What you need to know
- Meta plans to launch two new Ray-Ban Display glasses features in 2026: EMG handwriting and Instagram Reels support.
- EMG handwriting leverages the included Meta Neural Band to let users type with drawings or gestures.
- In "a couple of months," user will be able to watch Instagram Reels on their display glasses.
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Meta launched the Ray-Ban Display earlier this year, and the smart glasses with a monocular screen are now available for purchase. While Meta's Ray-Ban Display glasses aren't a prototype, they are positioned for early adopters, and we expect the company to continue expanding their capabilities over time. Ahead of 2026, Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth is previewing what's next for Ray-Ban Display glasses, and the future looks bright.
The core Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses experience is powered by the Meta Neural Band. It's an included wristband with EMG technology that can map thousands of motor neurons and associate them with gestures. At launch, Ray-Ban Display supported the Neural Band for things like clicks, scrolls, and dials. However, that's just the start, as Bosworth confirms the EMG band "can become capable of recognizing increasingly complex inputs as time goes on."
Meta says that EMG handwriting is coming "soon" for Ray-Ban Display and Neural Band users.
"Soon we’ll roll out EMG handwriting — dozens of new neural signals that allow the band to reliably recognize every letter of the alphabet," Bosworth explains. "The more data we gather, the more capable it becomes."
This is a foundational shift in how humans will interact with computers.
Andrew Bosworth, Meta CTO
Early access for EMG handwriting is set to arrive next month, with wider availability to follow. The feature could make it possible for Ray-Ban Display users to type and communicate with their smart glasses by simply drawing or gesturing on a flat surface while wearing the Meta Neural Band.
That's not all Meta has in store for Ray-Ban Display users, though. Owners are clamoring for a way to watch videos on the monocular display glasses, and in a series of Threads comments, Bosworth confirmed something is in the works. Support for Instagram Reels undergoes internal testing at Meta this month. Then, it'll roll out "in a couple of months."
Meta's Ray-Ban Display glasses cost $799, and while that includes a custom-fitted Neural Band, it's an expensive early-adopter product. The monocular display (meaning there's only a screen in one lens) and limited prescription support further narrows down the glasses' niche. With that being said, it's looking like 2026 will bring exciting new features to the smart glasses.
