Let’s do a Rabbit R1 vs. Meta AI (by way of Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses) face-off. I imply, why not proper? Each declare to supply the perfect on-the-go AI assistant, so let’s put them to the take a look at.
The Rabbit R1 hit the scene with numerous hype, significantly when it obtained showcased at CES 2024. Personally, I did not perceive the hullabaloo over this electric-orange gadget — and I nonetheless do not. However it’s possible you’ll be stunned how its Perplexity-based AI stacks up towards rivals.
After which we now have the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses, which options Meta AI. The query is, which is healthier? To do that face-off justice, not solely will I evaluate their AI capabilities, however I will dive right into a comparative evaluation on all points, together with value, design, and extra.
Rabbit R1 evaluate: I can not imagine this bunny took my cash
Rabbit R1 vs. Meta AI (Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses): value and specs
The Rabbit R1 prices $199, however for those who place an order now, it will not begin delivery till June.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
It solely is available in one configuration, that includes a loud, brash coloration known as “Leuchtorange,” with the next specs:
The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses I bought sports activities the Wayfarer fashion and options matte-black frames and blue-violet gentle filter lenses.
The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses has a beginning value of $299 at Ray-Ban’s official web site, however remember that the lenses price me a further $17, bringing the subtotal to $316.
There’s additionally a configuration with “Amber” lenses out there.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
It comes with the next specs:
After all, one in every of these is the equal of a dumb Android telephone working an app and the opposite are a pair of spectacles. Permit me to point out you the way they stack up when it comes to design.
Winner: Rabbit R1
Rabbit R1 vs. Meta AI (Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses): design
The Rabbit R1 is without doubt one of the most conspicuous, eye-catching technological masterpieces that has hit the market this 12 months, because of Teenage Engineering (a tech design firm recognized for creating eye-catching devices).
The Rabbit R1 getting used outdoors. The display screen’s fairly dim, no?
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
It is not a coloration I might have picked for myself if there have been different choices (I desire extra muted hues), however the electrical tangerine-esque coloration that emanates from the Rabbit R1’s chassis is pure visible sweet.
With an undeniably cute bobbing bunny on the display screen, it invigorated a way of nostalgia, taking me again to my obsession with digital-pet pocket toys within the 90s, like my Tamagotchi or Digimon devices. Plus, it has a fidget toy vibe, too, with a scroll wheel that allows you to navigate the UI, a shake-to-open-the-Settings-menu function, and a performance that brings up the digital keyboard once you flip it to the facet.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The Rabbit R1’s touchscreen capabilities unlocks once you allow keyboard, however for different interactions, you are restricted to utilizing the scroll wheel. Remember that the scroll wheel lacks sensitivity. In different phrases, it takes a number of “rolls” to get from one choice to a different.
The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses, alternatively, are, effectively, glasses. They’re designed to be worn in your face. (One factor Rabbit R1 lacks is having one thing that allows you to connect it to your garments or bag, so you are not carrying yet one more gadget in your palms, however there are third-party instances that make this attainable.)
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Regardless of being full of numerous tech, from a digital camera to twin audio system, the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses are gentle and comfy to put on. You may most likely overlook it is even in your face.
Winner: Rabbit R1
Rabbit R1 vs. Meta AI (Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses): images and video
A well-liked query I typically get is, “Can the Rabbit R1 take images and movies?” The reply is technically no. It does have an 8MP digital camera, however it’s not designed to take images. As a substitute, the built-in shooter is for the Rabbit R1’s “Imaginative and prescient” function (a perk the place the AI can provide you descriptions of issues by “seeing” them).
The Rabbit R1’s “Imaginative and prescient function” in motion.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
You may see the photograph captures you took throughout your Rabbit R1 Imaginative and prescient classes by visiting the Rabbit Gap, a companion web site, however once more, they don’t seem to be meant for consumption. They’re simply there that can assist you look again into your AI dialog historical past.
