Reasons to Buy

• Meta Oakley HSTN combines Oakley’s sporty design with powerful Meta AI features.
• Excellent hands-free camera for capturing photos and stabilized first-person videos.
• Reliable all-day battery life with a charging case that extends usage by up to two days.
• Clear open-ear audio and excellent call quality thanks to the five-microphone array.
• Priced at Rs. 44,200, it’s a compelling choice for creators, athletes and AI enthusiasts seeking a premium smart wearable.

The Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses completely changed my perception of AI wearables. They proved that smart glasses could be practical rather than just another tech gimmick. Now, Meta has teamed up with Oakley to target a different audience—people who spend more time outdoors, stay active, and want technology to complement their lifestyle instead of getting in the way.

I tested the Meta Oakley HSTN in the Brown Smoke finish with Prizm Deep Water Polarised lenses, priced at Rs. 44,200. Over the past few days, they accompanied me on office commutes, long walks, workouts and everyday errands. While the AI experience remains familiar, the new design makes these glasses feel like an entirely different product.

Design: Made for an Active Lifestyle

The Meta Oakley HSTN is unapologetically sporty.

Unlike the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer, which leans towards everyday fashion, the HSTN is designed to stay secure during movement. The straight temple arms grip your head better than the curved arms on the Wayfarer, making them ideal for cycling, running, hiking or gym sessions.

The O-Matter frame feels premium and durable without becoming uncomfortable. At 53 grams, these aren’t the lightest smart glasses available, but they never felt heavy during extended use.

I also appreciated the IPX4 water resistance. Whether you’re sweating during a workout or caught in light rain, the glasses continue to perform without concern.

The camera and privacy LED blend neatly into the frame, while the capture button and touch gestures become second nature after a day or two.

Setup is Effortless

Meta deserves credit for making the onboarding process incredibly simple.

Download the Meta View app, switch on the glasses, pair them over Bluetooth and follow the on-screen instructions. Within minutes, you’re ready to go.

The companion app automatically syncs photos and videos, installs firmware updates and lets you customise touch gestures. It also integrates with WhatsApp, Messenger, Amazon Music and Shazam, making the glasses much more than just a wearable camera.

Voice controls remain one of the strongest features. I could ask Meta to read WhatsApp messages, send replies, recognise songs, identify landmarks, answer questions or set reminders. In most situations, voice recognition worked flawlessly unless there was excessive background noise.

Camera: Convenience is the Biggest Feature

The Meta Oakley HSTN houses a 12MP ultra-wide camera capable of shooting 3K videos at 30fps.

On paper, those specifications sound good. However, the real story is how effortless the experience feels.

Instead of taking your phone out every few minutes, you simply press a button or say, “Hey Meta, take a photo.”

Since the camera captures exactly what you’re seeing, the content feels natural and immersive. Whether you’re cycling, walking through a market or exploring a new city, the first-person perspective is something smartphones simply cannot replicate.

Image quality is impressive in daylight. Colours look natural, and photos retain plenty of detail. Video stabilisation is equally impressive, producing smooth footage even while walking.

Low-light performance remains the weakest aspect. Images become softer after sunset, and visible noise starts creeping in.

The absence of a live viewfinder also means you need a few days to understand framing. Thankfully, it quickly becomes instinctive.

Audio and Meta AI Continue to Impress

One of my favourite features remains the open-ear speakers.

Music sounds surprisingly rich, podcasts are clear and phone calls are excellent. The five-microphone system effectively isolates your voice, allowing callers to hear you clearly even while outdoors.

Naturally, open-ear speakers aren’t perfect. They leak some sound at higher volumes, and noisy environments like metro stations can affect the listening experience.

Nevertheless, they are incredibly convenient. I often found myself leaving my earbuds behind because the glasses handled music, calls and notifications perfectly well.

The Meta AI experience hasn’t changed much from the Ray-Ban lineup, and that’s a good thing.

Whether identifying buildings, translating text, recognising objects or answering everyday questions, the AI feels genuinely useful instead of being another flashy feature you’ll rarely use.

Battery Life Finally Matches Everyday Use

Battery life is one of the biggest improvements.

Meta claims up to eight hours of usage, and my experience closely matched those figures. Even after using AI commands, taking photos, listening to music and attending calls throughout the day, I rarely worried about running out of power.

The charging case extends battery life by almost two additional days, making it easy to travel without carrying extra accessories.

The built-in 32GB storage is equally generous. It comfortably stores over 1,000 photos or more than 100 videos before syncing everything automatically to your smartphone.

Privacy Shouldn’t Be an Afterthought

As smart glasses become more common, conversations around privacy become even more important.

The Meta Oakley HSTN includes a privacy LED that lights up whenever the camera records. While this is a welcome safeguard, not everyone nearby will immediately notice it. That means users have a responsibility to respect other people’s privacy.

These glasses should never be used to secretly record conversations, capture strangers without consent or invade someone’s personal space. The same applies to workplaces, schools, hospitals and other environments where recording may not be appropriate.

There is also a broader ethical conversation around AI wearables. Devices like these blur the line between convenience and surveillance. Technology itself isn’t the problem. Instead, responsible usage determines whether products like these are viewed as helpful companions or privacy risks.

Owning smart glasses also means understanding when not to use them.

Verdict

The Meta Oakley HSTN isn’t for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine.

At Rs. 44,200, it’s a premium wearable aimed at a specific audience. If you spend your weekends cycling, hiking, travelling or creating content, these glasses make a compelling case for themselves. The secure fit, excellent battery life, capable camera and reliable Meta AI combine to create one of the most polished smart wearables available today.

However, if you already own the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 2), you won’t notice a dramatic leap in camera quality or AI features. The biggest difference lies in the design. The HSTN feels built for movement, while the Wayfarer remains the better choice for everyday casual wear.

Meta has once again shown that smart glasses are moving beyond novelty. They’re becoming practical everyday devices that reduce our dependence on smartphones.

That said, with great technology comes even greater responsibility. The Meta Oakley HSTN can be an incredible companion, provided users respect privacy, seek consent where necessary and use its AI-powered camera ethically. That’s the balance every smart wearable must achieve going forward.