Meta Connect 2025 kicks off on September 17 at 5pm PST (1am BST / 10am AEST on September 18) and I believe we’ll see some impressive next-gen smart glasses. Both Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and its CTO Andrew Bosworth have teased announcements along these lines Connect, the company’s annual tech showcase.
Their comments – along with leaks and a couple informed guesses – might have actually clued us into a lot of what we’ll see at this year’s event already, and this doesn’t look like it’ll be a showcase you’ll want to miss.
So here’s my predictions for what Meta Connect has in store, and one prediction for a gadget we shouldn’t hold our breath over.
The focus of this year’s show will likely be smart glasses, with Meta’s first step into consumer tech resembling AR glasses. Zuckerberg and Bosworth have both teased major smart glasses reveals, and leaks point to one device codenamed Celeste.
Whether it keeps this name or not, Celeste should resemble the Ray-Ban smart glasses we’ve come to love since their 2023 debut – we’re talking a stylish design, useful AI features, and an inbuilt camera – but also a new addition: a display.
Now, this likely won’t be an immersive screen for AR like you’d get from the Meta Orion prototype, or the latest Snap Specs.Instead Meta’s Celeste is rumored to use a single screen for one eye – which you can see in your vision’s periphery. This means it’ll likely focus on supporting on-screen notifications, maps directions, and maybe giving you the ability to see previews of pictures you take with the glasses rather than fully interactive AR objects.
Even for these more limited abilities the glasses are expected to cost a lot – rumors are pointing towards a price tag around $800.
However I’m reserving judgment until we see these glasses in action.
Before the Ray-Bans launched, and for a while after they had released, I wasn’t their biggest fan. Now, especially with the impressive ongoing support Meta has offered its smart specs, they’ve come to be one of my favorite gadgets of the past few years – I never go on vacation without them.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Celeste has the same effect on me.
As many times as I’ve heard the Meta smartwatch is in development, it’s also been rumored to have been cancelled.
So while all leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt, this is one that I’m especially leaning towards “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Still, a future Meta smart band might not be a full-on fitness tracking smartwatch, but instead a wearable controller for the aforementioned Celeste glasses. This falls more inside the realm of possibility than a Meta smartwatch.
A Meta wrist wearable might even be bundled in with the glasses, which could be what’s contributing to their inflated price over today’s Ray-Ban models.
That’s not to say a seperate smartwatch won’t possibly materialize – one that combines the AR controller features with health monitoring tools smart watches are synonymous with, and maybe even a camera (which leaks have teased in the past).
I’m just not holding my breath.
If $800 is too much for you I’m hoping we’ll see at least one other pair of next-gen glasses – with upgraded specs, just minus the display.
The recent Oakley Meta HSTN glasses have dropped with new and improved specs (like a better camera and battery life) than the Ray-Ban model we currently have. Therefore I would be shocked if Meta didn’t also give new Ray-Bans with these specs, especially given its tech is already a couple of years old, and competition is coming in from all angles with Android XR, Rokid, and maybe even Amazon lining up to give us a bevvy of smart glasses alternatives.
At the time of writing, no rumors have teased such a launch, which is uncommon for Meta’s events – especially considering how many other announcements have been spoiled. That said, upgraded Ray-Bans – which stick closer to the current model’s price – just make so much sense to me.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if Meta teases new Oakley designs, maybe some more frame and lens combos for its HSTN glasses, or a new Oakley shape.
Its Ray-Ban collaboration has spawned a few different frame designs and plenty of colorways, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Oakley followed suit.
4. No new VR Headset
Okay, that’s a lot on the AI and AR glasses side of things, what about Meta’s VR headsets and software?
Well Bosworth did tease we’ll see some metaverse software at the event – my money is on that including a release date for the Quest-exclusive Deadpool VR, and perhaps some other games or VR versions of the best streaming services.
Unfortunately there’s been no official mention of new Meta VR hardware – with leaks and rumors pointing towards a 2026 release at the earliest for a project tipped to be the Meta Quest Pro 2 – with the Quest 4 believed to be landing in 2027 if rumors are true.
Originally codenamed Puffin, but now also being referred to as Phoneix – which feels appropriate for a headset that’s hopefully set to rise from the ashes of the (let’s face it) failed Meta Quest Pro, the Quest Pro 2 as we’re calling it would look less like the headsets we’ve seen before and more like goggles.
To trim down the size and weight of the head mounted display Meta is said to be shifting the battery and compute power to a puck you can fit in your pocket – kinda like the Apple Vision Pro’s external battery.
The hope is this design will make it much easier to wear the headset for long periods of time as it won’t be as bulky – cutting out some of the comfort friction points recently published Meta research suggests are barriers to longer VR sessions.
However, Meta hasn’t said anything official about its next-gen VR hardware plans, and I expect it won’t give us a big announcement at Meta Connect this year – at best we might see the same sort of silhouetted teaser we got for Project Cambria the year before it was fully unveiled as the original Quest Pro.
I’m not disappointed though.
Yes I’d absolutely love a new VR headset but the Meta Quest 3 is more than good enough for my needs right now, and as I mentioned already, we should have some major new smart glasses to keep us occupied in the meantime.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
