By Rajwa Quasim
Meta is taking its AI ambitions beyond the smart glasses with a small new device that imbibed with its Muse AI assistant that keeps the gadget within reach anytime. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced it at its annual Connect event in Menlo Park, California.
The company unveiled Muse Charm, a keychain sized device consists of a 2-inch OLED display, cameras on the front and back, a USB-C charging port and microphones. Reporters who saw it described its looks and feel as reminiscent of a Japanese digital pet toy, Tamagotchi. The device pairs and syncs through the Muse app on iPhone or Android and has a built-in 5-G connection.
READ: Meta launches Muse AI in US: What the new personal agent can do for users (September 9, 2026)
The Charm is Meta’s first dedicated piece of hardware built around Muse, apart from the Muse being launched on phones and web recently. Meta said the compact device is expected to arrive during the holiday season in December. It has not yet announced the price.
“We’ve packed a lot of technology into this little guy. If you’re not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the best way to talk to your Muse and show it what’s going on around you.” Zuckerberg said in the event.
Initially, the device was planned to launch next year, but Zuckerberg pushed the team to place it on table before the end of the year.
The product came out of a newly formed design lab led by Alan Dye, a former Apple interface design chief and its Superintelligence AI group.
Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said, “We’re trying to thread a needle here, which is like, yeah, we’re excited about it. We think it’s cool. It’s also not the core of the strategy.”
He added,” It’s cool, it’s fun, it’s neat, it’s weird, it’s different. There’s nothing like it.”
The Charm arrived alongside a broader slate of Muse upgrades. The company is also bringing the AI assistant to its growing range of smart glasses. It will help users shop, make appointments, and complete other tasks.
On smart glasses, Muse will be able to use the information available through the device to understand and respond accordingly. Muse will now connect to Walmart, Best Buy, Gap and other chains.
Meta separately introduced camera – free Ray Ban Meta Audio glasses and new $1,299 Meta VR glasses at the same event. But analysts describe Muse Charm as the “more unusual bet.”
Ray Ban Meta Audio Glass is its first smart glass without a camera and is starting at $349. They weigh 43 grams and can provide up to 12 hours of use on a single charge. The glasses are expected to ship from October 13. Camera-free devices give another option for users who may be uncomfortable wearing a device capable of recording people around them. However, the glasses can still record audio-based interactions, and critics disagree with reduced privacy concerns.
READ: Meta’s Muse AI assistant tops 83,000 US iOS downloads after launch (September 11, 2026)
Regarding camera-free glasses, the company said that beyond privacy concerns the market exists for such glasses as well. They further added, “Audio has been our most popular feature since day one because our glasses give you high-quality sound without closing you off from the world around you,”
The newly introduced Meta VR glasses weighs about 100 grams. It is expected to launch in spring next year at $1,299. Meta said they will offer immersive entertainment, gaming and workspace features, with computing hardware and battery placed on a separate device.