Oakley Meta Vanguard Review: Sporty Smart Glasses for the Dedicated Athlete My routine for setting up a new pair of Meta smart glasses is well-practiced. I connect my accounts, configure the Bluetooth for call and message announcements, and set the video quality to high. I always change the Meta AI voice to the English UK option, because who wouldn’t want Judi Dench talking to them through their sunglasses? But with the new 499 dollar Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses, there was a new step: deciding what the customizable action button should do. This small addition is a sign of how different these shades are from the rest of Meta’s lineup. While the second-generation Ray-Ban and Oakley HSTN glasses refined a familiar formula, the Vanguard glasses are a refreshing departure. They are not meant to be your everyday sunglasses, unless your daily life is intensely athletic. In many ways, they are more capable than Meta’s other smart glasses, featuring louder speakers, a camera with new abilities, and direct integration with Strava and Garmin. They won’t replace my standard sunglasses, but they have more than enough utility to become a part of my fitness routine. The design immediately signals their purpose. The Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses are the quintessential athletic shades, with wraparound frames and vibrant, reflective lenses. The pair I tested had black frames and orange Prizm 24K lenses, which are not polarized but are favored by athletes for enhancing contrast. They performed well in bright sun and lower light, and the lenses are swappable for different conditions, though extra lenses cost 85 dollars each. Prescription lenses are not supported. The sporty frame enables a different hardware setup. The camera is now centered above the nose bridge, and the accompanying LED light is more subtle. The capture button for photos and videos is on the underside of the frame, making it easier to press while wearing a helmet. Next to it is the new action button, which can be customized via the Meta View app to trigger specific functions. I experimented with using it as a speed-dial button, a hyperlapse video trigger, and a shortcut for a Spotify playlist. It is a welcome alternative to the sometimes awkward public command of Hey Meta. The athlete-focused features are the main event. The glasses integrate with Garmin and Strava. If you have a supported Garmin watch, you can set the glasses to automatically capture video clips when you hit specific metrics, like a target heart rate zone. You can also ask Meta AI for real-time stats from your Garmin watch. The Strava integration lets you overlay your activity stats, like distance and elevation, directly onto the photos and videos you capture, creating a dynamic record of your workout. I would love to see support for more apps, like my preferred ski-tracking app, in the future. Other improvements cater to active use. The speakers are significantly louder to cut through wind and traffic noise. The new centered camera placement helps reduce interference from hats and helmets, though my bike helmet still crept into the top of some shots. The 12MP ultra-wide camera offers new video stabilization settings, making it feel more like a dedicated action camera. The glasses can also now record hyperlapse and slow-motion video, with slow-mo being particularly fun for capturing POV clips of pets or kids. Battery life sees a major boost, likely due to the larger frames accommodating a bigger battery. Meta claims up to nine hours of typical use or six hours of continuous audio. I managed just over six hours of audio playback on a single charge, which should suffice for long runs or races. The glasses also have an IP67 water resistance rating, meaning you do not have to worry about sweat or snow. So, should you buy the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses? They are a niche product within a niche category. At 499 dollars, they are a significant investment for a pair of sunglasses you will probably only wear for sports. But if you are a dedicated cyclist, runner, or outdoor enthusiast, they offer compelling features. The camera is better suited for action footage, the integrations with popular fitness platforms are seamless, and the battery life is robust. For the right athlete, these glasses are a powerful and stylish training tool.
