"Kill the smartphone with glasses"! Zuckerberg is working hard

The era of smartphones has given rise to the "head-down generation." When you and your friends are out and still can't resist looking at your phones, there's another option — looking at glasses.

"The vision for smart glasses is to retain that sense of presence when you're interacting with others," said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during his keynote speech at Meta Connect 2025. "I think smartphones have slightly taken away that feeling, and glasses have the opportunity to bring that feeling back."

This may suggest that Zuckerberg is trying to create Meta's "iPhone moment" and replace smartphones. According to tech media Techcrunch, Meta is eager to establish its own hardware platform to free itself from the strategic intent of being "cut" in Apple's and Google's app stores.

In any case, Meta is selling its most advanced smart glasses to date — Meta Ray-Ban Display — from this perspective, hoping that these glasses can one day surpass the market share of smartphones.

According to an article from Wall Street Insight, Meta recently launched its latest smart glasses priced at $799, equipped with a neural wristband that allows silent text input through gestures. This is seen as its biggest bet to challenge the dominance of smartphones.

However, Morgan Stanley analysts believe this is more like a "long-term bullish option," unlikely to bring substantial financial returns in the short term. Nevertheless, the firm is optimistic about its long-term potential, believing that next-generation wearable devices driven by large language models and AI agent capabilities could create "multiple billion-dollar annual revenue opportunities."

Not Just Glasses: Wristband Control and Silent Input are the Real Game Changers

Meta's latest smart glasses product Meta Ray-Ban Display — unlike previous models, it integrates a display on the lenses for the first time, projecting information from applications like Instagram and WhatsApp, navigation, and real-time translation in front of the user's eyes.

However, its truly disruptive innovation lies in the accompanying Meta Neural Band. This wristband utilizes surface electromyography (sEMG) technology to detect neural signals transmitted from the brain to the hand. Users can input text on the glasses simply by making a gesture similar to "writing" with a pen. Zuckerberg stated at the launch that he can "input about 30 words per minute" using the device, a speed close to the average of about 36 words per minute for touchscreen typing on smartphones in studies.

This technology addresses the awkwardness of voice interaction with smart glasses in public settings, which is key to distinguishing it from other consumer products on the market. If this silent interaction experience is as smooth as advertised, it will be a decisive factor in whether the product can challenge core mobile usage scenarios (such as sending and receiving messages).

Meta will also launch "Live AI" feature

Morgan Stanley's research report released on September 18 pointed out that the Meta Ray-Ban Display is Meta's first product controlled by its proprietary neural wristband, aimed at addressing the top ten core mobile usage scenarios, such as sending and receiving messages, video calls, map navigation, and real-time translation.

More importantly, Meta plans to introduce the "Live AI" feature for the glasses in the coming months, allowing Meta's AI assistant to "hear what you hear, see what you see," thereby enabling richer immersive interactions. This reflects Meta's ambition to create a next-generation operating system based on AI.

In terms of ecosystem, the glasses will support applications like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Spotify at launch. However, the report also mentioned that due to computational space limitations, the device currently cannot run arbitrary software and does not have a standalone app store. This indicates that while Meta's full-stack platform has taken shape, it still has a long way to go before achieving a mature ecosystem.

Morgan Stanley: Meta's wearable devices are "long-term bullish options"

Behind this launch event is a massive investment that has caught the attention of investors. Reports indicate that Meta's Reality Labs division has incurred $70 billion in losses since 2020.

Regarding this release, Wall Street's view has been cautious. Morgan Stanley explicitly stated in their report that they consider Meta's wearable device business as "long-term bullish options," expecting it will not have a significant impact on the company's finances in the coming years. Meta itself estimates that by the end of next year, sales of the new glasses will exceed 100,000 units.

Although the short-term financial contribution is limited, Morgan Stanley is optimistic about its long-term potential, believing that next-generation wearable devices driven by large language models and AI agent capabilities could create "multiple billion-dollar annual revenue opportunities." Therefore, they recommend that investors closely monitor the progress of several key indicators: new features of the device (especially AI agent capabilities), computational power and application ecosystem expansion, battery life, and whether standalone devices with cellular network connectivity will be launched in the future.

More than one: From mass market to professional, Meta's product line layout

To cover a broader user base, Meta also launched two additional products:

• Next-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses: As an upgraded version without a screen, battery life is doubled, video resolution is improved, with a starting price of $379 (compared to $299 for the previous generation)
• Oakley Meta Vanguard: A performance-optimized model designed for athletes, featuring longer battery life, wide-angle lenses, and waterproof capabilities, priced at $499, and collaborating with sports applications like Garmin and Strava.

Morgan Stanley analysts compare Vanguard to the Apple Watch Ultra, believing that professional performance devices can account for about 10% of unit sales in other consumer hardware sectors. This indicates that Meta is attempting to test the application potential of its technology across different niche markets through a diversified product matrix