Meta’s mixed reality plans appear to be undergoing another recalibration, with the company reportedly shifting the launch of its “Phoenix” smart glasses to early 2027. The delay, outlined in an internal memo obtained by Business Insider, moves the product back from its earlier target of late 2026 and reflects a broader effort to stabilise development timelines inside Reality Labs. According to the memo, executives said the extension provides “breathing room to get the details right,” citing tight schedules and significant UX changes that would have made a 2026 debut difficult to execute at a level they consider acceptable.
This is not the first time Meta’s AR and mixed reality roadmap has been revised, but the decision underscores the tension between ambitious hardware cycles and the realities of maturing a still-emerging product category. Gabriel Aul and Ryan Cairns, VPs within Reality Labs, wrote that the company will not compromise on delivering a polished experience — a notable stance given Meta’s history of shipping hardware that evolves significantly through later software updates.
Reports earlier this year from The Information suggested that the glasses, then referred to as “Puffin,” would adopt a goggle-like form factor closer to Apple’s Vision Pro than to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. The target weight, around 110 grams, would be far lighter than high-end headsets but still heavier than conventional eyewear. The design has reportedly been described as a “bulky pair of glasses,” positioning Phoenix somewhere between consumer smart glasses and full-scale VR headsets. For comparison, the Vision Pro weighs up to 650 grams, highlighting how manufacturers continue to struggle with balancing weight, power, optics, and battery constraints.
The glasses are believed to run Horizon OS — the same operating system used in Meta’s Quest lineup — and rely on an external compute puck for processing. Offloading compute to a separate unit is a pragmatic attempt to reduce weight on the user’s face, though it introduces trade-offs around convenience, thermals, and tether management. The concept fits Meta’s recent emphasis on distributing compute across devices rather than concentrating all functionality in a single headset.
Financial context also surrounds the delay. Bloomberg previously reported that Meta is considering reducing metaverse-related spending by as much as 30 per cent, with an increased focus on AI-enabled wearables and glasses. The company discontinued the Quest Pro in early 2025, leaving the 2023 Quest 3 as its primary mixed reality device. If Phoenix arrives as planned in 2027, it would expand Meta’s hardware range at a time when the broader industry is testing what form factors consumers are willing to adopt — and at what price.
How Phoenix ultimately fits within Meta’s long-term mixed reality strategy will depend on whether the company can balance performance, usability, and cost in a segment that remains experimental despite years of investment.
