Meta's latest hardware push puts its Muse AI vision at the center of its next-generation devices.
- Meta's new VR glasses are priced at $1,299.99 and are slated for spring 2027.
- The company expanded its Ray-Ban lineup with camera-free Audio glasses and a third-generation model.
- Zuckerberg said Muse is expected to evolve into a "personal superintelligence" used by billions.
Shares of Meta Platforms Inc. (META) slipped after the company unveiled a slate of new products at its annual two-day Connect event, which kicked off Wednesday. The launches included new VR glasses and a Tamagotchi-like AI device. Still, top Wall Street analysts remain upbeat on the "Magnificent Seven" heavyweight.
META dropped 0.4% in overnight trading, extending after-hours losses. However, the stock is still on track for its best monthly performance since July 2013, thanks to momentum in its Muse AI offering.
At Meta Connect 2026, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company debuted its Meta VR Glasses, which some X users described as offering an Apple Vision Pro-like experience in a smaller, slimmer form factor. The company also unveiled the AI-powered Muse Charm, a pocket-sized, keychain-friendly standalone hardware device (although details remained scant), along with a range of new Meta Ray-Ban Glasses.
Meta's New VR Glasses
Meta's VR Glasses weigh about 100 grams. The processor, battery and storage sit in a separate compute puck that connects to the frames by a cable and clips to a pocket or bag. The glasses go on sale in spring 2027 for $1,299.99. They use a "5K Infinite Display" built on micro-OLED panels with 37 pixels per degree, pancake lenses, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Users control the device with eye tracking, hand gestures and voice commands.
Ray-Ban Meta Audio And Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3
Ray-Ban Meta Audio is Meta's first pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses without a camera. The 43-gram glasses keep open-ear audio, calling and Meta AI, and run up to 12 hours on a charge. Pre-orders are open now. Prices start at $349, and shipping begins Oct. 13.
The third-generation Ray-Ban Meta has a 12MP camera, up to nine hours of battery life (one hour more than Gen 2), a customizable action button and new Aviator and Zena frames. It starts at $449 and is on sale now. Meta also added Capri and Nova styles to its own Meta Glasses line.
Hearing Enhancement comes to Meta Glasses
Meta announced Hearing Enhancement, an FDA-cleared feature for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Users set it up at home with a short hearing test in the Meta AI app, so they don't need a prescription or a clinic visit. It launches in the U.S. later this year. The feature costs a one-time $149.99 and is included in a Meta One subscription.
What Is Muse Charm?
Meta also unveiled Muse Charm, a palm-sized device for talking to its Muse AI agent. Users can carry it in a pocket or clip it to a keychain. Zuckerberg said it will ship in time for the holidays in December. "We packed the whole Muse experience, including the whole real-time voice and avatar stack, into something that fits on a keychain," he said.
Zuckerberg Lays Out Ambitious AI Vision
Zuckerberg positioned the announcements around Meta's broader "personal superintelligence" strategy, with AI agents becoming increasingly integrated into everyday hardware. He said: "In the coming years, I expect that Muse is going to grow into the personal superintelligence that billions of people around the world are going to use to accomplish their goals and improve their lives."
Wall Street Analysts Bullish On Muse AI
Dan Ives, partner and senior managing director at Yorkville Ives, told CNBC that Meta's Muse AI is "a game-changer."
"I think investors, they discounted Zuckerberg and Meta in terms of the tens of billions that they were spending… in terms of capex. They didn't see the results," he said. "Now look at it… when you have 3.5 billion users to tap into, it's not just going to be OpenAI and Anthropic."
"This is an AI arms race. And when you count some of these companies out, whether it's Apple, whether it's Meta, look what happens," Ives added. "It's going to be less in the model; it's going to be more in the data."
Jefferies analyst Brent Thill told CNBC that Muse AI is "living up to the hype."
Nicholas Mugalli, CEO and principal of World Trade Securities, pointed to JPMorgan's view that Muse AI could become the "most-used app since ChatGPT," citing frequent use cases across commerce, personal finance, health, productivity and entertainment, with strong monetization paths.
Deepwater Asset Management's Gene Munster was more cautious. He said he expects Meta shares to be "flat to down" after the keynote, citing limited details on Muse adoption.
"What we got that was important is Zuck's vision that all that matters to the company long term is Muse," Munste said on X. He added that the focus on Muse could be "bad news" for Alphabet, as Meta pushes deeper into AI-powered products.
Retail sentiment on Stocktwits for META was in 'bullish' territory, with message volume at 'high' levels. “$META Zuckerberg is young, with vision a mile out, and the smartest guy in the room. Not someone to bet against in my view. Meta to the moon,” said a trader.
META shares are up more than 13% this year, making it the third-best performer among its "Magnificent Seven" peers.
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