Zuckerberg bets big on AI glasses leading the "post-intelligence era" and will soon debut the $800 "Celeste" at Connect.

Media reports, citing informed sources, revealed that Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta (META.US) are expected to unveil a new AI smart glasses with an integrated display screen at their annual Connect event on Wednesday in Eastern time. The retail price is expected to be as high as $800, making it Meta's first high-end AR+AI smart glasses targeted at consumers. Meta's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is doubling down on the future of "edge AI" beyond smartphones, aiming to seamlessly integrate advanced AI models with intelligent wearable devices and challenge Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) for dominance in the consumer electronics field, including iPhone and wearable devices. According to sources interviewed by the media, this more expensive new smart glasses, internally codenamed "Hypernova," is expected to be released under the name "Celeste" and will feature a small digital high-definition display screen in the right lens of this new smart glasses for executing basic artificial intelligence functions such as emergency message notifications and high-quality translations. Media reports suggest that compared to the "Orion" prototype glasses showcased at last year's Connect event by Meta, this new product may be less advanced. A previous CNBC report indicated that the "Hypernova" smart glasses may be developed in collaboration with the Italian brand Prada, known for its thick frames and wide legs that can accommodate many components required for smart glasses. Analysts suggest that the $800 price tag on these new smart glasses, much higher than the previous Ray-Ban series starting at $299 and the more sporty Oakley glasses priced at $399, may mean that the product's market share could be "negligible" in the short term. "These glasses will be somewhat bulky... not the most user-friendly consumer design. Additionally, the price will be quite expensive. Therefore, initial sales will be quite low," Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers, told the news media. Media reports also state that at this week's Connect event, Meta is expected to release its first smart wristband, allowing users to control the new smart glasses through gestures. Analysts predict that the company will also showcase updated iterations of the Ray-Ban series, with some analysts expecting the new Ray-Ban devices to be equipped with higher-end cameras and stronger battery life, and support new, more diverse AI functionalities. The media reports added that as a crucial part of attracting global app developers to participate in the Meta development ecosystem, Meta is also expected to open its new AI smart glasses development platform to third-party developers via new software toolkits. Zuckerberg ignites the AI smart glasses revolution, aiming to dominate the "post-smartphone era" Although some analysts view the $800 price tag on the new AI smart glasses as expensive and somewhat bulky, there is no doubt that glasses with screens will be another milestone for Meta in its journey towards truly enhancing reality and AI smart glasses. The new term "post-smartphone era" mainly emphasizes trends, describing a time when demand for smartphones continues to slow down, while the penetration rate of new wearable consumer electronics carrying AI models increases rapidly. With the global demand for smartphones expected to reach its peak, along with the rise of various intelligent consumer electronics containing AI models, the world is entering a "era of mixed warfare." In a market manifesto released in August, Zuckerberg outlined his concept of "personal superintelligence." This concept includes an AI smart glasses that can "see, hear, and interact deeply with users around the clock," which may completely replace smartphones as the primary gateway to a AI-based digital world. The US tech giant has long been trying to replace the iPhone ecosystem with Meta's intelligent consumer electronic products, but has repeatedly failed. Now, he believes that Apple Inc. is significantly "lagging behind" in the field of edge AI, and is therefore increasing investment, offering huge salaries to attract the world's top AI talents. Meta's AI smart glasses currently need to be used in conjunction with mainstream smartphones in the market, including Apple Inc.'s iPhone, but the future lineup of Meta's AI smart glasses models is expected to have integrated displays and complete AI super-assistant functionalities based on Meta's exclusive AI models and other breakthrough AI features. Smart glasses may be the best terminal carrier for artificial intelligence technology With the rapid development of edge computing, 5G networks, and artificial intelligence technology, edge consumer electronic devices are increasingly capable of real-time data processing and seamless interaction with cloud-based AI models. This allows smart glasses to not only collect real-time environmental data (such as visual, auditory, and location information) but also to link up with cloud-based AI models for real-time generative AI applications, such as local primary processing and cloud-based AI models working together to perform complex AI workloads, such as voice interactions, real-time translation, augmented reality navigation, and contextual information overlay. Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are the market's first AI smart glasses, equipped with an SoC with integrated NPU, advanced cameras, and audio components. These technologies enable core intelligent functions such as photo/video capture and audio playback, while supporting a wide range of applications through device-side AI algorithms, edge AI based on smartphones and other consumer electronics, and Llama cloud-based AI models. Counterpoint indicates that with the global success of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, an unprecedented wave of AI smart glasses has emerged, from reference design products provided by supply chain companies to commercial products launched by eyewear brand manufacturers, all expected to appear after the end of 2024. The agency predicts that with leading smartphone companies set to release their first AI smart glasses in 2025, and more intelligent consumer electronics companies potentially entering the market in 2025 and 2026, the global smart glasses market is expected to achieve a 60% year-on-year growth in 2025, maintaining a compound annual growth rate of over 60% from 2025 to 2029. According to Counterpoint's recent report tracking global smart glasses shipments, shipments in the international smart glasses market in the first half of 2025 increased by 110% year-on-year. The strong demand for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, as well as the entry of Xiaomi, RayNeo, and some new small brand manufacturers, drove this growth. AI smart glasses accounted for 78% of the total shipments in the first half of 2025, surpassing the 46% and 66% from the first halves of 2024. This is mainly attributed to the dominant position of Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. In addition, the year-on-year growth in the size of the AI smart glasses sub-market in the first half of 2025 exceeded 250%, well beyond the overall market.