Meta Nova Gen 3 Glasses: Minimal Upgrades
Original: Meta Glasses Nova (Gen 3) Review: Not Much New
Why This Matters
Smart glasses market tests consumer appetite as incremental updates replace bold leaps.
Meta's Gen 3 Nova smart glasses launch at $299 on Oct. 4, 2026, with one extra hour of battery (9 hrs), a 6-mic array, and a slimmer fit—but the same 12-MP cameras and largely identical software as Gen 2.
Meta's third-generation Nova smart glasses are a modest refresh, not a reinvention. Priced at $299, they add an hour of battery life over the previous generation (now nine hours total), improve the microphone setup to a six-mic array for better call noise cancellation, and introduce a dedicated button for Meta's AI assistant. Frame design is slimmer and lighter, available in dozens of color and style combinations. The camera housing is also smaller—WIRED's reviewer notes a colleague didn't immediately recognize them as camera-enabled glasses from a few feet away.
The cameras themselves are unchanged: the same 12-MP sensors capable of 3K video as Gen 2. Meta's AI assistant drew mixed marks, described as not particularly smart. Audio playback volume also remains a complaint. Ray-Ban-branded Gen 3 variants start at $499. Meta also launched camera-free audio-only glasses, though those weren't tested for this review. The Conversation Focus feature for hard-of-hearing users is limited to Ray-Ban and Oakley models. WIRED rates the Nova Gen 3 a 7/10.