Meta Connect 2025, the tech giant’s premier annual event where it typically reveals innovations in smart eyewear and VR devices, is set to begin Wednesday evening. This year, the spotlight is expected to be on Meta’s newest AI-integrated smart glasses created in partnership with Ray-Ban and Oakley. However, Meta might also have additional announcements related to the Metaverse, Quest VR products, or its expanding ambitions in artificial intelligence.
According to Meta, sales of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have reached the million mark. Earlier in the year, Meta also introduced its latest AI-enabled smart eyewear with Oakley, which was tailored for sports enthusiasts. With Silicon Valley increasingly focused on AI-powered wearables, Meta stands out as one of the front-runners in this space.
Notably, this year marks Meta’s inaugural Connect event since establishing Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), a bold initiative led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to push forward advanced AI technologies. We might hear official news about MSL’s progress and possibly hear from some of its leadership.
With Meta eager to reassert itself in the fast-evolving AI landscape, this edition of Connect carries extra significance.
How to watch
Meta Connect 2025 commences at 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, featuring a keynote address from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The gathering will be hosted at Meta’s Menlo Park campus, but you can also sign up for free to stream the event live on Meta’s official website. The keynote is expected to last around an hour, according to the published agenda.
To experience the Menlo Park vibe from your home, you can join the keynote via Horizon using your Meta Quest headset. Alternatively, the Meta Connect 2025 keynote will also be available on Facebook through the official Meta for Developers page.
On Thursday, starting at 10 a.m. PT, Meta will present a Developer Keynote focused on the new possibilities for developers using its hardware. At 10:45 a.m. PT, Chief Scientist of Reality Labs Michael Abrash and Richard Newcombe, VP of Reality Labs Research, will take part in a conversation about “the future of glasses with contextual AI, and how Meta is positioned to shape the next era of computing.”
What to expect
Numerous leaks have already surfaced regarding what Meta plans to reveal at Connect 2025. The most notable is about a new line of smart glasses named Hypernova.
A video, which has since been taken down from Meta’s YouTube, was spotted by UploadVR. It featured Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses equipped with a heads-up display on the right lens, as well as cameras, microphones, and a built-in AI assistant.
Control for the glasses in the video was managed via a wristband, first introduced at last year’s Connect, which operates through subtle hand movements.
The video hints that Meta may not only introduce Hypernova glasses at the conference but potentially launch them as well. CNBC has previously noted that both the Hypernova glasses and the wristband were expected to debut at Connect 2025.
It also seems likely that Meta will introduce a fresh set of smart glasses developed with Oakley during the event. The upcoming model is expected to feature Oakley’s Spheara design, which comes with a large, single lens at the front—ideal for athletes like runners or cyclists. Unlike older Meta glasses, this design sports a single central camera above the bridge, instead of two cameras at the frame’s corners.
Regarding VR, it’s uncertain if Meta will showcase any new Quest headsets during this year’s Connect. Despite the event’s and company’s association with the Metaverse, this topic appears to be less prominent. Reports indicate that Meta is working on a lightweight VR headset planned for release by late 2026, but it might save that announcement for a future Connect.
Nonetheless, Meta has said that Zuckerberg will address the Metaverse in some capacity. We fully expect that to happen.
Turning to Meta’s AI endeavors, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Zuckerberg used the Connect 2025 platform to showcase the advancements being made by MSL. Earlier this year, Meta held its inaugural LlamaCon, an AI-focused developer event, prior to investing billions in Scale AI and bringing on board leading researchers from across the industry.
At the moment, Meta’s standalone AI app finds itself in an unusual position, serving both as a controller for smart glasses and as an AI chatbot. There’s a good chance the app will receive updates to improve user experience as well.
