Mark Zuckerberg: Smartphones will give way to AR glasses within 10 years

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg argued at the Meta Connect 2025 event held last September that the smartphone's lifespan has ended and will be replaced by augmented reality (AR) glasses. Zuckerberg stated that cell phones distract users and distance them from social interaction, adding that these devices have reached an evolutionary pause point. He predicted that the new generation of AR glasses developed with the Ray-Ban brand will completely replace the phone in daily communication, work, and entertainment activities.

The new Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses combine a high-resolution single-eye screen visible only to the user, audio, camera, and connectivity features in an aesthetic design. The device delivers notifications, real-time translation, subtitles, and navigation without taking the phone out of the pocket; control is provided via voice, gestures, or a "Neural Band" accessory that reads muscle impulses. Launched in select U.S. stores starting at $799, the glasses are planned to expand to other markets in 2026.

While Zuckerberg described these glasses as the ideal form factor for "personal super intelligence," he also acknowledged the technology is not yet fully independent; a base device (phone) connection is still required for some functions such as search. Meta continues to build a smart glasses and neural wristband ecosystem to support this transition, arguing that the shift will gradually become widespread and fundamentally change how people live and communicate.