- Meta is reportedly working on multiple smart glasses
- Includes Oakley smart specs like its Ray-Bans, and glasses with a display
- Artemis, consumer versions of Orion, are tipped for 2027
We already knew Meta was working on improvements to its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in the form of the Meta Orion AR glasses prototype, with leaks also pointing a display-equipped version of its Ray-Ban specs landing this year, but it reportedly has a few other tricks up its sleeve too, including Oakley-branded smart glasses designed for athletes and earbuds with cameras built-in.
This is according to details shared by Bloomberg (article behind a paywall), which are attributed to people familiar with the projects who have been asked to not be identified.
Starting with project “Hypernova” – the name given to those Ray-Ban specs with a display – Bloomberg’s report supports details we’ve heard previously that such smart glasses would be coming this year, with the earliest teaser of that coming from a leaked internal Meta roadmap The Verge shared back in 2023, though we’ve heard more recently that a 2025 launch is on the cards.
We now might also know a bit more about Hypernova, with the Bloomberg leak revealing that the display will feature on the bottom of the right lens, and can show apps, notifications, and previews of images you’ve taken with the glasses – which sounds a lot closer to Orion’s capabilities than some were expecting (us included). Hypernova won’t be cheap though, with some suggesting it could cost around $1,000 (£800 / AU$1,600), which is three times pricier than the cheapest Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses.
The leaks also teases “Artemis”, which is set to drop in 2027 and will be the commercially available version of Orion. Artemis prototypes are said to already be more advanced and lighter than Orion, though weight, device cost and manufacturing at scale are apparently challenges Meta still needs to overcome before it settles on a final version of Artemis.
Oakley smart specs incoming?
If Ray-Bans aren’t your style, Meta is also rumored to be partnering with Oakley (which shares a parent company with Ray-Ban) to create glasses labelled “Supernova 2”, which are said to be based on Oakley’s Sphaera glasses. The specs of the glasses would seemingly be similar to the current model of Ray-Bans (ie camera, no display), but would shift the camera to the center of the glasses frame, and include features to appeal to cyclists and athletes.
Precisely what this means beyond the frame shape is yet to be seen, but as I’ve previously highlighted it’s important for wearables to not just be useful but look good and come in plenty of style varieties as fashion is an extension of who we are more so than typical gadgets – so i won’t be complaining if Supernova just ends up being effectively new styles of the pre-existing specs, if anything I’m all for it.
Lastly, we have a few weirder items. We’ve heard previously about Meta’s Camerasbuds, which add cameras to more typical looking earbuds – and apparently Samsung has similar plans – though they’re still likely some time away.
There’s also talk of a Meta smartwatch (which long-time readers will know is rumored to be cancelled/uncancelled every few months). Codenamed “Ceres”, this latest iteration is less of a watch and more a band for controlling Meta’s smart glasses. We’ve already seen a version of Ceres being used to control the Meta Orion smart glasses, and according to the leak Meta is weighing up including the wristband with Hypernova – the alternative would be relying solely on touch controls on the glasses’ frames (as we’ve seen from the current Ray-Ban smart glasses model).
While all of these new rumored details about Hypernova, Artemis, Supernova 2, and Ceres are consistent with previous leaks and official details, it’s still worth taking them with a pinch of salt. Until Meta makes its plans known in a proper setting, they could always change – especially projects like Artemis, which are still said to be at the prototype stage. To know what Meta really has up its sleeve.