I came into my demo of the Meta Oakley Vanguard expecting another sporty smart glasses twist. I emerged ready to hang up my Ray-Bans. The Vanguards are not just a new look, however; they’re the opposite stance of smart eyewear — performance first, purpose-driven and astonishingly polished.
Announced alongside Meta’s new range of Ray-Bans, the Vanguard reframes where these devices sit. Rather than a lifestyle accessory with a camera, this is a training tool that looks like high-end sportswear. And for anyone running, riding or skiing: It’s a revelation.
A design that finally works for real workouts
Oakley’s DNA is obvious. It takes design cues from the brand’s Sphaera visor, and it has a wraparound shape that’s aerodynamic and stable at speed. Discreet optics and controls aside, it wouldn’t look out of place as a high-end pair of performance shades. The frames are thin but sturdy; the hinges have a glove-friendly stop to keep them in place no matter how frigid your fingers become, and with an IP67 rating it’s not going to mind sweat, rain, or dust.
The lens offerings are classic Oakley, with Prizm tints that enhance contrast on the road, trail or snow. That’s not a makeup note; added contrast makes you less tired and allows you to read terrain faster, which is the very thing you want when those glasses also serve as your camera, coach.
A camera and controls made for fast movement
Meta took the 12MP camera and moved it to the bridge, above the nose pads, and what an interesting change this is. This results in a view that is centrally captured from your POV, rather than off to the side like with glasses-mounted cameras. Video peaks at 3K resolution at 30fps, and there’s a remappable action button to call up a Meta AI prompt or jump straight into modes such as slow-mo (in either 720p or 1080p). When you’re clipped into pedals or holding on to ski poles, that tactile shortcut is helpful.
The battery life is acceptable during my mixed-use session; Meta rates the system at six-plus hours. That’s decent for most training blocks or a long commute with photography thrown in. The controls live on the bottom so they don’t get in the way whether you’re wearing a helmet or cap — a little detail that counts when things are nested.
The sound of music blasting at 30 mph in wind
Open-ear audio is typically where smart glasses don’t impress, especially in the wind. Meta says the Vanguard’s speakers are louder than not only its Ray-Ban models, but the prior Oakley HSTN and are audible at around 30 mph. On a trainer and while running down hallways, I was able to bump volume and keep cues sharp without feeling overwhelmed by wind noise. That’s situational awareness intact — a key safety feature that bone-conduction sets, such as the ones from Shokz, have made a name for offering — but with fuller mids and cleaner voice prompts.
Leakage was minimal at moderate volume in my tests, and the beamforming mics ensured my voice came through loud and clear for spur-of-the-moment commands. I’ll need more time to verify the 30 mph claim (outdoor speed work has been hard to come by), but the acoustic tuning feels like a step ahead of lifestyle-first frames already.
The fitness edge: live stats with Garmin
This is the killer feature. Pair a compatible Garmin watch, and Meta AI can deliver live metrics into your ear — pace, speed, distance or even heart rate summaries. I wondered, on a stationary ride, “How fast am I pedaling?” and “How far have I biked?” The responses were nearly instantaneous and at a volume that overcame both the sound of breathing and of the fan. That’s a coaching loop you won’t find on most smart glasses.
Meta adds that Apple Health and Google Fit integrations are available for post-workout summaries, but not real-time feedback. If you’re already tracking workouts with Garmin — still a favorite (not least among serious runners and cyclists) — that immediacy is a differentiator. Analysts like IDC and CCS Insight have long theorized that smart eyewear requires a clear job-to-be-done, and real-time training data certainly checks the box.
Price, value and where it trumps Ray-Bans
The Vanguard begins at $499 — roughly $100 more than the Oakley HSTN and the Meta second-gen Ray-Bans. In terms of specs on paper, that premium buys you focused optics, a more substantial build, better audio and a fitness stack that transforms AI into a hands-free coach. In practice, it shifts when and how you wear smart glasses. I’d probably still wear the Ray-Bans to a dinner or an office meeting. For training, travel and anything involving a helmet or hill I’d choose the Vanguard in an instant.
Smart eyewear has been looking for a product-market fit. The Vanguard gets at it: Make the glasses indispensable to a given job, and everything else comes for the ride. If Meta keeps building real-time integrations with devices beyond Garmin and continues to refine the acoustics, this pair won’t just live in my gear drawer — it’ll live on my face.