Industry News
EssilorLuxottica and Meta Launch AI-Powered Smart Eyewear Oakley Meta
EssilorLuxottica and Meta Platforms have unveiled the Oakley Meta product line, a next-generation category of performance AI glasses that combines Meta’s advanced AI capabilities with Oakley’s cutting-edge lens technology and athletic design. This launch represents a significant expansion of the company’s strategic partnership and a new frontier for wearable technology in the sports and lifestyle sectors.
The announcement follows the blockbuster success of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which became the world’s best-selling AI eyewear since their 2023 debut, having sold millions of units. Oakley Meta is the next evolution in connected eyewear, specifically targeting performance-driven consumers and athletes.
“This marks a bold new chapter in our wearables journey. With Oakley’s iconic design legacy and Meta’s breakthroughs in AI and spatial computing, we’re setting a new standard for the industry,” said Rocco Basilico, Chief Wearables Officer at EssilorLuxottica. “It’s part of a broader multi-brand, multi-technology strategy that reflects the scale of our ambition: to build a connected eyewear category that spans lifestyles, communities, and use cases. We’re combining design, utility, and emotion to deepen human connection and unlock new potential through the lens of every brand we touch. And there is far more to come.”
The first offering in the new collection, Oakley Meta HSTN, boasts significant hardware and functionality upgrades:
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Ultra HD 3K Video Recording: Sharper, higher-resolution content than traditional Full HD.
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Integrated Open-Ear Speakers: Discreet yet powerful audio for music and podcasts.
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Extended Battery Life: Up to 8 hours of use, 19 hours of standby, and a 48-hour charging case.
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Oakley PRIZM Lens Compatibility: Enhanced vision through proprietary lens tech that improves contrast, colour, and clarity.
The Oakley Meta HSTN will come in six frame and lens combinations, all of which are prescription-lens compatible. A limited-edition model featuring 24K PRIZM Polar lenses and gold accents commemorates Oakley’s 50th anniversary and will be available for preorder starting July 11 at US$499. Standard models will start at US$399 and begin rolling out later this summer.
Initially available in North America, most of Europe, and Australia, Oakley Meta HSTN will expand to Mexico, India, and the UAE later this year. The launch is part of EssilorLuxottica’s multi-brand, multi-technology strategy to scale connected eyewear across markets and use cases.
“For 50 years, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of what is possible, obsessed with solving unsolved problems,” said Caio Amato, Global President of Oakley. “Together with Meta, we are setting new bounds of reality – It is not only about pushing forward performance, but also about amplifying human potential as never before. And this is just the 1st chapter of a new era for sports.”
Meta’s Vice President of Wearables, Alex Himel, emphasised glasses as “the ideal tool” for multimedia capture and AI assistance, underlining the momentum behind Meta’s vision for ambient computing.
To promote the launch, Oakley and Meta have enlisted major sports icons Patrick Mahomes and Kylian Mbappé for a global campaign. The Oakley Meta HSTN will also make appearances at major sporting events, including Fanatics Fest (June 20) and UFC International Fight Week (June 25-27), underscoring the brand’s deep ties with athletic performance and fandom culture.
The Oakley Meta launch represents more than a consumer tech story. It is a signal to retailers, sports brands, and tech partners that the smart eyewear market is rapidly maturing. With strong adoption of Ray-Ban Meta as a precedent, the Oakley line targets a broader and more performance-driven demographic, creating new avenues for cross-sector partnerships in health, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle.
As AI continues to integrate seamlessly into wearable form factors, businesses in the B2B channel, from sports retailers to digital platform integrators, should prepare for increasing demand and emerging use cases across professional and amateur sports, coaching, training, and beyond.
