Meta’s latest Ray-Ban smart glasses have vaulted from niche curiosity to breakout hardware hit, forcing the company and its manufacturing partner to rethink how fast they can scale. What began as a stylish experiment in blending AI with everyday eyewear is now straining factory lines, delaying international launches and reshaping expectations for what “normal” glasses can do. I see this scramble to expand capacity as a pivotal moment for consumer augmented reality, with Meta racing to lock in an early lead before rivals catch up.
The surge in demand is not just a feel-good sales story. It is exposing how hard it is to build advanced wearables at mass-market volumes, while also signaling that consumers may finally be ready to wear AI on their faces, not just carry it in their pockets. The decisions Meta makes now on production, pricing and partnerships will help determine whether smart glasses stay a premium gadget or become a mainstream computing platform.
Meta and EssilorLuxottica push toward 20 million units
Meta and eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica are now weighing a dramatic expansion of their smart glasses partnership, with internal discussions focused on roughly doubling current capacity. Reporting indicates the two companies are considering lifting annual output of Ray-Ban style devices to 20 million units or more by the end of 2026, a figure that would move the category from early adopter scale into something closer to a mainstream electronics business. I read that target as a clear signal that Meta no longer sees these glasses as a side project, but as a core hardware pillar alongside its headsets.
The push to expand is rooted in a simple problem: demand is outrunning supply. Meta has already been described as seeking to double Ray-Ban glasses output after a surge in orders, with internal goals framed around hitting mass-market scale rather than boutique volumes. One report notes that Meta is working with EssilorLuxottica to boost production capacity by roughly 34 percent in the near term as part of that broader ramp. A separate account, citing people familiar with the talks, describes how Meta mulls doubling output of Ray-Ban glasses by year end, while also noting that Reuters could not independently verify those internal targets and that Meta did not immediately comment. Even with that caveat, the direction of travel is unmistakable: more factories, more lines and a much bigger bet on smart eyewear.
Unprecedented demand forces Meta to hit pause abroad
The clearest sign that Meta misjudged demand is not in boardroom projections but in the abrupt braking of its global rollout. Earlier this month, the company told prospective buyers that, Because of this unprecedented demand and limited inventory, it would pause a planned expansion to the United Kingdom and other markets. That is an unusual move for a company that typically uses global launches to build hype, and it underscores how thin the supply cushion has become in the United States.
The pause is not limited to one model or region. In a separate notice, Meta confirmed that it was holding back a broader international rollout of its latest Ray-Ban Display line, explicitly acknowledging that U.S. demand had outstripped available stock. The company framed the decision as a temporary step to stabilize inventories, but the language was blunt: Meta Pauses Global $799 Ray-Ban Display Glasses As U.S. Demand Outstrips Supply. When a company is willing to delay international growth for a flagship device priced at $799, it is effectively admitting that its manufacturing assumptions were too conservative for how quickly early adopters would embrace AI on their faces.
Pricing, positioning and the expanding Meta eyewear lineup
Part of what is driving this surge is that Meta has quietly built a tiered portfolio of smart glasses that hits different price points and aesthetics. At the high end, the Ray-Ban Display line sits at that $799 mark, positioning it as a premium device for early adopters who want full display capabilities in a familiar Ray-Ban frame. Alongside it, Meta has worked with EssilorLuxottica on more traditional-looking Ray-Ban Meta models that emphasize camera, audio and AI assistance while keeping the form factor close to everyday sunglasses.
Meta is also broadening beyond Ray-Ban into sportier territory. Pre-orders for Oakley Meta Vanguard are available today at $499 on oakley.com and meta.com, giving the company a lower-priced entry point that leans into Oakley’s athletic brand. At the same time, Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 is available globally, with additional markets to follow in early 2026, which helps explain why Meta and EssilorLuxottica are under pressure to scale up. By seeding multiple brands and generations at once, Meta is trying to normalize the idea that smart glasses are just another eyewear option, not a single experimental gadget.
Retail channels, AI features and the path to mainstream
Distribution is another piece of the puzzle. Meta is not only selling through its own storefronts but also leaning on established eyewear and online retail channels to get these devices in front of shoppers. Listings for the Ray-Ban Meta line now appear alongside conventional frames in major shopping feeds, with each product card highlighting specs and pricing in the same way as a standard pair of sunglasses. A separate catalog entry for another Ray-Ban Meta configuration shows up in similar product listings, reinforcing that these are meant to be shopped like any other accessory. Behind the scenes, Meta is benefiting from advances in Google’s Shopping Graph, which ingests Product information from brands, stores and content providers to surface these glasses across search and commerce experiences.
On the software side, Meta is betting that AI assistance will be the killer feature that keeps people wearing these devices daily. The company has been promoting Meta AI Glasses as a way to get hands-free visual help, with one accessibility-focused service explaining that if you would like to buy Meta AI Glasses, you can do so by visiting your Meta ( Ray-Ban Meta ) store. That kind of integration, where a user can look at an object and get real-time guidance through services like Be My Eyes, hints at why demand is spiking: the glasses are not just cameras and speakers, they are a wearable interface to AI that can interpret the world.
Strategic stakes for Meta and the wearables market
For Meta, the rush to double capacity is about more than meeting holiday demand. It is a strategic attempt to secure a dominant position in a category that could eventually rival smartphones in importance. Internal discussions described in one report suggest that Meta and EssilorLuxottica are considering a significant expansion of their smart glasses production capacity, with Meta and EssilorLuxottica weighing how quickly they can add new lines without compromising quality. Another account notes that Jan discussions have focused on how to align Ray-Ban Display output with the broader roadmap for Meta’s AR and VR hardware, including future devices that could blend the two categories.
There are still open questions. One report points out that Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the exact scale of its expansion plans, and that EssilorLuxottica declined to elaborate on its own targets. Unverified based on available sources are any precise factory locations or staffing numbers tied to the ramp. What is clear, though, is that Meta’s smart glasses are no longer a speculative bet. With Ray, Ban Meta Gen devices selling fast enough to delay launches, Oakley Meta Vanguard opening a new price tier at $499, and Ray, Ban Display Glasses As Demand Outstrips Supply in the U.S., Meta is now in a race against its own success to build enough hardware to match the appetite it has created.
More from Morning Overview