Oakley Meta Vanguard Sport Glasses Review

The line between athletic gear and smart technology is dissolving faster than ever. Oakley and Meta are accelerating this fusion with the Vanguard Sport Glasses, aiming to put a coach, camera, and communicator right on your face. This ambitious wearable seeks to redefine how athletes train, perform, and share their moments.

Oakley has long been the gold standard for performance eyewear, and the Vanguard’s design DNA is unmistakably theirs. The frame uses the company’s signature O Matter™ material, making it both durable and incredibly lightweight. Combined with Unobtainium® grips on the nose pads and ear stems, the glasses stay locked in place during the most demanding workouts, from trail runs to intense cycling descents. The real star, however, is the Prizm™ lens technology. Our test unit featured the Prizm Road lens, which dramatically enhances contrast and color, making potholes and road textures pop with stunning clarity. Aesthetically, the integration of tech is subtle but present. The camera sits almost flush on the right temple, while the arms are slightly thicker than on a standard pair of Sutros to accommodate the battery and processing hardware. They feel balanced, but the extra heft is noticeable if you’re coming from a featherlight, non-smart frame.

The Vanguard’s performance hinges on its smart features, powered by Meta. The 12MP ultra-wide camera captures crisp photos and smooth 1080p video, perfect for first-person POV shots of your adventures. The ability to livestream directly to Instagram or Facebook with a simple voice command is a game-changer for athletic content creators. Instead of fumbling with a phone or mounting a GoPro, you just say, “Hey Meta, start a livestream.” The onboard microphones are surprisingly effective at isolating your voice from wind noise up to about 15 mph, making calls and voice commands reliable on the move. Meta AI is responsive, allowing you to control music, send messages, and start recordings without breaking your stride.

However, the experience is not without its compromises. The open-ear audio system, which directs sound toward your ears from the glasses’ arms, is fantastic for maintaining situational awareness—a crucial safety feature for cyclists and runners. But for audiophiles, the sound quality is thin and lacks any meaningful bass; it’s functional for podcasts or quick calls but won’t replace your dedicated earbuds for immersive music. The most significant limitation is battery life. With continuous music playback and intermittent video recording, we managed just under four hours. For an ultramarathoner or an all-day cyclist, this simply won’t cut it, forcing you to be selective about when you use the smart features.

Ultimately, the Oakley Meta Vanguard Sport Glasses are a brilliantly executed niche product. They aren’t trying to be the best smart glasses or the best sport sunglasses; they’re aiming to be the best integrated combination of both. For the tech-forward athlete who documents their training, loves staying connected on the go, and values the convenience of a single, unified device, the Vanguard is a compelling piece of kit. It’s for the cyclist who wants to capture a stunning descent without stopping, the runner who wants to take a call without breaking pace, and the creator who shares their fitness journey with the world. For the purist focused solely on shaving grams and maximizing performance, the added weight and cost may not justify the features.

Where to Buy:

Check it out on Amazon