Something to look forward to: Weeks after updating its Ray-Ban smart glasses with real-time translation and other AI-powered features, Meta has unveiled a new pair in collaboration with Oakley, offering enhanced camera functionality and additional upgrades. Pre-orders begin on July 11, with the standard model starting at $399 and the limited-edition version available for $499.

The new Oakley Meta HSTN (pronounced HOW-stuhn) smart glasses combine Meta’s AI and smart glass technology with Oakley’s HSTN-style frames. Compared to Meta’s Ray-Ban Stories model, the HSTN glasses support video recording at 3K resolution, offer up to eight hours of battery life, and introduce IPX4 water resistance.

Oakley claims the glasses can last up to eight hours with typical use, and up to 19 hours on standby. The included charging case provides up to 48 hours of battery life and can recharge the glasses to 50% capacity in just 20 minutes.

However, Meta and Oakley primarily advertise the HSTN glasses by showcasing features it shares with the $299 Ray-Ban model. These include a 12MP camera that captures photos and video with a button press, as well as built-in speakers for playing music from various streaming services.

The headline feature is Meta AI integration, which was introduced with the Ray-Ban glasses last month. Like those, the Oakley glasses support real-time translation, music playback controls, and an AI assistant equipped with visual processing capabilities.

Visual processing enables Meta AI to respond to natural language commands based on what users see. It’s designed for tasks such as translating signage or offering cooking advice. A recent clip from Oakley shows golfer J.R. Smith receiving instant wind speed and direction information from the digital assistant. Meta also announced support for sending text, audio, video, and photos to contacts via Instagram.

Real-time translation is currently available in English, French, Italian, and Spanish. Language packs can be downloaded to enable offline use.

Oakley will showcase the glasses at Fanatics Fest from June 20 to 22, UFC International Fight Week from June 25 to 27, and other sporting events later this year.

Availability is expected to begin later this summer in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. The Meta HSTN glasses will also launch in Mexico, India, and the United Arab Emirates in 2025.

Available styles will include:

• Warm Grey with PRIZM Ruby Lenses
• Black with PRIZM Polar Black Lenses
• Brown Smoke with PRIZM Polar Deep Water Lenses
• Black with Transitions Amethyst Lenses
• Clear with Transitions Grey Lenses
• Black with clear Lenses

Silicon-carbon batteries are gaining significant momentum, with all Chinese brands utilizing the tech in their 2025 flagships. It’s easy to see why manufacturers are rushing to utilize these batteries in their phones; switching to silicon provides better energy density — allowing brands to squeeze bigger batteries — alongside increased durability, and it holds up much better in cold weather.

That’s why the likes of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Find X8 Ultra, Vivo X200 Pro, and Honor Magic 7 Pro have considerably bigger batteries than their predecessors without adding too much bulk or weight. These batteries still use a lithium cathode, but the anode sees a mixture of silicon-carbon alongside the usual graphite, and this results in greater density.

Group14 is at the front lines of this push, with the brand’s SCC55 silicon-carbon composite used widely in the industry — Honor’s Magic 7 Pro uses the custom material in its battery. Group14 is now partnering with German industrial giant BASF to deliver a “drop-in-ready solution” that predominantly uses silicon-dominant anodes.

Group14 says this move has the potential to unlock a whole host of new use cases, and I talked to the brand’s VP of Global Market Strategy, Grant Ray, to get a better understanding of the tech.

As a high-level overview, Group14 is using its SCC55 material with BASF’s Licity 2698 X F binder, a custom polymer made of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) with high stress-strain and elasticity that’s designed for silicon-rich anodes. Without getting in the weeds too much, this collaboration makes it easier for phone brands to make the switch to silicon-rich batteries without overhauling their existing manufacturing lines.

This is important, because the current generation of silicon carbon batteries used in phones have just 10% silicon in their anode. While silicon has greater energy density of 4200mAh/g — graphite has 372mAh/g — it expands considerably during charging and discharging. Mixing silicon with carbon — as Group14 is doing with SCC55 — increases the material’s mechanical integrity (thereby reducing swelling) while providing better conductivity.

ay said the next iteration of batteries will see a greater mixture of silicon-carbon in the anode, with work underway on “full displacement” — completely switching to a silicon-carbon anode. While full displacement is still some time away, the advances in mixing higher ratios of silicon-carbon anode should deliver batteries with significantly greater density and faster charging.

It’s not unfathomable to imagine next-gen phones delivering 10,000mAh batteries in roughly the same size as today’s devices, and Ray said that phone manufacturers are not as risk-averse to trying out increasing silicon mixtures. While this tech is being pioneered by Chinese brands, Ray says we may see bigger brands like Samsung switch to silicon-carbon batteries in the near future; the Galaxy S26 is touted to feature the battery next year.

