Meta AI integration. The main improvements focus instead on battery life, audio capture, design and certain photo features.
And contrary to what many expected, the Wayfarer is no longer alone in the range. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 come in several shapes, including the new Aviator and Zena, the latter featuring a slimmer cat-eye design.
Ray-Ban Meta move to their third generation
The second generation is still fairly recent. It even received new variants in 2026, notably the Ray-Ban Meta Blayzer Optics and Scriber Optics Gen 2, designed specifically to take prescription lenses. These models feature a slimmer construction, interchangeable nose pads, spring hinges and, above all, adjustable temple tips.
The Gen 3 builds on this approach with a frame refined down to the last detail. The temples are slightly thinner and the tips can be adjusted for a better fit. Meta has also reduced the opening around the camera and its LED indicator by 36%, making the glasses more discreet in everyday wear.
The range also expands to three shapes: Wayfarer, Aviator and Zena. The latter introduces a cat-eye shape that helps the new generation move further away from the typical smart-glasses look.
12 MP camera and up to 9 hours of battery life
Battery life is where Meta delivers one of its most tangible improvements. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 offer up to 9 hours of use on a single charge, compared with the more than eight hours announced for the Gen 2. Actual battery life naturally depends on how much you use the camera, audio and Meta AI.
Meta has not, however, increased the camera resolution. The Gen 3 keeps a 12-megapixel sensor capable of filming in 3K Ultra HD at 30 fps. The glasses still offer 32 GB of storage, enough for more than 1,000 photos and over 100 30-second videos, according to Meta.
The real novelty lies in the way photos are taken. Dynamic Photos let you pick the best shot from a short sequence, a particularly handy feature when the subject is moving or when a photo is taken quickly.
The camera also keeps its LED indicator, which lets people nearby know that a photo or video is being taken.
Six microphones for audio and Meta Glasses AI
The other major improvement is found in the temples. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 go from five to six microphones. Meta claims a reduction of more than 90% in background noise in certain situations, aiming to improve calls and voice command recognition in noisy environments.
The open-ear speakers are still there. They let you listen to music or podcasts and make calls without earphones, while staying aware of your surroundings.
Meta Glasses AI remains at the heart of the experience. With Meta AI, the glasses can answer questions, provide information about what the wearer is looking at, translate certain content, send messages or control various functions by voice. The Meta AI app and a compatible smartphone are still required for setup and some features.
The features offered by Meta AI also depend on the country, language and available software updates.
A new customisable action button
Meta has also added a customisable action button to the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3. It can be set up to give quick access to Meta AI or another selected function.
This button complements the glasses' touch and voice controls. Above all, it offers another way to interact with the Ray-Ban Meta without always having to say a command out loud.
A range that opens up more to women
Design therefore plays a bigger role in this new generation. The Wayfarer naturally remains in the range, but the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 now also include the Aviator and the Zena.
The latter features a slimmer cat-eye shape, widening the choice for anyone looking for something other than the classic shapes of previous generations. In total, Meta is announcing 27 frame and lens combinations for the Gen 3 launch.
This is particularly interesting for prescription glasses. When a pair of Ray-Ban Meta is worn for several hours a day, the choice of shape, size and prescription becomes just as important as the built-in electronic features.
The full Ray-Ban Meta range, with an optician's expertise
At Visiofactory, the goal isn't simply to sell a pair of Ray-Ban Meta.
We want customers to be able to order their Ray-Ban Meta with custom-made prescription lenses, which we offer with several lens brands such as Ray-Ban and BBGR. As an authorised Ray-Ban Meta retailer, we can provide this prescription fitting, which is still rarely available on websites specialising in tech products.
For someone who wears glasses all day, this option naturally changes the way they look at Ray-Ban Meta. The optical correction, the choice of frame and the type of lens are just as important to consider as the camera or the battery life.
Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3: no augmented reality
Despite being called AI glasses, the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 still have no display in the lenses. They don't project information in front of your eyes and are not augmented reality glasses in the traditional sense.
Interaction takes place through voice, touch, the camera, microphones and speakers. When their smart features aren't in use, they look very much like a traditional pair of Ray-Ban glasses.
Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 or Gen 2?
The second generation still has strong arguments in its favour. It also features a 12 MP camera, 3K video, open-ear speakers, Meta AI and 32 GB of storage. The Scriber Optics and Blayzer Optics Gen 2 models were also developed specifically to take prescription lenses.
The Gen 3 mainly brings improvements in areas that matter when the glasses are used regularly: up to 9 hours of battery life, six microphones, better noise reduction, a customisable action button, a slimmer frame and new photo features. The camera, however, stays at 12 MP with 3K video recording.
The choice will therefore also depend on the shape you're looking for, the availability of models and the prescription options. For smart prescription glasses, the frame and lenses remain essential criteria.
Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 are now available
After months of rumours, Meta has finally unveiled its new generation. The Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 stick to the formula behind the success of previous versions while improving several practical aspects: battery life, audio capture, camera integration and choice of frames.
Ray-Ban Meta thus remain halfway between classic glasses and a connected device. They let you take first-person photos and videos, listen to music, make calls and use Meta AI without having to take out your smartphone. For glasses wearers, the key point is that they can be fitted with prescription lenses, so there's no need to choose between vision correction and smart features.
Article updated on 24 September 2026 – Sébastien Rabatel
```
