First Glimpse of Meta’s Sleek ‘Project Phoenix’ Headset Surfaces

Just weeks ahead of Meta Connect on September 23rd, images have surfaced that appear to showcase the design of Meta’s “Project Phoenix” headset. These visuals, reportedly discovered within the HorizonOS Prescription Lens firmware package, indicate that Meta might be gearing up to rival mixed reality devices from companies like Xreal and Viture. While these competitors offer bulkier mixed reality glasses, they sit between Meta’s sleek Ray-Ban AI smart glasses and the more substantial Meta Quest 3 VR headset.

The leaked images reveal a design that blends elements of larger headsets and smart glasses, featuring lenses integrated into a slim, glasses-like frame. One image captures a view from behind, highlighting a wire extending from one of the earpieces, likely intended for a battery or computing unit. Additionally, the earpieces seem to house both outward- and downward-facing cameras.

Project Phoenix has been under development for some time and is not anticipated to launch until next year. In a similar effort, Google is also creating Project Aura XR glasses, which will include an external computing unit connected to the frames.