Other smart glasses we’ve tested
We’ve tested several pairs of smart glasses – some are good and some are bad.
Photo: Simon Hill
Lucyd Reebok Octane, priced at $199: These lightweight Bluetooth sunglasses are designed in collaboration with Reebok for cyclists and runners, with silver polarized lenses, high-quality speakers and 8 hours of battery life. When hiking, I love listening to music and podcasts, and I love that you can hear the world around you. The sound leak is not bad, so you won’t bother the people passing through. They also have physical controls that are easier to use than touch controls, even if your hands are wet (and waterproof). You can answer calls, get instructions, and ask questions of your preferred AI assistant. Lucyd has been making Bluetooth sunglasses for several years and offers a variety of different styles. A few years ago we also tried Lucyd 2.0 Bluetooth Sunglasses (7/10, wired review).
Rokid Max 2 glasses for $529: Spider-Man-style lenses make these comfortable smart glasses a little special, although they won’t fit everyone’s taste. They projected a 215-inch screen (1,080p, 120 Hz, 600 columns, 50 degree FOV) and the Boast Diopter dial for focus adjustments, but I worked hard to eliminate blur around the edges instead of the stylish electrochromosomal adjustment, with a plastic black shield that clamped the plastic. I also tried Rokid Station 2 ($149), which added an Android TV interface to access entertainment apps, and also added a trackpad and Air Mouse for easier control. The original Rokid Station is a more basic portable Android TV.
Even the realistic G1, priced at $599: Even realistic G1 smart glasses (6/10, wired review) are probably the closest smart glasses to which their expected HUD may pass through regular glasses, but they don’t have a camera or speaker. Wired reviewer Chris Haslam praised them as the smart glasses you want to wear and features an impressive HUD projector that displays clear green digital text (640 x 200 pixels). They provide notifications and AI help for step-by-step navigation and audio language translation, but both functions are perfect, and the powered AI service is slow to respond to queries.
Rayneo Air 2s, $450:The Rayneo owned by TCL comes in many models, and while the Air 2s glasses are cheaper than our other virtual screen picks, I found them to be inadequate in design, fit and comfort. They offer a 201-inch virtual screen (1,080p, 120 Hz, 600 Nit), but blur around the edges. The software required for Rayneo’s 3 DOF is getting bigger and bigger and not polished. The 2s compare only the older TCL Rayneo Air 2 Xr glasses (5/10, wired review) with enhanced sound, brightness and adjustability, but they fail the same.
Don’t bother
This is a lack of glasses.
Photo: Simon Hill
Amazon Echo Framework, $300: Amazon Echo Framework (3/10, Wired Review) is a little old now, but you can still buy them. Too bad, they didn’t do much. They can be used as sunglasses, filters, and are IPX4 rating. Technically speaking, they have a speaker and microphone in each temple where you can query or direct Alexa like you would with a smart speaker, but there are no cameras here, making them far less capable than Ray-Ban Meta glasses at similarly priced.
Asus Airvision M1, priced at $693: I’m glad to see Asus launch smart glasses, but the lack of big fanfare is a red flag. My first impression of the lightweight design is promising, with the M1 offering a 100-inch virtual display and an impressive 1,100 Nits brightness. Designed to plug into a phone, laptop, PC or handheld gaming device via USB-C, like the Rog Ally, the M1 also has built-in speakers and microphones. Sadly, unless you adopt AirVision software, the refresh rate is up to 72 Hz at 72 Hz and is limited to 60 Hz, which also allows you to choose different modes (work, gaming, infinity), adjust the screen position and set subdistance distance (IPD). I found that the focus desserts were small and no matter how I adjusted the settings, my virtual screens were mostly blurry, making them uncomfortable, especially at work. There is also a basic plastic shield that blocks light, rather than electrodynamic dimming, and the speaker quality is absolutely average, which confuses me why the price is so high.
Solo Airgo Vision costs $299: With a built-in AI assistant powered by Chatgpt, Solos Airgo Vision adds a camera to the Bluetooth-connected speakers on the rest of the board. Grant it unrestricted access to your location and photo gallery, which describes what you see. The most obvious use cases are translation and navigation, although I don’t believe in the accuracy of its suggestions. The design is fun, the chunky temple is equipped with smart and interchangeable frames. There is no virtual screen or HUD, but you can get prescription mirrors, S, and they look relatively normal. Sadly, the quality of photos and audio is frightening, and the touch controls are frustrating. The app also craves strength and requires too many permissions. Ray Yuanyuan glasses do better.
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