Oakley Meta Vanguard: How to Set Up, Plus First Impressions

Quick summary: Setting up the Oakley Meta Vanguard is quick in the Meta AI app, but the pairing button is in a different place than on Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Here’s how to do it, plus what I noticed right away.

How to set them up

1. Charge the glasses and make sure they’re turned on.
2. In the Meta AI app, tap the plus sign and choose Oakley Meta Vanguard.
3. The app asks about the case. Follow the prompts (I chose no case for this step).
4. Close both arms, then press and hold the capture button for five seconds, and release when the LED blinks blue. On the Vanguard, the capture button is on the bottom of the frame, toward the front.
5. Tap Done. When the app finds the glasses, tap them and tap Pair.
6. Install the update it offers right away.

First impressions

• Fit: if you have a big head, these are tight. They almost pinch me, like the other Oakleys did. The Ray-Bans, especially the large size, are much more comfortable for me.
• Speakers: a lot louder than any Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1 or Gen 2) or earlier Oakley Meta I’ve tried.
• Side coverage: outdoors, the wraparound lens gives the side of my eye a little more protection.
• Buttons: they’re on the bottom, and the capture button isn’t in the corner where Ray-Ban and other Oakley users expect it. Volume swipes happen right where the touchpad is, too. It’s mostly muscle memory.
• Style: not my style. They look like baseball or biking glasses, great for outdoors and sports, but they’d look weird indoors even with clear lenses.
• Camera: I like the wide-angle view, though things look a bit far away. The lens has a slightly pinkish tint.

They come in multiple colors.

Get them

• Oakley Meta Vanguard on Amazon
• Oakley Meta Vanguard from Meta