I test scores of gadgets in my job as a tech writer, though I rarely wait an entire year before writing about them. But that’s exactly what I’ve done with the Ray-Ban Meta, the latest smart glasses collaboration between, well, Ray-Ban and Meta.

When I first heard about the partnership between legendary sunglasses brand and not-so-legendary social media giant I was more than a little sceptical. Though I didn’t ever test the Ray-Ban Stories, their first attempt at sunglasses with camera and speakers integrated, it seemed like a fun idea.

So after I’d first booted up the second-gen Ray-Ban Meta back in December 2023, it took me a while to warm up to the design and function of sunglasses that try to hide a camera and headphones on your face, but after 12 months I’m convinced they are one of the most fun new tech inventions of the past few years and certainly the best smart glasses around.

Early smart spectacle effort Google Glass is now a distant memory, but the recent £3,499 Apple Vision Pro VR headset will draw you some gawking stares from across the office or train carriage. Not so with the Ray-Ban Meta. Whichever style you pick, they all pass for regular sunglasses unless you look a little closer, with Wayfarer, Headliner and Skyler styles available.

A boring millennial, I prefer the Wayfarer in black, but there are colourful transparent options and transition lenses if you like. You can even get prescription lenses.

The arms of the plastic glasses are a little thicker than usual to house batteries, circuit boards and speakers, while there’s a 12MP camera embedded in the edge of one lens and a white light on the other side to show when photos or videos are being taken. The inner left arm has a power switch and, naturally, you need a Meta account to set them up and use them.

This can link to your Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp accounts (all owned by Meta) and away you go. The primary function of the glasses is to take photos and video, which you do by manually pressing a button on the top edge of the right glasses arm. The speakers play a camera shutter sound in your ear as you do so, piped in through subtle grilles on the bottom of each arm.

Photos are from quite a wide angle and often they’re not straight, so I’m pretty worried that I have a wonky face. Luckily when you import your recent snaps into the Meta View app, AI works its magic to straighten things up, which is a feature that came in a software update. My early photos are very skew-whiff. Photos taken in daylight generally look great, but nighttime shots are a no-no thanks to the small lens size here.

Video quality is excellent. It’s well stabilised, and means you can capture your exact view when walking, running, skiing, eating, dancing, you name it – though you’re limited to a maximum of three minutes.

Connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth, the glasses can pipe in sound just like earbuds can, so I found myself walking around outside listening to music and podcasts in the park and on the bus. I’m no Bob Dylan, so I can’t bring myself to wear the glasses indoors, but I guess that’s what the clear lens options are for, as I could see myself using these all day to take voice calls too thanks to five embedded microphones. I wear glasses anyway, so having my sight correctors replace my AirPods feels like killing two birds with one stone, even if the volume level is a little wanting. A touch sensitive pad on the right arm lets you play, pause, skip track or swipe to change volume.

The mics also let you interact, optionally, with Meta AI. Considering how dim Siri is on the iPhone, I’ve been impressed with Meta’s shot at a digital voice to natter to. You can ask simple search queries triggered by saying “Hey Meta”, as well as set timers and reminders. In the US you can even say, “Hey Meta, look at this and tell me about it”, and the glasses use their camera to look and describe the scene or identify specific objects such as products or plants. It’s coming to the UK at some stage, but I’ve been able to test it and it works well. I mostly asked the glasses to pause audio, adjust the volume, or take a photo when my hands were full, though.

You do have to be comfortable with using Meta services to get the best out of the glasses. They’re unusable unless you’re signed in.

Battery life is not all-day, which is a shame. A fully charged pair lasts about four hours depending on what you’re doing, and you have to take the glasses off and charge them in the lovely faux-leather case. This is topped up via USB-C.

My original review sample of the Ray-Ban Meta had orange lenses, which was not my vibe, so I ended up swapping them for the recently-released matte black frame with gradient graphite polarised lenses. Others could pull off the transparent blue pair or the shiny caramel pair, but not me. I also required the large size over the standard due to my bulbous noggin. Make sure you measure up before you buy, because, don’t forget, these are also good quality Ray-Ban sunglasses.

Friends tell me the black pair look pretty normal, until you notice the camera. Then the accusations fly about how creepy they are. Despite the light flashing when you take a photo or staying constantly on when videoing, many people are uncomfortable with the idea of someone covertly filming them. On the other hand, we’re all used to people walking around taking photos on their phones, but it’s obvious that’s what’s happening. I think the Ray-Ban Meta will survive the criticism that they’re sneaky, especially given the companies can’t seem to make them fast enough to keep up with demand, but it’s been interesting to gauge people’s reactions to them. I can’t print what my sister said, but she wasn’t a fan.

I however am a big fan. From £299 for an ever-expanding range of fun designs, the Ray-Ban Meta are excellent value. They offer several great functions in a subtle form that can pass in public as normal sunglasses, which is the trick most other smart glasses miss by being bulky or unstylish. The Ray-Bans don’t look like a gadget and don’t try to do too much. The fact they are great at what they do is what makes them so compelling.

I can see myself wearing them for another year.