It sounds weird to say it’s a good thing if you missed the Ray-Ban Meta deal on Black Friday, but… it’s kind of true. The original Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses just fell to an even better all-time low of $224.25 ($75) at Amazon and Best Buy, which beats the Black Friday price by $15.
That’s a great deal because, even though Meta released the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) at the end of October, the last-gen glasses still offer great value. They’re largely similar, offering much of the same experience — letting you play music, take photos, record 1080p video, and even livestream to Facebook or Instagram without pulling out your phone. And while the newer model shoots sharper 3K video at 30fps, both use the same 12-megapixel sensor so the image quality isn’t noticeably different.
They also offer a five-microphone array for hands-free calls and will include the Gen 2’s upcoming “conversation focus” software upgrade, which boosts the voice of whoever you’re talking to. The original pair will also receive other planned Gen 2 software updates scheduled for the fall, including new slo-mo and hyperlapse video modes.
Additionally, the glasses can perform a range of other tasks thanks to Meta’s AI-based features. For example, you can translate Spanish, Italian, and French in real time, with German and Portuguese coming soon. You can also use your voice to snap photos, get recipe ideas from whatever’s in your fridge, learn about landmarks, and more.
Granted, you don’t get the Gen 2’s eight-hour battery life — twice that of the original pair’s — but with a $155 price difference, it might be a sacrifice you can easily live with.