A confession first: I am not a gadget person. I own an iPhone the way I own a fridge – no idea what is inside, only that life collapses without it. So when I put on the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers (Gen 2, ₹39,900), my question was simple: are they useful, or merely clever?
The first surprise is how ordinary they look. No headset, no visor – just familiar Wayfarers with a camera at the temple, speakers in the arms and artificial intelligence somewhere behind your ears. At around less than 50 grams, they are only marginally heavier than regular Wayfarers; within minutes, you forget you are wearing a computer.
Point-and-Shoot Cameras
The camera is where the glasses earn their keep. Tap the frame and you have photographed what is in front of you – a dog shaking off rain, a fleeting street moment – without excavating your phone and discovering that the moment has passed. The image quality startled me: I sometimes struggled to distinguish these pictures from those taken with my phone.
Video stabilisation is impressive, although the recording limit can feel stingy at a party – perhaps their natural habitat. You can hold your plate and drink and still capture familiar faces.
The speakers are the quieter triumph. Music and calls float into your ears without sealing them off, so you can still hear traffic, waiters and your spouse – all three essential for survival in Delhi. The sound is fuller than expected, yet barely audible to the person beside you. After a week, earbuds began to feel vaguely medieval.
The AI handles calls, WhatsApp messages and questions such as “Hey Meta, what am I looking at?” with polite competence. It can identify monuments, decipher menus and summon Spotify. But in a country where staring is a competitive sport, talking to your spectacles can make you more interesting than whatever they are looking at.
₹39,900 Question
Now for the scrutiny ₹39,900 deserves. That money can buy a very good phone. Heavy photography, video, calls and AI use will drain the battery well before the day ends, turning your smart glasses into expensive ordinary ones.
Then there is privacy. A small light glows while you record, but people must notice it, understand it and trust you. And you are wearing Meta – a company whose relationship with privacy is best described as “it’s complicated” – on your face. Apparently, it was the last available piece of real estate.
The Ray-Ban Metas solve small problems elegantly, chiefly by keeping your phone in your pocket longer. Would I buy them? Ask me when the battery reliably survives a full Indian day. Until then, they remain something I do not need, quite enjoy and slightly distrust.
Estimated street price: Rs 39,900