Meta’s new Ray-Ban Display glasses are easily one of the coolest gadgets the company has ever made. They look like classic Ray-Bans but hide a tiny display powered by Meta’s AI, letting you check messages, see maps, or translate speech without ever pulling out your phone. Early reactions have been surprisingly positive, and the glasses could finally make smart eyewear feel, well, cool. But their first big moment at Meta Connect didn’t exactly go smoothly — and it made for some unintentionally memorable moments.
Zuckerberg’s awkward call
One of the headline demos had Mark Zuckerberg trying to place a call using just the glasses. It was supposed to be a seamless, futuristic flex. Instead, nothing happened. The call failed to connect, leaving Zuckerberg awkwardly vamping as the audience waited. The silence dragged just long enough to make everyone squirm — and yes, it’s already circulating online as one of those keynote clips destined to go viral.
Meta's Live AI demo flops
Meta doubled down with a live AI cooking demo to show how the glasses could guide you through recipes in real time. The result was even messier: the glasses froze mid-instruction while “making a sauce” and never recovered. The cameras kept rolling as the presenter tried to salvage the moment, but the software simply refused to cooperate.
Meta's take on the future
Live demo disasters are nothing new — even Apple and Google have had them — but they do cast a shadow over a product launch. At $799.99, Meta is asking buyers to trust that these glitches were just bad stage luck and not what they’ll experience at home. If the early reviews are anything to go by, the Ray-Ban Displays might still be one of 2025’s most exciting gadgets, packing live captions, translations, and wrist-based controls into a package that actually looks stylish.
