Are Meta glasses waterproof? No. Here is what each model can take.

1. The answer, model by model

Every rating in this table comes from a meta.com page fetched on October 7, 2026: Meta’s water-resistance help article, its beach and sports pages, the Oakley Meta Vanguard launch post and the Neural Band safety page. Where Meta does not state a figure, the table says so rather than borrowing one from a retailer Q&A. OXIVUE’s own frames are at the bottom, read the same way.

Ratings checked October 7, 2026.Meta’s prices that day, for context: Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 2) $379, Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) Wayfarer $449, Oakley Meta HSTN $479 in the Transitions version, Oakley Meta Vanguard $499 and Meta Ray-Ban Display $799 including the Neural Band, all as listed on meta.com. The rating does not scale with price: the $379 Gen 2 Ray-Ban shares the IPX4 of the $479 HSTN, and only the $499 Vanguard moves up to IP67.

2. What IPX4 and IP67 actually mean

An IP code has two digits. The first is dust, the second is water, and an X means the maker did not test that digit. So IPX4 says nothing about dust and promises protection against water splashed from any direction, which is how Meta ends up describing it as fine for light rain but not for submersion. IP67 says dust-tight and protected against temporary immersion, which Meta spells out for the Vanguard as 1 metre for 30 minutes. IP65, the OXIVUE M02C’s rating, is dust-tight plus protection against low-pressure water jets: more than splashes, less than being put under water.

Two things the code does not tell you. It is tested with fresh water at room temperature, so chlorine, salt, soap and steam are outside the test. And it describes the frame on the day it was tested; a year of sweat on the charging contacts is not in the number. Our digit-by-digit IP code guide goes through the whole scale if you want the detail.

3. Rain, sweat, shower, pool: what happens in each

Light rain and drizzle

Within every current rating. Meta’s help page says Ray-Ban Meta glasses are “safe even if you get caught in light rain while wearing them”, and the same IPX4 applies to the Oakley Meta HSTN. The instruction that follows matters as much as the rating: remove the glasses as soon as you can and wipe them completely dry. Rain that beads on the lens is harmless; rain that sits in the hinge and the charging contacts for an afternoon is the thing the rating was never meant to cover.

Heavy rain and spray

This is where the models separate. Meta’s sports page describes the Vanguard’s IP67 as “withstanding heavy rain, sweat and wet conditions”, while the HSTN and Ray-Ban Meta are described only in terms of light rain and splashes. If you ride, run or hike through weather rather than around it, the IPX4 frames should come off when the rain turns heavy. The Vanguard can stay on. So can an IP65 frame, which is rated against water jets, the closest test to wind-driven rain.

Sweat and workouts

Sweat is a splash from above that keeps coming, with salt in it. Meta sells the Oakley models for sport, but names sweat only in the Vanguard’s IP67 description; the HSTN is described for light rain and splashes. What no rating covers is leaving dried sweat on the contacts. After a hard session, wipe the temples and the charging points before the glasses go anywhere near the case. The Neural Band sold with the Display carries an immersion-class rating, IPX7, and Meta still notes that its gesture sensing may degrade while wet and recover when dry.

Shower

No, for every model. A shower is sustained water from one direction with heat, steam and soap, which is “extended exposure” in the words of Meta’s help page, and neither IPX4 nor IP67 is tested with warm, soapy water. Even on the Vanguard, a shower spends the frame’s rated tolerance on something that gains you nothing.

Pool, lake and sea

No for the IPX4 models, and no for the Vanguard as a plan, even though it is rated for an accidental dunk. Meta’s beach page is explicit that Ray-Ban Meta is “not designed for submersion or extended exposure to water or other liquids”, and its sports page says the same of both Oakley models. Saltwater adds corrosion the rating does not address, and sand gets into the hinge and the charging port. If your whole point is to film in the water, read our water sports guide first; it explains why no open-ear camera frame, ours included, belongs in the surf.

4. The charging case, and what to do if they get wet

The part most owners miss: the rating is for the glasses, not the case. Meta’s beach page states that “the charging case is not water resistant and should not be exposed to liquids”. The case is where wet glasses usually end up, and it holds the battery that charges them. A damp frame dropped into a dry case is fine once it has been wiped; a dripping frame closed inside a case is the scenario behind many of the forum posts about glasses that failed after a wet weekend.

• Take them off and dry them.Meta’s words are “wipe them completely dry”. Use a soft cloth, then leave them in the open air for a while before charging.
• Clear the charging contacts.Meta asks you to “clear the charging areas of residue or other debris”. Dried sweat and salt sit exactly there.
• Do not charge a wet frame. Wait until the contacts are dry and clean.
• Keep the case out of the weather and never put wet glasses in it.

The same routine applies to any OXIVUE frame. The M02C charges on magnetic pogo contacts; dry them before you snap the cable on.

5. OXIVUE’s own ratings, with the same honesty

We sell open-ear camera glasses in the $99 to $149 range at checkout, and the water question comes up for ours as often as for Meta’s. Here is each frame in the same terms as the table above, taken from the specifications on our product pages.

• M02C, $109 at checkout (listed $159): IP65. Dust-tight and protected against low-pressure water jets, so rain, including heavy rain, and sweat are within the rating. It is not a rating for immersion: no swimming and no saltwater. It weighs about 41 g, uses a Sony IMX219 8 MP sensor with dual stabilisation, charges on magnetic pogo contacts and comes in sun, photochromic and clear lenses. It is the frame we point to for everyday wear, hiking, driving and fishing from the bank.
• M14, $149 at checkout (listed $199): IPX4. The same splash-and-rain class as Ray-Ban Meta and the Oakley Meta HSTN. It is a 52 g one-piece wrap shield, so the lens cannot be swapped, and it is the frame we position for cycling and skiing, where spray and sweat are constant but immersion is not.
• M08, $99 at checkout, and M08C, $119 at checkout: no published water rating. We do not describe them as water-resistant, and we tell buyers to keep them out of heavy rain and spray. If rain is part of your week, choose the M02C instead.

Prices checked 2026-10-07; checkout price may change. Two or more pairs in one order are 50% off all eyewear. Every OXIVUE frame starts a photo or clip only with a touch on the temple, has no display and takes no prescription lenses; the full specification of every model sits side by side on the comparison page.

If you are weighing a Vanguard against a cheaper wrap shield, our Oakley Meta Vanguard explainer covers its full spec sheet, and the Meta glasses features guide puts the IPX4 rating alongside the rest of what Ray-Ban Meta does.

6. Water and the warranty

Across the category, water damage sits outside the warranty once you exceed the rating, and the rating is what the maker will point to. For Meta’s terms and how to file a claim, see our Meta glasses warranty guide. For OXIVUE, the warranty pagelists water damage beyond IPX4 splash resistance under what is not covered, for every frame: the M02C’s IP65 spec does not widen that warranty line, and neither it nor the M14 is swim-proof. No refunds except transit damage (replaced or refunded); faults are repaired or replaced under the 2-year warranty; change of mind and unmet expectations are not refundable. That last clause is why this guide is blunt about the ratings: if you need glasses for the pool, neither Meta nor OXIVUE makes them.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days; international orders take 9–14 business days. OXIVUE does not offer refunds except for an order damaged in transit, which is replaced or refunded. Faults after delivery are covered by the 2-year warranty through repair or replacement. None of our frames take prescription lenses. Compare every model on the comparison page.

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