At Meta Connect 2025 on Wednesday, Meta unveiled the Oakley Meta Vanguard smart glasses, a $499 pair designed specifically for runners, cyclists, and athletes. The glasses launch on October 21 across multiple countries.
Unlike earlier models, the Vanguard features a single front lens design, a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera, and can record in 3K resolution. A programmable button lets users trigger custom AI prompts through the Meta AI app, while controls are tucked underneath for comfort with helmets.
Battery life is strong for long workouts: up to 9 hours total use, or 6 hours of nonstop music playback, with the charging case providing an extra 36 hours on the go. Quick charge brings the glasses to 50% in just 20 minutes.
Meta says the new open-ear speakers are its loudest yet, and the five-microphone system is tuned to reduce wind noise for calls, messaging, and AI commands. With an IP67 rating, the glasses are sweat-, dust-, and water-resistant, perfect for intense training.
The wraparound frame uses Oakley PRIZM™ Lens tech, shielding eyes from sun, wind, and dust. Athletes can also sync the Vanguard with Garmin smartwatches for real-time stats like heart rate and pace, or integrate with Strava to overlay performance metrics on captured videos and share them directly with their community.
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The Vanguard comes in four frame/lens combos, Black with PRIZM™ 24K, White with PRIZM™ Black, Black with PRIZM™ Road, and White with PRIZM™ Sapphire. They will be available first in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Europe, and Australia, with launches in Mexico, India, Brazil, and the UAE coming later this year.
The announcement comes just months after Meta introduced the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses. Alongside Vanguard, Meta also revealed its new Ray-Ban smart glasses with built-in displays and a Ray-Ban Meta 2 offering 2x the battery life and 3K Ultra HD video capture.
With Oakley Meta Vanguard, Meta is clearly doubling down on making AI-powered wearables for athletes.
