Ray-Ban Meta vs Even Realities G2: price, display, camera, battery and who each suits

Ray-Ban Meta glasses have speakers, microphones and the Meta AI assistant but no display, and every model except Audio has a camera. The Even Realities G2 is the opposite: it shows text in both lenses and has no camera. Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 starts at $449, Gen 2 at $379 and the camera-free Audio at $349. The G2 costs $599, or $848 with its optional R1 ring.

Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 and Gen 2 fit you if you want photos and video, music, calls and an assistant that can see what you're looking at, and Audio keeps the music, calls and voice assistant without the camera. The G2 fits you if you want notes, a teleprompter, translations and directions in the lens without a camera on your face, and you can live with a single-color, text-first display.

This comparison is based on Meta's, Ray-Ban's and Even Realities' published specifications and our own guides, with US prices as of Oct. 25, 2026, and we haven't tested either pair.

Ray-Ban Meta vs Even G2 at a glance

Prices are US starting prices on Ray-Ban.com and Even Realities' store. Our Ray-Ban Meta price guide breaks down lens options, and the full lineup is in our complete Ray-Ban Meta guide.

Display or camera: the main difference

Ray-Ban Meta glasses have no display. Meta AI answers by voice, and the Meta AI app on your phone shows your photos, chats and translations. Gen 3 has a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 100-degree field of view, video up to 3K at 30 frames per second and 32GB of storage, and Gen 2 lists the same camera and video specs. Audio has no camera at all.

The G2 shows green text and simple graphics in both lenses, on a 640 x 350 display with a 27.5-degree field of view and a rated brightness of up to 1,200 nits. Even Realities lists 98% passthrough, meaning nearly all light reaches your eyes, so the glasses work as everyday eyewear. The company calls the G2 "camera-free. By design." The assistant answers your voice but can't see what you're looking at.

Meta AI vs Even AI

Meta AI is built into every Ray-Ban Meta pair. You say "Hey Meta" or tap and hold the touchpad to take photos and video, call and message people through WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram or your phone, play music from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music or Audible, and ask questions.

On the camera models, asking about your surroundings sends a photo to Meta's cloud so Meta AI can answer about what's in front of you, and Live AI keeps the camera and microphone on for follow-ups. Live translation covers 20 languages, and without a display the translated text appears in the Meta AI app. Meta says some AI features are limited to certain countries and languages and that its Muse agent is coming to its glasses "in the coming months." Audio keeps the voice features and drops everything that needs a camera. Our Meta AI guide has the details.

Even AI is the G2's voice assistant, and it sits inside a set of text-first tools. Conversate lets you write prep notes before a meeting and keep them in view, shows AI cues when an unfamiliar name or reference comes up and gives you a transcript and an AI summary in the Even Realities app afterward. Translate covers 35 languages, Teleprompt is a voice-controlled teleprompter, a dashboard shows your calendar, reminders and notifications, and Navigate works wherever Google Maps does. The Even Hub adds apps from other developers. Our Even Realities guide covers the G2 in full.

Audio, battery and weight

Ray-Ban Meta glasses have open-ear speakers for music, podcasts and calls, and a six-microphone array on Gen 3 and Audio. Even's specification list for the G2 shows four microphones and doesn't list speakers.

Battery favors the G2 on paper. Even rates it at up to two days, and its charging case holds seven full charges. Meta rates Gen 3 at up to nine hours, Gen 2 at up to eight and Audio at up to 12, with up to 50, 48 and 48 more hours from the case. Those are ceilings: Ray-Ban's FAQ describes Gen 3's nine hours as mixed use. Our battery life guide covers every Ray-Ban Meta model.

The G2 is also the lighter pair, at 36 grams. Meta's listings put the Ray-Ban Meta frames with published weights between 43.1 grams for the Audio Burbank and 54.5 grams for the Gen 3 Aviator. Engadget's comparison has the Gen 3 Wayfarer at 51.5 grams and the Gen 2 Wayfarer at 51. Even rates the G2 IP65 for dust and water. Meta rates Ray-Ban Meta IPX4, which it describes as enough for light rain.

Prescription lenses

Both makers sell prescription versions. Meta lists -12.00 to +6.00 total power for Ray-Ban Meta glasses, with the Gen 3 Aviator limited to -6.00 to +4.00, and says Audio is compatible with "a wide range" of prescriptions without publishing figures. You order from Ray-Ban.com or a certified retailer, which can also add lenses to a pair you already own. On Oct. 25, Ray-Ban's list prices for lenses on a Gen 3 Wayfarer Optics frame started at $225 for clear single vision and $405 for progressives, and a promotion cut them 46% at checkout that day.

Even Realities makes custom G2 lenses from -12.00 to +12.00, each etched to match your prescription and bonded to the display. Its website handles standard distance prescriptions, while progressive and prism prescriptions go through partner stores, and reading-only lenses aren't offered online. The pages we read don't list a separate price for G2 prescription lenses, so check at checkout. Even's US store accepts HSA and FSA cards for G2 glasses made with prescription lenses. Our prescription smart glasses guide compares every option.

Privacy for the people around you

Ray-Ban Meta camera glasses have a white capture LED on the front that blinks briefly for a photo and keeps blinking while you record video. Meta says the light has no off switch and that, from the second generation on, the camera stops working if the light is blocked. Hamburg's data protection office, which tested a first-generation pair, found the light "is not easily visible in many environments, particularly outdoors and in direct sunlight." Our guides to bystander privacy and recording lights explain what the light does and doesn't tell people nearby. Audio has no camera and no light.

The G2 can't photograph or film anyone. It does have four microphones, and Even says Conversate "captures and transcribes every word" of a conversation, with no data stored in the cloud without your explicit consent. Venue rules can reach camera-free glasses too. New York's state courts have barred eyewear with "cameras, microphones or other recording technology" since July 20, as our camera-free glasses guide notes, so read a venue's wording before you wear either pair.

Phones and setup

Both pairs work with iPhone and Android. Ray-Ban Meta needs the free Meta AI app, a Meta account and wireless internet, and Ray-Ban's FAQ lists Android 10 or later with location services on, or iOS 14.4 or later. Photos and videos stay on the glasses until you import them to your phone. The G2 and its R1 ring connect to iOS and Android phones over Bluetooth through the Even Realities app, and the pages we read give no minimum phone versions. Our Android vs iPhone guide covers the differences between the two phones for Ray-Ban Meta.

Who each suits

Gen 3 is the camera pair to start from: the longest battery rating of the camera models, six microphones and an action button, for $70 more than Gen 2. Gen 2 is $70 cheaper and the only current generation in the Skyler and Headliner shapes. Audio costs $100 less than Gen 3, is the lightest Ray-Ban Meta pair and keeps Meta AI, music and calls without a camera, though it has no display.

The G2 suits people who speak in meetings or follow conversations in other languages, and anyone who wants notifications and directions in the lens with no camera involved. It has the wider prescription range and the longer battery rating. The green display won't replace a phone screen for photos or video, and a spec sheet can't tell you how comfortable either pair is over a full day or how readable the G2's text is in sunlight.

If you want a display from Meta

Meta sells display glasses too. Meta Ray-Ban Display costs $799 with its Neural Band wristband, weighs 69 grams, has a 12MP camera and a full-color display in the right lens, and is rated for up to six hours. Our Even G2 vs Meta Ray-Ban Display comparison sets it against the G2, and our Display vs Gen 3 comparison covers the two Meta pairs. For the wider picture, see our best smart glasses guide and our explainer on AI, AR and display glasses.