A limitation in this area is availability; Ray says that the demand for the SCC55 material is significantly higher than supply, and the manufacturer is aiming to get its U.S. plant online in 2026 to cater to global demand. The current situation with tariffs is a new hurdle that’s leading to plenty of uncertainty, but Ray notes that Group14 is pushing ahead with its plans.

Using flagships this year made me realize the potential of silicon-carbon batteries, and I’m excited to see how this tech evolves in 2026 and beyond. Most phones these days last at least a day and a half between charges, and I can’t wait until the time comes when I’ll only need to charge my phones twice or thrice a week.

Forward-looking: As rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, their limitations are becoming increasingly evident. Frequent recharging and environmental concerns related to lithium mining and battery disposal have prompted researchers to seek alternatives.

A team led by Su-Il In, a professor at South Korea’s Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, is developing an innovative solution: radiocarbon-powered nuclear batteries that could last for decades without needing a recharge. Professor In presented his team’s findings at the American Chemical Society’s Spring 2025 meeting, held March 23 – 27. The conference featured approximately 12,000 presentations on scientific advancements.

The research addresses the growing demand for durable and sustainable power sources, as connected devices, data centers, and advanced technologies continue to push the capabilities of Li-ion batteries to their limits. “The performance of Li-ion batteries is almost saturated,” In said, explaining why his team turned to nuclear batteries as an alternative.

Radiocarbon offers several advantages over other radioactive materials: it is inexpensive, readily available as a by-product of nuclear power plants, and easy to recycle. Most importantly, it degrades extraordinarily slowly, with a half-life of 5,730 years.

Nuclear batteries generate electricity by harnessing high-energy particles emitted during the radioactive decay of certain materials. Unlike conventional nuclear energy sources such as uranium or plutonium – which emit harmful gamma rays – In’s design uses carbon-14, a radioactive isotope known as radiocarbon.

Radiocarbon emits only beta particles, which are less harmful and can be safely contained with a thin sheet of aluminum. This makes betavoltaic batteries, which convert beta radiation into electricity, a promising candidate for compact and safe energy solutions. Radiocarbon offers several advantages over other radioactive materials: it is inexpensive, readily available as a by-product of nuclear power plants, and easy to recycle. Most importantly, it degrades extraordinarily slowly, with a half-life of 5,730 years.

This means a radiocarbon-powered battery could theoretically provide power for thousands of years without needing replacement. “I decided to use a radioactive isotope of carbon because it generates only beta rays,” said In.

The team’s prototype betavoltaic battery incorporates advanced materials to maximize energy conversion efficiency – a critical challenge in nuclear battery design. At the heart of the battery is a titanium dioxide-based semiconductor commonly used in solar cells.

By incorporating radiocarbon on both the cathode and anode, this dye-sensitized betavoltaic cell achieves greater energy-conversion efficiency.

This material was treated with a ruthenium-based dye and strengthened with citric acid to create a highly sensitive structure capable of efficiently converting beta radiation into electricity.

Beta particles emitted by radiocarbon strike the ruthenium-based dye on the semiconductor, triggering a cascade of electron transfer reactions known as an “electron avalanche.” These reactions generate electricity, which the titanium dioxide layer collects and passes through an external circuit. This process is central to the battery’s ability to produce usable power.

A key factor in In’s design was placing radiocarbon in both the anode and cathode of the battery – a departure from previous designs that used radiocarbon exclusively on one electrode. This dual-site configuration increased the generation of beta particles while minimizing energy loss caused by the distance between electrodes.

The results were striking: testing revealed that this approach boosted the battery’s energy conversion efficiency from 0.48 percent in earlier designs to 2.86 percent in the new prototype – a nearly sixfold improvement.

Despite this progress, radiocarbon batteries still lag behind Li-ion batteries in terms of power output. Li-ion batteries typically achieve energy conversion efficiencies of around 90 percent. However, what these nuclear batteries lack in immediate performance, they make up for in longevity and reliability. Their ability to function for decades without recharging opens up new possibilities across various industries.

For instance, pacemakers powered by radiocarbon batteries could last a patient’s entire lifetime, eliminating the need for risky surgical replacements. Other potential applications include powering remote sensors in harsh environments, satellites that require long-term energy solutions in space, and even drones or self-driving vehicles where frequent recharging is impractical.

In acknowledges that further optimization is needed to enhance the performance of these nuclear batteries. Efforts are underway to refine the shape of beta-ray emitters and develop more efficient absorbers to increase power generation. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic about their potential impact. “We can put safe nuclear energy into devices the size of a finger,” he said, envisioning a future where nuclear energy is no longer confined to large power plants but integrated into everyday technology.

The research was funded by Korea’s National Research Foundation and supported by the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology Research and Development Program under Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT.