Meta Connect 2026: Everything Meta announced, from glasses to Muse

Meta Connect 2026 took place on September 23 and 24 at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, where Mark Zuckerberg unveiled new smart glasses, a lighter VR headset, and a small device designed to work with Muse, Meta’s AI agent.

Meta also introduced its first smart glasses without a camera, as concerns grow about people being recorded without their knowledge by camera-equipped glasses. The new glasses remove the camera but retain microphones and can still connect to Meta’s AI services.

If you live in Africa, you also want to know which of these devices you can buy at home. This article covers every big announcement, prices, release dates, and what you can expect in your country.

Everything Meta announced at Meta Connect 2026

Here is a quick look at each device’s price and release date.

These are Meta’s US prices. Prices in your country may be different.

1. Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3

Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 starts at $449 and is on sale now in markets where Meta sells its glasses. It replaces the Gen 2 model from 2025. Here is what changes:

• Slimmer frames and adjustable temple tips for a better fit
• Up to nine hours of battery life, one hour more than Gen 2
• A new action button that opens Meta AI fast, so you can skip saying “Hey Meta” on a quiet train
• Six microphones that Meta says block more than 90% of background noise on calls

The camera stays the same. You still get 12-megapixel photos and 3K video.

Gen 3 comes in 27 frame-and-lens combinations, including the new Aviator and Zena cat-eye frames alongside the classic Wayfarer. A limited-edition Aviator Connect model starts at $579. That is $70 more than the Gen 2’s launch price, according to Gear Live.

2. The LISA edition

Meta teamed up with BLACKPINK star LISA on two frames: Adventurer LISA Edition and Capri LISA Edition. Both start at $399. You get:

• Star details on the frames
• A special case
• Case charms based on her pets
• Digital photocards you unlock with the glasses

These frames are part of the Meta Glasses range. They are separate from the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3.

3. Ray-Ban Meta Audio

Ray-Ban Meta Audio is Meta’s first pair of audio glasses. Open-ear speakers let you play music, take calls, listen to podcasts, and chat with Meta AI. The glasses have no camera, so they cannot take photos or record video.

This is Meta’s clearest answer to people uneasy about camera glasses. Some privacy questions remain. The glasses still have microphones, and your voice requests still go to an AI service.

• Weight: 43 grams
• Battery: up to 12 hours per charge, plus up to 48 more hours from the case
• Frames: Clubmaster and Burbank, with 23 colour and lens combinations
• Price and date: from $349, pre-orders open now, ships October 13

4. Meta VR Glasses

Meta VR Glasses look like thick glasses instead of a strapped headset. They weigh about 100 grams. Meta says that makes them five times lighter than Quest 3.

Meta gets there by splitting the device in two. The glasses hold the displays and sensors. A small puck holds the processor and battery, and it also stores your apps. An optical cable links the glasses to the puck, which you can clip to your pocket or set on a table.

Meta VR Glasses cost $1,299.99 and arrive in spring 2027.

How you control them

You control the glasses with your eyes and hand gestures. Voice commands work too. Controllers are optional.

• More than 75 games work with hand gestures at launch
• Touch Plus controllers work for games that need them
• A Bluetooth gamepad works with Xbox Cloud Gaming
• Beat Saber gets a new hand-tracking mode called Flux next spring, on both VR Glasses and Quest

Work and entertainment

For work, you can open several virtual screens at once. Meta says your desk can act as a keyboard and touchpad. You can also connect a Mac or Windows PC.

For fun, Meta lined up streaming and sports partners. You also get immersive versions of Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: A New Hope. Some films and sports streams depend on your country and your subscriptions.

Hologram calls

Meta also showed a feature it calls hologram. You scan your face with your phone, and Meta builds a lifelike digital version of you. It copies your face and expressions live during calls. It comes to Meta VR Glasses at launch. Meta Ray-Ban Display users in the US get early access on WhatsApp first.

5. Muse Charm

Muse Charm is a small, pocket-sized gadget for talking to Muse. It uses Muse’s live voice model, so you speak to it the way you speak on a phone call.

Meta showed Muse Charm on stage but shared few details. It has not announced a price or a release date and says it will share more later this year.

Tom’s Guide reports that the device has a fingerprint sensor on its edge and works without a phone. The outlet also reports that Zuckerberg wants it out in time for the holidays. Meta has not confirmed these details, so treat them as early reports.

6. Muse, Meta’s AI agent

What Muse does

Meta launched Muse on September 8, two weeks before Connect. Muse can open websites, fill forms, plan trips, and shop for you. It asks for your approval before sensitive steps, like sending an email or paying for something. Muse runs inside its own protected virtual computer, which Meta calls Muse Secure VM.

Shopping, travel and work tools

Meta added new connections so Muse can do more for you:

• Shopping: Walmart, Best Buy, Sephora, Ulta, Wayfair, Gap and Fanatics
• Payments: Shop Pay and PayPal, on top of Stripe’s Link, which Muse already supported
• Travel and groceries: Expedia for trips and Instacart for grocery orders
• Work: Notion, Granola, GitHub and Box

Check that a service works in your country before you rely on it. Meta’s list does not promise that every partner works everywhere.

Muse on Mac and on your glasses

Muse for Mac can now use the apps on your computer, with your permission. You can give it a list of tasks, walk away, and it keeps working.

On supported AI glasses, Muse will answer to its name and help with whatever you are looking at. Meta says this arrives in the next few months. It has not shared dates for each model or country.

A custom voice and face

You can describe the voice you want Muse to have, including how fast it talks and its accent. Meta also announced a live avatar that gives Muse an expressive face on screen. Muse also gets its own email address.

7. New features for Meta glasses

Hearing enhancement

Meta announced FDA-cleared software that helps adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. It arrives in the US later this year on supported glasses. You pay $149.99 to add it, or you get it with a Meta One subscription. Meta has not said if the $149.99 is a yearly fee.

Better maps on Meta Ray-Ban Display

Meta Ray-Ban Display gets cycling and public transit directions later this month in the US and Canada. Early access to hologram calls on Display comes to the US in the coming months. Meta also opened online orders for Display and started selling it in more countries outside the US.

Private Processing and camera tools

Meta says Private Processing is coming to its AI glasses. It lets some AI requests run without Meta seeing your data. Meta also announced new camera tools, including dynamic photos and Dolby Atmos video capture later on. Meta has not shared one rollout date for all these features.

Other Meta Connect 2026 announcements

• Meta Adventurer: Meta’s cheapest Meta Glasses yet. It pairs a black frame with grey lenses and ships with a plug-in case. It costs $249 and goes on sale October 23 in all countries where Meta Glasses are sold
• New frames: Capri and Nova frames join the range. A limited Meta Fury edition with a clear frame and mirrored lenses sells only at Connect and Meta Lab stores at launch
• Mix & Match: a new US programme that lets you build your own pair
• More styles: Meta says it will offer more than 100 glasses options across its brands by the end of 2026

Meta’s event recap does not include a new Quest headset.

Detailed specs

These are the specs Meta has confirmed so far.

Display

• Meta VR Glasses: micro-OLED 5K Infinite Display
• Meta VR Glasses: 37 pixels per degree
• Meta VR Glasses: Dolby Vision support
• Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 and Ray-Ban Meta Audio: no display

Processor

• Meta VR Glasses: Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite, housed in the puck
• Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 and Ray-Ban Meta Audio: Meta has not named the chip

Battery and charging

• Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3: up to 9 hours
• Ray-Ban Meta Audio: up to 12 hours, plus up to 48 hours from the case
• Meta VR Glasses: up to 3 hours of high-resolution media playback
• Meta VR Glasses: 45W charging on the puck

Camera

• Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3: 12MP photos and 3K video
• Ray-Ban Meta Audio: no camera

Audio and microphones

• Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3: six microphones that cut more than 90% of background noise
• Meta VR Glasses: Dolby Atmos audio

Weight

• Ray-Ban Meta Audio: 43 grams
• Meta VR Glasses: about 100 grams for the glasses

Some spec sheets online list the VR Glasses’ per-eye resolution, plus RAM, storage size, and puck weight. Meta has not confirmed those numbers yet.

Will the new glasses come to Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa?

South Africa

Meta names South Africa among 12 new markets getting Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses later in 2026. Ray-Ban Meta Optics is on the list too.

Meta has not shared a local date or price. It also has not promised South Africa the new Audio glasses or the VR Glasses, and Muse Charm has no launch market yet.

Nigeria and Kenya

Meta has not announced a launch in Nigeria or Kenya for any of these devices. You may find imported units from sellers on Jumia, Konga, Jiji, or Slot. Before you pay, check these four things:

• The exact model and generation
• Warranty cover
• Which AI features work in your country
• The seller’s return policy

Naira and shilling prices move with exchange rates and import costs. The price you see this week may change next week.

Features with country limits

Some features only work in certain countries for now:

• Hearing enhancement: US only
• Hologram calls on Display: US early access
• Cycling and transit directions on Display: US and Canada
• Muse shopping partners: mostly US stores

If you live in Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, or Johannesburg, wait for local support details before you pay for a device because of these features.

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