Meta Expected to Launch Hypernova Smart Glasses at Connect 2025 Event

AI-powered smart glasses are expected to take center stage at Meta’s annual Connect Event on September 17, 2025. According to Reuters, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to launch Meta Hypernova smart glasses with display features under the brand name Celeste. The smart glasses will feature a tiny digital display on the right lens to support basic functions like notifications.

First Smart Glasses with Built-in Display

Hypernova will be Meta’s first glasses with a built-in display. They are also likely to be among the company’s first consumer-ready AI products. Based on a promotional video that reportedly surfaced on the social media company’s YouTube channel, the Meta Ray-Ban display smart glasses come with a wristband accessory for hand controls.

Meta’s promotional video hinted at a new Oakley Meta Sphaera model featuring eye protection and a centered camera. The video also highlighted a heads-up display visible to the right eye only. It indicates Meta AI’s application in real-time tasks like navigation and translation. Meta showcased the wristband expected to use surface electromyography (sEMG) technology to enable gesture-based control by detecting and interpreting hand movement signals.

Smart glasses are the latest innovation in Meta’s effort to keep up with the AI race. The social media giant is currently trailing competitors like Google and OpenAI in the AI industry.

Meta’s Smart Glasses Price Tag

Speculations on how much Meta’s new display smart glasses would cost remain high, with some analysts predicting they could be priced at about $800. This is much higher than the $399 for the Oakley glasses and the $299 starting price for Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Analysts suggest that the hefty price tag on Meta’s Ray-Ban display model glasses may deter shoppers, considering that they may be less advanced than the Orion AR glasses.

“These glasses will be somewhat bulky. not the most consumer-friendly design. It is also going to be pretty expensive. So the volumes are going to be fairly low,” International Data Corp Research Manager Jitesh Ubrani said.

Meta showcased Orion AR glasses prototype at the 2024 Connect Event where Zuckerberg touted them as the ‘glimpse into the future’. The glasses, which Meta expects to launch in 2027, come with a wireless puck that allows them to run apps, more like a holographic pingpong game or digital chess.

The social media giant has collaborated with EssilorLuxottica to develop AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2023 and Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses launched in June 2025. Both products come with AI features, hands-free control, cameras, and social media livestreams. In July 2025, Meta invested $3.5 billion in EssilorLuxottica for a 3% stake. Meta’s investment caused shares of the Ray-Ban smart glasses maker to soar 5.4%

Meta Smart Glasses Gain Consumer Traction

Meta’s smart glasses launch at Connect 2025 event will see the company showcase an updated Ray-Ban product line featuring better cameras, longer battery life, and new AI features. Meta has is one of the major tech companies that has gained consumer traction in the smart glasses industry. Since 2023, the social media giant has sold about two million pairs of Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Meta has spent over $60 billion in its augmented reality unit since 2020. Investors have been concerned about the spending by its Reality Labs Division, the unit that leads development of consumer products like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses and Quest VR headsets.

In July 2025, the social media giant reported that the unit incurred operating losses of $.53 billion in the second quarter. CEO Zuckerberg has said that smart glasses will be Meta’s conduit into integrating superintelligence in everyday life.