Meta Ray-Ban Review: Taking mental pictures

I finally bought the Meta RayBans after months of listening to the folks over at Mac Stories say that it's the best piece of tech they have bought in a while. It's now been a few months of testing, so I decided to share my overview and experience.

The bottom line is that it has been one of my favorite tech products for years! It's not often that you enter into a completely new category of products. It felt similar to when I first got my Apple Watch or iPad.

I've been using prescription glasses since first grade, so I've gotten used to having a piece of plastic on my face at all times. I barely use contact lenses, so I have my glasses on me from waking up to going to sleep. Because of that, it felt terrific when suddenly that object got an upgrade, and now it can do many things. It might sound weird, but it felt like being able to upgrade a part of your body. Suddenly, my eyes can take pictures, and I can listen to media privately without headphones. Most of the time, it feels magical, but it's not perfect yet; I'll get into that later.

For context, I got the Wayfarer in Large from Amazon and added RX Transition lenses locally. Because my RX is relatively high, the lenses are bulky and chunky, so sometimes, they look like goggles, but maybe that is just my self-awareness. My plan is to wear them daily as much as possible as my main pair of glasses.

So far, there have been very few days when I have not worn them at all. I have them on most of the time, but I do take them off for meetings or for times I go out and don't want to feel observed.

Here are some of my favorite use cases so far:

• Listening to podcasts and YouTube around the house. Just hit play; no need to carry headphones.
• Doing home chores or DIY projects while listening to a podcast and being able to take before & after pics seamlessly.
• I'm taking candid pics of my wife and dog.
• Listening to a video while still having the radio on
• Taking pics of food and my wife while dining
• Taking pics at events.

The best camera and headphones are always available to you

There is a saying by photographer Chase Jarvis that is often associated with the iPhone, "The best camera and headphones are always available to you". Well I've never imagined that it would be truer than ever but not because of my phone but because of my glasses.

It literally feels like literary taking mental pictures. To be honest, I was not expecting to love the camera so much! This truly feels like taking a mental picture. I never expected that having a camera on my glasses would be so groundbreaking. There are so many scenarios where taking a picture with the Meta is much more convenient than taking a picture with my phone.

• While at Home, I don't always have my phone on me; having the Meta means I can capture quick, cute moments of my wife and dog.
• When I'm with family, I try to be more present, so being able to take pics while not taking my out my phone.

I have gotten so accustomed in the past months of taking pictures with the glasses that when I don't have them on, I tap on my regular eyeglasses, trying to take a picture.

One thing about the pictures that is a blessing and a curse is that by default the pictures are taken in portrait mode, which is great for social media but not so perfect for blog posts where I prefer horizontal pictures so they take less space.

Here are some moments I've captured with the Metas so far:

Goodbye AirPods

These glasses have almost completely replaced my AirPods. I work from Home, so I'm always listen to podcasts or watching YouTube videos, all day long. So, having headphones on you all the time makes it super convenient. Not being in your ear makes videos more immersive, as it feels like you are just listening to people talk near you. The quality is acceptable for headphones, although the volumes could be higher sometimes. One other thing that I like is that other people barely hear the audio, so it's pretty private.

The time I enjoy the headphones the most is when I do chores around the house or DIYs in the patio or front yard. They act almost the same as the transparency mode on the AirPods because I get to clearly listen to the real world while still listening to the podcast. Also while doing errands or grocery shopping the speakers come in handy for podcasts.

Some other things I enjoy:

Charging case — It's incredible how they managed to make the  charging case looks like just a regular Ray Ban sunglasses case. It even has an led indicator on the magnetic clasp of the lid.

App — While a bit simple the app is pretty handy because it handles all the sync with the glasess. While the pictures dont sync realtime everytime you put them in the case they sync to you camera roll.

Some Mixed Feelings

Microphone — While I have not taken that many calls, I have used the microphone for some video calls. One day, I went to the office and had no headphones, so I used the Metas to take the call. I was surprised to find out that you can connect them to the Mac. The method to get them into pairing mode was super funny. However, they kept disconnecting continuously.

Touch Controls — They are sometimes finicky and triggered by mistake. Also, I am still getting used to where the touch area is and how volume control works.

Looks — While they do look nice as regular glasses, they still look odd. The frame is so thick that it makes the lenses look very bold. I sometimes feel as if I'm wearing goggles. I'm too self-aware to use them for work meetings, either. I can wear them in public sometimes, but it depends on where we go. I understand that these are sunglasses frames and not eyeglasses, but I hope that a future v2 will have thinner frames.

Fit — They only offer two sizes, medium and large. I got the large, but I still feel that they fit too tight. The sad thing is that adjusting the fit is complex and not recommended compared to regular glasses.

Transition Lenses — While it is good to have the flexibility of Transition lenses, they  are not quick enough and don't change in the car

Even with those quirks, these glasses have had the most impactful tech ever since I got the Apple Watch. It has become a habit to put these on daily. And honestly, if it weren't for the tight fit, I would make these my primary pair. Taking pics whenever, even when you don't have your phone, is impressive. Plus, having headphones with you all the time has made me use my Airpods less and less. I recommend you buy them and try them for yourself. I can't wait for a V2, Apple, or other competitors to improve on the concept.