Gene Munster's latest hands-on review of Meta Platforms, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:META) new Display smart glasses suggests that while the technology dazzles at first glance, the device still lacks the everyday usefulness needed to win over mainstream consumers.
Munster Says Meta Display's Tech Impresses But Utility Falls Short
In a detailed evaluation, Munster and Deepwater's Brian Baker said they were initially "blown away" by the hardware but quickly realized there was "not much to do" with the product.
After receiving the Meta Display 26 days post-order, the team found the glasses excel at showing notifications but add little beyond what a smartphone or smartwatch already offers.
Replying through voice dictation was "buggy" and slower than just grabbing the phone, the review noted.
Photo quality trailed smartphone cameras, while the glasses' AI misidentified common objects — confusing a Minnesota sports logo for a New York baseball team multiple times.
Although impressed by the audio quality and smooth navigation features, Munster said the glasses still feel like tech on your face, adding that their style remains a barrier despite being more fashion-friendly than prior smart eyewear.
Meta AI Called ‘Nonsensical' Compared With Rivals
Munster criticized Meta AI's on-device capabilities, saying object identification often produced vague or incorrect results. The review concluded that Meta's model remains well behind competitors such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, xAI's Grok and Google Gemini in accuracy and usefulness.
Despite Flaws, Munster Says Meta Is Right To Bet Big On Consumers
Even with limited utility today, Munster said Meta's roughly $18 billion annual investment in Reality Labs is the right long-term move, predicting that consumer-focused wearables — not enterprise headsets — are the path to eventual success.
However, he warned that mainstream adoption is still years away.
Meta Smart Glasses Could Face Competition From Apple
In September, Meta rolled out two new smart glasses at its Connect 2025 event — the $499 Oakley Meta Vanguard, designed for athletes and the $799 Ray-Ban Display featuring built-in AR.
At the time, Munster called them the "best bang for the buck."
The release arrived as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) readies its next wave of XR products, including future Vision Pro iterations and reportedly its own smart glasses targeted for 2027.
In June, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted Apple could ultimately overtake Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses lineup despite its slower entry into the category.
Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings show that META continues to trend downward across short, medium, and long-term periods, with further performance details available here.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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