Important: I am not affiliated with any of the manufacturers, brands, services, or websites listed on this page and this is my personal experience. If you find this helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!
I have been an early adopter of smart glasses, ever since the first generation of Snap Spectacles came out. Yes, I was one of those people who lined up for several hours (twice actually) to buy a pair from the Snap Spectacles vending machine. Since then, I have also bought other smart glasses, so thought I would write up this guide for others.
Here’s the Smart Glasses Reviewed and Ranked. This list is current of December 2021/January 2022 and I will update it from time to time. To be clear, I own these glasses so this is first-hand experience from an actual user.
The best Smart Glasses Ranked
- Rayban Stories: Great if you want everything, camera and audio capabilities.
- Echo Frames: Best if you don’t want a camera and already use an Amazon Echo.
- Snapchat Spectacles: OK if you’re a heavy Snap user and don’t want smarts.
- Lucyd Lyte: Not recommended.
I haven’t bought the Anker SoundCore frames yet, they look promising but I can’t justify purchasing them at the moment. I did briefly own the Bose Frames, but they’re just fancy headphones. I’m looking forward to the rumored Apple glasses in 2022 even rumors suggest you may have to sell a kidney to buy a pair.
If make smart glasses and want me to review them, please contact me. Please note, any glasses provided for review purposes will be disclosed.
Review: Rayban Stories
First and foremost, these really feel like Rayban sunglasses. Everything from the box, to the accessories, has the feel and quality of Rayban. Look-wise, they are close to standard Rayban Wayfarers. The camera is unobtrusive and the glasses have a dedicated on-off switch, which means you can turn off the smarts. The Rayban Stories are the only glasses with an on/off switch, which matters more than you probably know. I have had other glasses, notably the Echo Frames and Lucyd’s randomly turn on while in the case. The case can charge the glasses, although the case is bulky compared to the Gen 2 Snapchat Spectacles case, but at least it also can charge your glasses. Audio quality and camera quality are top-notch, the Rayban Stories really show what is possible and they are leaps and bounds ahead of comparable products.
The negatives with the Rayban Stories is that these are first and foremost sunglasses, in fact with the exception of the Echo Frames, this is true for every pair of glasses on the list.
If you want smart glasses with a camera, you cannot go wrong with the Rayban Stories.
PRO
- looks like normal glasses
- dedicated on/off switch
- the case can also charge the glasses
- can be used with your phone voice assistant
- excellent camera
- very good sound
CONS
- requires a separate “Stories” app
- not suitable as everyday all-the-time glasses
Verdict: Yes, the Rayban stories mean you need to buy into the whole Facebook (ahem Meta) ecosystem. If you get over this, they really are, at the time of writing the best smart glasses on the market that can do it all.
Where to buy? You can get the Rayban Stories on Amazon.
Review: Echo Frames
The Echo Frames feel cheap, quality-wise they feel like $20 gas-station glasses. To use them, you need the Alexa App and you need to leave it running in the background. I have mixed feelings about this, but it’s also a limitation of Apple iOS so I don’t judge Amazon harshly. The audio quality is surprisingly good for calls and music.
There’s no camera, which means the Echo Frames are better for everyday use. In fact, the Echo Frames are the only smart glasses that I have tested where I would be completely OK switching out the lenses with prescription lenses and wearing them as all-day normal smartglasses. In fact, if you need prescription lenses, I would actually rank them above the Raybans. There’s no Amazon branding anywhere on the glasses themselves and with no camera, these would pass as non-smart glasses.
There are a few things I have found frustrating about the Echo Frames. The case is big and bulky, even though you can’t use it to charge the glasses. I am not sure why Amazon went for such an oversized case. The Echo Frames charge with a cable that attaches to one arm of the frame, which is OK and works, but I prefer glasses that charge in the case – so that they’re protected and you can charge on the go.
The only real downside with the Echo Frames is that there is no camera. Although, I am not sure if this is a negative because in all my tests I primarily use the audio features of smart glasses.
PRO
- looks like normal sunglasses
- can send and receive text messages
- reasonable sound
- very affordable
CONS
- requires you to have Alexa app open in the background
- no camera (but that may be OK for you)
- the case cannot charge the glasses
- only charges using a charging cable attached to one of the arms of the glasses
Verdict: If you’re already into the Amazon Echo ecosystem, the Echo Frames are good value. I would also recommend them for someone who wants to use prescription lenses on smart glasses.
Where to buy? You can get the Amazon Echo frames on Amazon. Amazon sell sunglasses and prescription versions.
Snapchat Spectacles
The Snapchat Spectacles are the grandfather of smartglasses. I have owned both the 1st Generation (yellow circles on the frames) and the 2nd Generation (completely black). I haven’t bought the 3rd Generation or tested the limited beta-release AR glasses. The Snapchat Spectacles were exciting when they came out because they took photos. In one sense, this makes the Snapchat Spectacles more of a wearable camera. In fact, the Snapchat Spectacles are mostly dumb – they take photos or videos, you transfer them to your Snapchat app on your phone. The absence of audio means the Snapchat Spectacles are severely lacking (they record audio, just don’t play it) compared to alternatives. I honestly wouldn’t recommend the Snapchat Spectacles.
PRO
- the case can also charge the glasses
- Gen 2 glasses look mostly like normal sunglasses
- camera
CONS
- requires Snapchat
- no audio (can’t use as headphones, with your voice assistant)
- Gen 3 design may not be for everyone
Verdict: These are only for someone who is a die-hard Snapchat fan and who doesn’t want to also listen to music, use their voice assistant, etc. Otherwise, get the Raybans.
Where to buy? No need to queue at a vending machine, the Snapchat Spectacles can be bought on Amazon.
Review: Lucyd Lyte
I’m going to go right out there at the start and say I do not recommend the Lucyd Lytes. Lucyd glasses seem to be consistently advertising on Instagram and you can’t fault their marketing. That said, you can fault the glasses. While the plus of the Lucyd’s is you don’t need an app, they pair like Bluetooth headphones, the audio quality is awful. The audio is so washed out that you won’t recognize your voice assistant, audio and music sound like it’s someone else, and there’s a static-hiss when you use the Lucyd’s with voice assistants. The worst part about the Lucyd Lyte is that the charging setup requires you to attach a cable to both arms of the Lucyd frames. This is complex and delicate, like the board game Operation, where one bump can mean you need to start again. In fact, I have had the cables drop off mid-charging due to someone bumping the desk, etc. I will admit the Lucyd Lyte look great, like a normal sunglasses, and they have a lot more fashion-friendly designs vs alternatives. But, the Lucyd Lyte are not good smart glasses.
PRO
- no app required (Bluetooth pairing)
- looks like normal sunglasses
CONS
- awful charging requires attaching cables to each arm of the glasses and its delicate
- only charges using a charging cable attached to both arms of the glasses
- cannot send text messages
- no camera (but that may be OK for you)
- terrible audio quality
Verdict: I cannot and do not recommend the Lucyd Lyte. They look good, but the audio quality is poor and the charging setup is complicated. Save your money.
Where to buy? Don’t! I am not even putting a link because I couldn’t recommend them.
Important: I am not affiliated with any of the manufacturers, brands, services, or websites listed on this page and this is my personal experience. If you find this helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!