Key Points
- Meta has delayed the launch of its “Phoenix” mixed-reality glasses from 2026 to 2027.
- The company says it needs more time to polish the product and “get the details right.”
- The glasses are designed to be lightweight but less powerful than competitors like the Apple Vision Pro.
- This delay coincides with reports of significant budget cuts to Meta’s overall metaverse initiative.
Meta is tapping the brakes on its next big hardware release, pushing the launch of its “Phoenix” mixed-reality glasses back to 2027. The company originally planned to release the glasses in late 2026, but decided it needed more time to get the product just right.
According to an internal memo seen by Business Insider, Meta executives said the delay gives them more “breathing room to get the details right.”
The goal is to deliver a fully polished and impressive device to consumers. This move signals that Meta is willing to be patient to avoid a costly flop in the emerging and highly competitive mixed-reality market.
The Phoenix glasses are designed as a lightweight, accessible alternative to bulkier headsets. Weighing only about 100 grams, they are expected to have less computing power and lower-resolution displays than high-end devices like the Apple Vision Pro. The technology aims to blend digital objects with the real world seamlessly.
This strategic delay comes amid a broader reassessment of Meta’s ambitious metaverse plans. The news follows recent reports that the company is planning to slash the budget for its metaverse division by up to 30%.
This entire project is housed within Reality Labs, the division responsible for all of Meta’s hardware, including the popular Quest headsets and the Ray-Ban smart glasses. The decision to delay Phoenix shows the company is carefully managing its long-term bets on the future of computing.
