Meta Platforms is set to unveil new smart glasses at its annual Connect conference on Wednesday, including a pair that lacks a camera, as privacy concerns over AI devices that can record people without consent grow.
The social media giant has led the market for AI‑enabled eyewear, with sales of its co‑developed smart glasses with EssilorLuxottica surpassing 7 million units last year. That success has given Meta a dominant share of a market largely contested by Chinese firms such as RayNeo and Xiaomi.
The devices’ popularity has sparked global backlash, with several UK restaurants, pubs and theatres restricting their use. Legal challenges have also emerged, including a proposed class action in California alleging that Meta misled users about privacy protections and that human annotators who train its AI reviewed footage of private moments, such as people changing clothes, after the recordings were uploaded to its servers.
According to the information, Meta plans to launch two camera‑free styles named Clubmaster and Burbank, while also rolling out a new version of its Meta Ray‑Ban glasses that retain cameras. A thinner, lighter pair of augmented‑reality glasses code‑named Phoenix is also expected, coming shortly after Snap announced its $2,195 Specs AR glasses.
Some analysts doubt that removing cameras alone will allay privacy concerns, noting that microphones and audio collection could still trigger issues. They also warn that eliminating the camera from glasses that lack a heads‑up display may blunt demand, as consumers could question the need for smart glasses when voice interaction, microphones and speakers offer similar functionality to Bluetooth earbuds.
