A recent report from Bloomberg provides insights into the pricing and features of Meta’s forthcoming HUD glasses, indicating that the package will include Meta’s neural wristband.
Previous reports from The Verge, The Information, The Financial Times, and Mark Gurman from Bloomberg have suggested that Meta plans to unveil smart glasses equipped with a compact heads-up display (HUD) by late 2025, with the codename Hypernova.
Gurman appears to have tested a prototype of Hypernova and gathered information from team members involved in its development.
According to his sources, Hypernova will be priced “over $1000 and as high as $1300 to $1400.” When compared to the current Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which will remain available as a more budget-friendly choice, Hypernova is expected to feature a small monocular display positioned in the lower right lens, an upgraded camera, and will include Meta’s long-anticipated neural wristband. Notably, it will not carry any Ray-Ban branding, marking it as Meta’s first branded glasses.
Hypernova is set to incorporate all functionalities of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, such as a button for capturing photos and videos, access to Meta AI, and Bluetooth audio streaming for calls, music, audiobooks, and podcasts, according to Gurman. Additionally, it will introduce a user interface with “apps” such as Camera, Photos, and Maps, and display selected notifications from your mobile device.
Users will have the option to swipe and tap on the right arm of Hypernova to manage audio or launch and navigate these apps. However, controlling Hypernova will be more efficient and straightforward with the included sEMG wristband, which Meta showcased with its Orion AR glasses prototype at Connect 2024.
When the wristband is worn, Gurman mentions that users can rotate their hand to navigate through apps and photos, and pinch their index finger to their thumb to make selections.
Hypernova will come with a new charging case described as “shaped like a triangular prism and folds up,” although Gurman does not clarify whether it will be capable of charging both the glasses and the wristband.
Regarding the enhanced camera, Gurman notes that Meta considers the camera in the Ray-Ban Meta glasses to be on par with that of an iPhone 11 and aspires for Hypernova’s camera to compete with the iPhone 13.
In a prior report from The Information, it was stated that Hypernova will weigh approximately 70 grams, in contrast to the 50 grams of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Meta’s Additional Glasses Initiatives
Hypernova will not be the only new smart glasses from Meta this year, as the company has plans for more eyewear products in the years to come.
Unlike the Ray-Ban collaboration, Hypernova is developed independently, but Gurman previously reported that Meta intends to enhance its partnership with EssilorLuxottica to introduce Oakley Meta glasses later this year. While the Ray-Ban glasses feature a camera on one side and target a general consumer base, the Oakley glasses will have the camera centered and be designed for “cyclists and other athletes.”
In 2027, Gurman reports that Meta is planning to introduce upgraded HUD glasses, codenamed Hypernova 2, which will offer a binocular display for each eye.
However, Meta’s overarching ambition, which the company has consistently communicated, is to launch true AR glasses. Unlike HUD glasses, which provide a fixed-position display, true AR glasses offer positional tracking and a wide field of view, enabling virtual windows and objects to be placed in real-world environments.
During Meta Connect 2024, the company demonstrated the Orion prototype, its first fully-integrated AR device with a relatively wide field of view in a traditional glasses form factor. Nonetheless, Meta acknowledged that Orion will not be released as a product, as it relies on materials that are not yet feasible for affordable mass production, resulting in an estimated production cost of around $10,000 per unit.
Consequently, Meta is developing an alternative AR glasses product, codenamed Artemis, which, according to Gurman, will utilize glass, similar to the materials used in Snap Spectacles and earlier AR devices like HoloLens and Magic Leap. This means that Meta’s Artemis won’t include the distinctive wide field of view characteristic of the Orion design.
Similar to the Hypernova 2 binocular HUD glasses, the Artemis true AR glasses are expected to be released in 2027. However, as with all of Meta’s initiatives, plans are subject to change, and Gurman indicates that there are ongoing discussions within the company regarding the future of the HUD glasses line, considering whether to continue it or focus solely on true AR glasses without an intermediate option.