As for movies, overlook it. The Rabbit R1 does not take these in any respect.
The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses, alternatively, is a photo-and-video seize beast. By tapping on the seize button on the appropriate body, you may take hands-free 12MP images. (The draw back, although, is that there isn’t any viewfinder, so it is troublesome to inform whether or not your topic is in body.)
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
It may document 1080p movies for as much as 60 seconds at a time after you long-press the seize button. (You may also use your voice to seize images and movies by invoking Meta AI).
You may livestream, too, however solely with Meta property like Instagram and Fb. You will discover all your content material within the Meta View app once you’re completed.
No, the images and photographs will not be anyplace nearly as good as what you may seize with the iPhone 15 Professional Max or Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely, however the benefit is you can shoot issues with out even needing to make use of your palms.
Winner: Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses
Mashable Gentle Pace
Rabbit R1 vs. Meta AI (Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses): textual content and calling
Rabbit R1 can not hook up with your telephone. As of this writing, the Rabbit R1 just isn’t able to texting and calling in your behalf. I did converse to a Rabbit rep about whether or not this function is coming within the close to future. They instructed me that this plan is within the works, however they do not have a timeline.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses, alternatively, can, certainly, make calls and ship texts for you. I can say, for instance, “Hey Meta, name Jason on WhatsApp.” In response, Meta AI will say, “On WhatsApp, name Jason, proper?” And in response to “Yup,” WhatsApp calls my vital different.
I can ask it to ship texts for me, too. For instance, with the immediate, “Inform my mother I mentioned ‘Hello.'” In response, Meta AI will say, “Message to Mother on WhatsApp that claims ‘Hello,’ proper?” I say “Sure,” and shortly sufficient, it fires off a message to my mom.
Rabbit R1 vs. Meta (Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses): AI options
Each the Rabbit R1 and the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses can “establish” objects and make conjectures about them. Nevertheless, the previous does a greater job at this by way of the Imaginative and prescient function.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Object identification
Behind a window, I pointed the Rabbit R1 on the Empire State Constructing within the distance whereas standing inside Mashable’s workplace constructing.
To check its data, I requested, “Are you able to inform me what you see?” It provided an elaborate response:
I can see the long-lasting Empire State Constructing within the background of the picture. The skyline of the town is dominated by tall skyscrapers, with the Empire State Constructing standing out prominently towards the clear blue sky.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Utilizing the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses to establish objects was trickier. After all, spectacles haven’t got a viewfinder, so it is troublesome to see whether or not your goal object is in body. Nonetheless, after I requested it, “Are you able to inform me what you see?”, it precisely identified a “cityscape.” To check it even additional, I mentioned, “Do you see that light-brown skyscraper within the background? It is the tallest of all of them. Inform me which constructing that is.”
To my shock, Meta AI mentioned, “That is the Empire State Constructing.” However not like the Rabbit R1, provided no superfluous particulars.
The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses can establish the Empire State Constructing.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
It is value noting that Rabbit R1 snaps a photograph earlier than saving it to The Rabbit Gap, permitting you to look again at your dialog historical past (however just for the Imaginative and prescient function.) Meta AI snaps a photograph, too, however I have never seen any images nor conversations saved within the Meta View app.
Menu translation
As a frequent traveler, having a tool that may, for instance, translate a Spanish menu into English is a godsend. I examined each AI devices to see which might do a greater job at this, and once more, the Rabbit R1’s viewfinder gave it an edge.
Watch beneath as I pulled up a web-based Spanish menu:
The draw back of the Rabbit R1 is that I wanted to make use of a selected immediate for it to “perceive” my request. The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses, alternatively, understood my preliminary immediate, however some phrases had been reduce off from its “view,” as a result of, effectively, once more, it is troublesome to “see” what the spectacles are taking a look at.
On the finish, although, each managed to offer me an correct Spanish-to-English translation primarily based on the menu in entrance of them.
