Meta’s $1,000 Hypernova Glasses Will Have Dedicated Camera App

Meta is reportedly working on a more exclusive version of the company’s popular Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses that could be released this year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Codenamed Hypernova, the glasses will be priced over $1,000 — perhaps as high as $1,400 — but will come with hand-gesture controls and a screen in the lens that will display photos and apps, anonymous Meta employees tell Bloomberg.

The glasses will have a dedicated app for taking pictures from the camera, which itself might get an upgrade. The company believes the current 12-megapixel camera on the $299 pair of Meta Ray-Bans is equivalent to the iPhone 11’s camera from 2019. Gurman’s report does not provide camera specifications, but the company wants a new camera that compares to the iPhone 13 from 2021.

There will also be apps for looking at the photos and for viewing maps. Meta’s messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger will also be supported.

Meta’s Move Into Augmented Reality

The Ray-Ban Meta partnership has been a surprising success. Mark Zuckerberg’s company is hoping the popularity of the smart glasses will spur users to buy a more deluxe version.

Bloomberg notes that the 370 percent price hike to Hypernova is largely because of the screen that is slated to be on the lower-right side of the right lens. Rather like Iron Man, the eyepiece wearer will get the information displayed in front of their eye which will reportedly look clearer if the user tilts their head down.

Furthermore, Meta is already working on the next-generation model, codenamed Hypernova 2. A “binocular display system” means it will have screens in both lenses that display information to both eyes. This is due to be released in 2027, Bloomberg reports.

The information will be displayed in a similar way to the Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest mixed-reality headset, users will get a “boot screen” and see circular icons.

The Meta employees tell Gurman that a “neural wristband” will start shipping with the smart glasses. This device will allow the users to make hand gestures that control the glasses — a notoriously tricky piece of technology to pull off.