San Francisco, Jul 31 (IANS): Tech giant Facebook is likely to launch its augmented reality-related Ray-Ban smart glasses soon.

GizmoChina on Saturday reported that the tech giant is silently making progress in its development of hardware products with augmented reality implications.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed earlier this week that the Ray-Ban smart glasses would be launched soon.

There had been much speculation surrounding the projected 2021 unveiling of the device, the report said.

While the plans of a 2021 launch of the device may have been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems that the overall outlook and expectations remain optimistic for a launch, possibly within early 2022.

However, Zuckerberg's announcement could indicate a possible Q4 2021 launch of the device.

According to the report, Facebook is developing the Ray-Ban smart glasses in partnership with EssilorLuxottica.

The glasses could be a precursor to the truly augmented reality (AR) glasses. Hence, they are not classified as AR devices, the report said.

Smart glasses do not need an integrated display and can be controlled via a paired device (smartphone, tablet etc.), it added.