- Meta’s Aria Gen 2 glasses are on their way
- They bring some major battery and sensor upgrades
- These upgrades could tease improvements for Meta’s consumer specs
Meta has just launched new AI smart glasses: Aria Gen 2. The bad news is you probably won’t get a pair unless you’re an AI or robotics researcher, but the good news is the upgrades the glasses boast might tease updates we can expect to see from its next-gen consumer specs that are rumored to be landing this year – and the consumer versions of its Meta Orion AR glasses. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.
Aria is Meta’s researcher-focused AI glasses line used by researchers to help them improve their own hardware and software development, with the glasses being outfitted with all sorts of sensors Meta’s consumer specs lack. Aria Gen 2 boasts eye tracking cameras, a barometer, a PPG sensor for measuring heart rate, and a contact microphone to distinguish the wearer’s voice from that of bystanders to name just a few.
The PPG and contact microphone are new to Aria Gen 2, and they’re two sensors I could see Meta’s next-gen consumer specs adopting. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are already very good at picking up when I’m talking to them – I was on vacation with them recently and even in a crowded space with a crowd around me they could pick up and answer my questions on Rome’s Colosseum – but even better voice detection wouldn’t be a bad thing
Meanwhile, a heart-rate sensor would be an ideal inclusion in the rumored Oakley smart glasses Meta is said to be making, which are aimed at athletes. Meta’s existing specs don’t seem super athlete focused in terms of hardware or software, and this would be one immediate remedy to that issue.
A big battery boost
Sensors aside, the biggest benefit of Aria Gen 2 is that the glasses are apparently capable of six to eight hours of continuous use, which is at least four times longer than the roughly one and a half hours you could expect from Aria Gen 1.
I’m not expecting the same degree of battery life improvements from Meta’s consumer specs (in part because Aria’s design is typically more bulky, allowing for a function over fashion approach, such as bigger heavier batteries) but if even some of Aria’s battery improvements can make it to Meta’s other glasses then that would ease my concerns over its leaked Meta Ray-Bans with an inbuilt display.
The current display-less model only lasts for about three hours of use, and I could see the display-equipped version running out of charge much faster. But with some battery upgrades borrowed from Aria Gen 2, the new Meta glasses with a screen might be able to maintain the three-hour battery life we’ve become accustomed to.
Lastly, Meta claims its Aria glasses are packing best-in-class open-ear force-canceling speakers. The Meta Ray-Bans can leak a fair amount of audio, so an improved design would be excellent for privacy – and better speakers in general would make them more capable headphone alternatives.
We’ll have to wait and see what Meta has in store for us if and when its next smart glasses launch. There’s of course no guarantee that any of these Aria upgrades will come to Meta’s consumer specs but I’ll have my fingers crossed that at Meta Connect 2025 in September we’ll see at least a couple make their way to new smart glasses.
