How Oakley Meta smart glasses beat my Ray-Bans in a 5-mile test walk

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Most sports can benefit from hands-free assistance – which makes athletes one of the biggest beneficiaries from smart glasses. With this crowd in mind, at Meta Connect in September, the company released the latest addition to its sporty AI smart glasses lineup: oakley meta vanguard.

The biggest difference between the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses and their brother, the Oakley Meta HSTN, which was released in June, is in its aesthetics. With this pair, the company leans towards the signature Oakley Sphera look, combining the advanced specifications of the HSTN with the familiar visor design.

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The new form factor also gave way to a new action button, a more focused camera for POV shots, and the inclusion of integration with Garmin devices and Strava. However, it comes at a higher price of $499. Is it worth the splurge? Here are my thoughts after a week of testing.

How do they perform?

Before we discuss the distinctive looks and fun third-party integrations, we should discuss the core of smart glasses: the display.

For the most part, the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses have the same specifications as the Oakley Meta HSTN, including an IP67 rating (making them sweat, dust, and water resistant), a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, 3K video recording, two open-ear speakers, and a five-mic array. However, subtle differences make the user experience better on the Vanguard.

For one, the camera is located in the center rather than at the corner of the lens, making POV shots appear low-angled or too high. In Videos recorded by meI found it very easy to get the position correct, as it was recording from the bridge of my nose (which is in the center of my view), as opposed to the sides of the glasses. Apart from the standard video capturing modes, you can also record in slow motion and hyperlapse.

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On the audio front, two open-ear speakers provide audio as good as any smart glass in the Meta’s lineup. During my two-hour walk I listened to music and audio messages and was satisfied with the quality and sound level. I especially enjoyed leaving my headphones at home, which made my walk a little lighter.

I also tested the audio by sending an audio message and going on a phone call. Every time, the audio sounded clear, despite exposure to the elements like wind and animal conversations. Although the Vanguard glasses have a 5-mic array like the HSTN, the situation is a little different, with two mics in the frame and three near the nose area.

Presumably, having a microphone closer to your mouth will help improve your audio sound; However, I had no complaints with audio recording using any pair of smart glasses.

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Meta claims that these smart glasses can last up to nine hours on a single charge and up to 36 hours when fully charged.

I set out for my walk, as registered by my Garmin Forerunner 970, at 2:11 pm when the battery was at 99%. Exactly an hour later, the battery was at 71%. During that period, I was listening to music, intermittently taking videos and photos, and interacting with the Meta AI, so I was using it at its peak.

However, this performance represents a wastage of 28% an hour compared to about 10% as claimed by Meta. This isn’t too surprising, as we’ve found that previous Meta models also performed poorly in battery life. You’re definitely getting more mileage out of these than Ray-Bans, but don’t expect anything dramatically better.

Putting the ‘Smart’ in Smart Glasses

Taking advantage of the appeal of athletes, Meta integrated its Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses with Garmin devices and Strava. You’ll need to link your Garmin and Strava accounts through the Meta AI app and download the Garmin Connect IQ app to track fitness metrics.

For Strava, the integration enables users to add an assistive overlay to footage captured on their Meta Vanguard AI glasses, displaying their performance metrics including distance, average speed, elevation, and more. (Note that the overlay isn’t actually visible through the glasses while you’re running.)

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Using this integration is simple; Once the activity is complete, all you have to do is select the media and overlay the statistics. I’m attaching one from my walk below, although I pulled it from my Garmin data.

The Garmin integration is a little more in-depth. While working out, it should allow users to get real-time statistics of their workouts by asking meta AI questions about their workouts. This is a useful feature because it allows athletes to stay in their workout zone without having to glance at their watch or phone to check updates.

It also has an autocapture feature that automatically captures content based on specified performance metrics. For example, you can set it to capture the moment you hit 10 miles in your run, and it can automatically take it for you.

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Finally, users can enable visual status LEDs on the paired glasses as a notification when different goals are met. However, despite pairing my Garmin watch with the glasses, which enabled the overlay integration shown above, I was unable to get the Meta AI to track my workout. I will update this review when it is fixed.

What do they look like?

Oakley Meta Vanguard has one significant caveat, and that is its lack of prescription support. As cute as they are to me, they are not compatible with prescription lenses, so you have to commit to wearing contact lenses with them, otherwise you won’t be able to see properly. For that reason, I recommend the Oakley Meta HTSN to people who want similar recording features, as well as support for individual vision.

Although I say this every time I write a smart glasses review, having a wearable on your face is extremely personal, and they need to look and feel good to make the purchase worthwhile. As a result, these smart glasses may not be for everyone, but I like them.

The iridescent glow on the smart glasses, combined with the vibrant color options, makes for a stylish fit. The color of the lenses filters light beautifully, reducing strain even in bright outdoor conditions.

While the visor may seem excessive to many, in athletic circles, it is common to wear a similar form factor. When I was walking through Prospect Park in Brooklyn, not only did I see several athletes wearing similar shades, but I was also stopped by a fellow runner.

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In my experience, the larger form factor also results in more comfortable weight distribution. With the Vanguards, I felt less pressure on the bridge of my nose, despite the glasses being 13 grams heavier than the HSTN. The larger headband area makes button placement more intuitive, with a new customizable button that I programmed to trigger hyperlapse video recording.

ZDNET’s shopping advice

If you’re someone who wears or is interested in wearing stylish smart glasses oakley meta vanguard glassesShopping is worth the money, like traditional oakley Could run you upwards of $300.

However, if you are not someone whose style matches with the visor, perhaps a more gentle oakley meta htsn This would be a better match, as they replace more normal everyday sunglasses.