Recipe ideas
I positioned potatoes, a plantain, tumeric powder, and salt on a desk. Subsequent, I requested Rabbit R1 to recommend recipes for me primarily based on what it “sees.”
Rabbit R1 figuring out meals on the desk.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
As you may see from its response (despatched to the Rabbit Gap), it accurately recognized the meals objects and delved into recipe ideas that made sense primarily based on the snapshot.
Rabbit R1’s recipe ideas primarily based on potatoes, a plantain, tumeric powder, sand salt.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The Rabbit R1 was all the time fairly good at this. Watch me testing it just a few weeks in the past with comparable substances:
The Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses, nonetheless, was disappointing. With those self same substances, it thought it was taking a look at eggs — not potatoes. Plus, it oddly noticed some pasta and cheese, which weren’t within the image.
In response to asking for recipe ideas, Meta AI mentioned the next:
“I see eggs, cheese and pasta. Suggesting a easy, but satisfying spaghetti carbonara recipe.”
I can not imagine I am saying this, however the Rabbit R1 is the winner right here.
Asking questions
Remember that the easiest way to check AI units is to ask each devices the identical sizable swath of queries to find out which is most correct. Nevertheless, for the sake of time, I requested one:
I requested, “When is the following photo voltaic eclipse in New York Metropolis?”
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Each solutions had been considerably inaccurate.
“The following photo voltaic eclipse seen in New York Metropolis will happen on April 8, 2024 round 3:25 p.m. with the moon protecting as much as 90% of the solar,” Rabbit R1 mentioned. “The partial eclipse will start round 2:04 p.m. And skies will begin to darken round 2:51 p.m., with lightening beginning once more by 3:58 p.m.”
If I had been to hop right into a time machine and ask this query earlier than April 8, this response would have been right, however it appears to be like just like the Rabbit R1’s data base is barely outdated as a result of it is not tapping into au courant data.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Meta AI, alternatively, mentioned the next: “The following photo voltaic eclipse seen in New York Metropolis will probably be a partial photo voltaic eclipse, and it’ll run 0 hours and 0 minutes, starting at 0 a.m. and ending at 0 p.m.”
Both Meta AI is taunting me, telling me that “by no means” is the reply —or there’s merely a glitch in Meta AI’s system.
Winner: Rabbit R1
Rabbit R1 vs. Meta AI (Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses): battery life
After I examined the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses, it dropped to 16 % after I got here house from work at 7:30 p.m. Kicking my time without work at about 10 a.m., I performed music throughout my subway commute, requested Meta AI to launch two 15-minute calls, took a number of images and movies, and extra.
As such, you need to nonetheless have some battery left on the finish of the day, however not sufficient to final into the subsequent day.
The Rabbit R1, alternatively, had its battery life enhance considerably after a serious replace. With light-to-medium utilization, you could possibly get two days out of the gadget. Nevertheless, for those who plan on enjoying numerous music and utilizing the Imaginative and prescient function, you may solely get in the future.
Surprisingly, Rabbit R1 has an edge in the case of battery life.
Winner: Rabbit R1
The winner:
Relating to the fundamentals that each AI assistant ought to have, like texting and calling in your behalf, Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses has an edge over Rabbit R1. It may additionally take images and document movies, whether or not you are utilizing the seize button or your voice.
Lastly, the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses has a extra handy design — it is like carrying ChatGPT in your face.
Nevertheless, in the case of AI, the Rabbit R1 surprisingly shined. Honestly, I wasn’t anticipating that. Its object identification undoubtedly has the sting over Meta AI. Nonetheless, each units aren’t as much as snuff but. Neither one may reply the photo voltaic eclipse query.
To sum it up, neither Meta AI nor Rabbit R1 are prepared for primetime, but when I had to decide on a winner (for AI help solely), Rabbit R1 is victorious by a hair.