I have the Ray

As a tech reviewer, I love to peruse the far corners of the internet to understand what, exactly, people want to know about the products I test.

I'm poised to review the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, a pair of spectacles I purchased with my own money, and I'm tickled at the confusion surrounding the spunky shades, particularly among the Reddit community.

SEE ALSO: Forget Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. We tested cheaper ones that support ChatGPT.

It's not their fault, though.

When you watch Meta's ad about the device, I can totally understand why some were disappointed with their purchase, especially if they thought it was a mixed-reality (MR) device. But to clear things up, it's has zero MR capabilities.

A still from Meta's promo of its latest smart glasses. Credit: Meta

With that being said, I decided to answer seven questions from Reddit about the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses from this thread as well as this one.

1. "I think I'm missing something here. [Does it provide] any visual information/feedback?"

When people some think of "smart glasses," they imagine augmented reality. In other words, they visualize a pair of spectacles that overlay virtual artifacts over their real-world environment. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses does notgive you any visual information whatsoever.

And it doesn't help that, in Meta's commercial for the product, it gives you the impression that there's some sort of heads-up display (HUD) that hovers before you.

"I got one thinking that there will be some image overlays on the glass because I thought I saw it in their promo. If I knew, I wouldn't have bought it," A Reddit user rottenapple_123 said.

As I hinted at the outset, if you thought the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses were a mixed-reality device before purchasing them, disappointment awaits. However, if you, instead, perceive them as a hands-free, wearable extensionof your phone, you will appreciate the spectacles a lot more. They can play music, take calls, capture photos, record videos, and allow you to interact with Meta's answer to ChatGPT (i.e., Meta AI).

SEE ALSO: Meta AI: The new ChatGPT rival was trained on your sh*tposts

One of the temples has a panel that lets you control the audio with different touch gestures. You can also invoke Meta AI for commands like, "Call [insert contact name]."

2. "So you can listen to music?"

Yes, and it sounds surprisingly good.

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On the LIRR with the Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

While commuting to the office on the Long Island Railroad, I fire up Spotify and the sound is always crisp, full, and rich — total ear candy. My Apple AirPods Pro are always falling out of my ears, and my Sony XM4s are nice, but they're not very portable.

The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses rectifies both of those issues for me: they're compact and they stay on my face.

3. "Is the audio audible to people around you?"

Yes, but only if you're the type that likes your volume above 30% or more, which is, of course, most people.

Using the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses in the wild. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

People have definitely heard my embarrassing old-school reggaeton songs leaking from my glasses. However, if you turn down the volume below the 30% mark, people around you may hear a muffled, indistinct sound, but cannot make out much of what's emanating from the glasses.

4. "Could you confirm if they allow you to record videos in the landscape aspect ratio?"

No, by default, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses record in portrait mode.

However, this is expected because the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are designed for social media sharing, including Instagram and Facebook, which favor portrait mode.

5. "Does it take ultra-wide angle photos?"

I took photos of the Chrysler Building with the iPhone 15 Pro Max's 48MP wide lens and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses' 12MP camera. I did, indeed, notice that the Ray-Ban Smart Glasses' pictures have an "ultra-wide look."

Here's the iPhone 15 Pro Max's shot.

Empire State Building shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

With me standing in the exact same spot, here's the Ray-Ban Smart Glasses' capture:

Empire State Building shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

When I double-checked the specs on the camera, my assessment of the photo was correct. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, according to its official page, packs an ultra-wide lens.

6. "Can you continually shoot 1 min videos?"

For the uninitiated, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses can shoot 60-second, 1080p videos.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses can record 60-second videos at 1080p resolution. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Yes, you can continue to shoot one-minute videos until the battery dies. After you shoot your content, open the Meta View app and you'll find all of your 60-second videos in the library.

7. "What's your store? Best Buy?"

I bought my pair directly from Ray-Ban for $299 ($324.79 in total because, you know, taxes), but you can also purchase these spectacles from Amazon, too.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

Our full review of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are coming soon. Stay tuned.