Meta Platforms Inc. greatly expanded its hardware and artificial intelligence (AI) product portfolio on Wednesday with a standalone AI keychain wearable, ultra-lightweight virtual reality glasses, and a major cross-platform push for its new personal AI agent, Muse.
The announcements, which were made during the company’s annual Meta Connect conference in Menlo Park, Calif., illustrate Meta’s ambition to move beyond the smartphone and build the next dominant consumer computing platform.
Headlining the event was a surprise preview of Muse Charm, a handheld device roughly the size of an Apple AirPods case or a chunky smartwatch without the strap.
Designed to function as a dedicated physical interface for Meta’s Muse AI agent, the device features a roughly two-inch touchscreen, a 5G connection, a camera, a top-right fingerprint sensor for quick activation, and three front-facing microphones.
“We pack the whole Muse experience, including the whole real-time voice and avatar stack, into something that fits on a keychain and is always available to talk to,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the keynote.
Zuckerberg noted that Charm allows users to interact with AI without unlocking a phone or launching an app. While Meta has only built a few prototypes featuring a translucent “elevated hacker aesthetic,” the company aims to ship the device in time for the December holiday season. Pricing details have not yet been disclosed.
Meta also revealed Meta VR Glasses, a 100-gram immersive headset scheduled to launch in spring 2027 for $1,299. Moving the battery and processor into a separate tethered puck allowed Meta to reduce the headset’s weight to roughly that of a deck of playing cards, significantly lighter than bulkier competitors like Apple’s Vision Pro.
The dark, wraparound device responds to eye, voice, and hand gestures. Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth confirmed the IMAX Enhanced-certified device supports spatial audio, Dolby Vision, and major streaming apps including Disney+, HBO Max, and Prime Video, along with the existing Quest gaming library.
Expanding its popular smart glasses lineup with partner EssilorLuxottica, Meta introduced Ray-Ban Meta Audio, a camera-free pair of glasses priced at $349, launching Oct. 13. By eliminating the camera, Meta achieved its thinnest design yet — weighing as much as a golf ball — while extending battery life to 12 hours.
The audio-only design also serves as a response to growing privacy concerns surrounding smart glasses capable of secretly recording video. However, analysts remain skeptical about whether removing the camera goes far enough.
“There is still the ability to misuse audio or record without consent,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research director at IDC. “Meta needs to figure out a way to warn users they are being recorded, even though it might be audio only.”
Additionally, Meta announced FDA-cleared, over-the-counter hearing enhancement features for its glass’s lineup, alongside private processing architectures to secure user data.
Underpinning the new hardware is Muse, Meta’s upgraded personal AI agent. Built on custom models, Muse is designed to carry out complex, multi-step tasks across applications, remember user preferences, and run in background threads.
Meta revealed integrations with major enterprise and retail partners including Walmart Inc., Best Buy Co. Inc., The Gap Inc., Sephora SA, Spotify, Instacart Inc., and PayPal Holdings Inc. This allows users to shop, book appointments, and stream media using voice commands. Meta plans to distribute Muse for free initially, aiming to monetize the agent over time by taking a fee on transactions executed through its platform.
