{"id":7298,"date":"2025-09-08T11:54:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T11:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/?p=7298"},"modified":"2025-09-08T11:54:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T11:54:24","slug":"ray-ban-meta-sunglasses-long-term-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/08\/ray-ban-meta-sunglasses-long-term-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ray Ban Meta Sunglasses Long Term Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rayban meta Long Term Review: 1000 videos, 100 rides and 1 warranty replacement later\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wzhrHAZHQyQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/generalben.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumb-doc-2Artboard-2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/generalben.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumb-doc-2Artboard-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/generalben.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumb-doc-2Artboard-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/generalben.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumb-doc-2Artboard-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/generalben.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumb-doc-2Artboard-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/generalben.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/thumb-doc-2Artboard-2.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ray-Ban Meta Sunglasses: Long-Term Review<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no point in me pretending I can get reviews out quickly. Even the simplest videos take me months, which means every review ends up being a <em>long-term<\/em> review by default. The advantage? I get more sleep, you get a less tired-looking reviewer, and I can cover things like warranty replacements \u2014 as a totally random example that surely won\u2019t appear later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So here\u2019s my long-term review of the Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behind the Scenes Footage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the main ways I use these is for behind-the-scenes footage. If I\u2019m filming something, or setting up, or even just tinkering, I can hit the button and capture what I\u2019m looking at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not cinematic. But that\u2019s kind of the point \u2014 it\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m seeing, which makes it feel natural. And it means I capture stuff I\u2019d otherwise miss, without faffing around with my phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Incidental Video<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The other way I\u2019ve been using them is for what I\u2019d call incidental video \u2014 the little things I\u2019d normally never film because it\u2019s too much effort to get my phone out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good: I capture more moments. The really good: the video stabilisation is <em>ridiculously<\/em> solid, especially for walking or just moving around. The bad: if you\u2019re jogging or in low light, it struggles because the exposure has to stay open too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The big limitations aren\u2019t image quality so much as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>everything is locked to strict vertical video,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>there\u2019s not enough resolution to crop to wide aspect without it looking soft,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and you can\u2019t choose formats, frame rates, or anything else.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For casual clips, they\u2019re brilliant. For anything more\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Photos are actually much closer to a phone than you\u2019d expect. They\u2019ve got that HDR \u201cphone look,\u201d and the capabilities feel similar \u2014 what\u2019s missing are the tele lenses, the ability to frame through a screen, and just a little bit of resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the photos aren\u2019t \u201cworse than a phone,\u201d they\u2019re just more limited. But again, it\u2019s the convenience that makes you actually use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/generalben.com\/304e277c-e5d2-4f9d-a333-4096c434bf2e\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/generalben.com\/64043ced-539a-43db-804c-e483027b19f1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/generalben.com\/d0984165-d8e7-44f7-b31b-f363e9cb6608\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/generalben.com\/e6a0b38a-18f7-4e61-bb06-7cd5e81f6c17\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/generalben.com\/eb9b5931-bba6-4cc1-b5c1-2d3bb3e4e468\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/generalben.com\/2f637883-c37f-4420-b9a9-3f851cbc4f10\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Live Translation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I tried the live translation feature, and it honestly worked perfectly. The only time it fell apart was when it had to deal with my own bad French pronunciation. That\u2019s not on the glasses, that\u2019s on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a slight delay, but that\u2019s expected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m looking forward to having a chance to test it on actual european language speakers, so will reserve full judgement til then. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meta AI vs Siri<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While we\u2019re here: I actually prefer the Meta AI assistant to Siri. Mainly because I can use it hands-free in the car without needing to open an app. That\u2019s something even ChatGPT can\u2019t do\u2026 right? (Don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re still my favourite robot.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cycling with Them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the things I didn\u2019t expect to like as much is using them on the bike. Compared to AirPods Pro, the open-ear speakers are actually way better \u2014 I can still hear traffic, I don\u2019t feel sealed off, and podcasts are nice and clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Music is fine too, though yeah, if you crank it up people next to you are going to hear it. But for riding, this is probably the best audio setup I\u2019ve found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Warranty Replacement (a.k.a. Sweat Happens)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At one point, mine had to go back under warranty. The culprit? Sweat. Most likely, sweat getting into the little mic holes in the nose bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news is the process was painless. Meta replaced them quickly, and I was back to using them before long. But if you\u2019re doing hot-weather cycling or just generally sweaty activities \u2014 maybe keep a towel handy.<br><br>I also noticed on the reddit\/r\/metaraybans sub that a number of owners of the matte black model had problems with the arm breaking off. That&#8217;s not something I&#8217;ve faced with mine, and I haven&#8217;t babied them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So after months with them, here\u2019s where I\u2019m at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They\u2019re brilliant for behind-the-scenes and incidental clips.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stabilisation is great, except jogging or in low light.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Photos are phone-like in quality \u2014 what\u2019s missing are the extra lenses and resolution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Live translation is actually fantastic (unless you\u2019re me speaking French).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meta AI is genuinely useful, especially hands-free.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cycling audio is way better than earbuds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Just don\u2019t sweat directly into the nose bridge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re not perfect, they\u2019re not essential, but they\u2019ve found a natural place in my life. And because they actually look like Ray-Bans, they&#8217;re still just a decent set of sunnies when they run out of batteries. <br><br>But perhaps zoomers won&#8217;t buy them due to the old fashioned shape. And maybe that&#8217;s a good thing. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ray-Ban Meta Sunglasses: Long-Term Review There\u2019s no point in me pretending I can get reviews out quickly. Even the simplest videos take me months, which means every review ends up&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,65],"tags":[63,64,22,62],"class_list":{"0":"post-7298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-photography","8":"category-technology","9":"tag-ai","10":"tag-meta","11":"tag-photography","12":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7301,"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7298\/revisions\/7301"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generalben.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}