What will Meta announce at Connect 2026? Glasses, a watch and the headset you won't be able to buy

Meta Connect 2026: when it is and how to watch

Connect 2026 runs Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24 at Meta's campus in Menlo Park, California. The format is familiar: an evening keynote led by Mark Zuckerberg plus two days of developer sessions, all streamed for free online.

As of September 14, Meta still hadn't posted the exact keynote time. Plan for a late-afternoon Pacific start, which lands in the evening across the Americas and late at night in Europe.

The only thing confirmed: glasses and a lot of AI

In its official announcement in May, Meta showed an unnamed new pair of glasses and called AI glasses “one of the fastest-growing consumer electronics categories in history.” It also name-checked Muse Spark, which it describes as “the first step toward personal superintelligence.”

Everything else is broad: news on VR, wearables, the metaverse and AI. Read between the lines and the star of the show won't be a gaming headset but something you wear on your face like sunglasses.

What the leaks say

According to The Information, as reported by UploadVR in June, Meta is working on four new glasses codenamed Modelo, Luna, RBM2 Refresh and Mojito VIP. One could be the Prada model CNBC reported on, and another rumor points to Ray-Ban Meta glasses designed from the start for prescription lenses.

There have also been reports of a smartwatch with Meta AI, codenamed Malibu 2, and of testing on Artemis, which would be Meta's first true consumer AR glasses. Keep in mind that codenames are almost never final names, and any of these could be missing from the stage.

The headset you'll see but can't buy

In July, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth told people to stay tuned to Connect when it comes to headsets. But the roadmap reported by the press doesn't leave much room: an ultralight headset tethered to a separate compute unit in the first half of 2027, and a gaming-focused Quest 4 in the second half of 2027 or later.

The likely outcome is a teaser, not something on shelves. Meanwhile Meta keeps squeezing the Quest 3: the Horizon OS 2.7 update unlocked refresh rates up to 207Hz at full resolution and 240Hz in developer mode.

Why this Connect matters more than most

It lands nine days after Valve launched the Steam Frame, which starts at $1,059 and goes straight for PC players. If Meta has no new headset until 2027, it hands Valve the entire holiday season to become the premium VR headset.

Meta seems to be making a different bet: that mainstream users will enter immersive tech through glasses, not helmets. That changes what you'll play and where over the next few years, which we dig into in Glasses will kill the headset.

Reality check: what we still don't know

There's no official start time, no product list and no pricing. We also don't know where anything will be sold: Meta launches usually start in the US and a handful of European markets, and many countries only get its hardware through importers.

Glasses for everyday life, space for play

Even if headsets turn into glasses, playing together and actually moving still takes space. That's what we're building at VR.one: a free-roam arena in Ycuá Satí, Asunción, for up to eight cable-free players. We're not open yet; join the waitlist to hear it first.

Quick answers

When is Meta Connect 2026?

September 23 and 24, 2026, in Menlo Park, California, with a free livestream.

What time is the Meta Connect 2026 keynote?

Meta hadn't published the exact time as of September 14. The keynote is scheduled for the late afternoon or evening, California time.

Will Meta announce the Quest 4 at Connect 2026?

Not as a product you can buy. Reports place the gaming Quest 4 in the second half of 2027 or later; at most there could be a teaser.

What will Meta announce at Connect 2026?

Confirmed: new smart glasses and AI news. Rumored: four glasses models, an AI smartwatch and a preview of an ultralight headset for 2027.