7 Best Smart Glasses in 2024

Smart glasses are still finding their footing, compared to other smart tech, but it won’t be long before they’re as popular and useful as your smart phone. For early adopters out there who want to know the greatest the industry currently has to offer, we’ve listed the 7 best smart glasses of 2023, along with pros, cons, and what to expect.

Another factor that determined what made our list of best smart glasses was availability. There are lots of well-known brands like Amazon Echo Frames or Spectacles that have their fair share of fans. Guess what? A lot of these are either unavailable or have been removed from the market. We took extra care to select glasses with a lot of benefits but also ones that you could buy today if you wanted. After all, the best smart glasses are the ones that are actually available to you.

1. Ray Ban Stories

Price: Screen size and price vary depending on which style you select. Ranges from $240-$305.00

Where to buy: Amazon

Pros

• Works great as actual sunglasses, blocking 95% of reflected light
• Takes hands free high resolution photos and videos with dual 5MP camera
• Open speakers with 3 built in microphones
• Pause videos or music with a single touch
• Facebook assistant voice control
• Facebook View App works as your operating system, allowing you to enhance your social storytelling and activities all through Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp
• Portable charging case. Full charge lasts 5 hours for moderate use or 3 for continuous use
• Privacy features so media, content, photos, and videos are not accessed without your consent
• Multiple styles

Cons

• Using with the Facebook App can be tricky to set up
• Speaker quality decent but not as full sounding as other options
• Battery life doesn’t last as long in colder weather
• Photo storage is decent but if you take a lot of pictures you’ll need to consistently save them elsewhere
• Trying to replace the lenses with prescription lenses will invalidate the warranty

Summary of product:

Ray Ban Stories have tons of the great features you would expect from the best smart glasses, such as built in cameras, voice and touch control, microphones, a charging case, etc. One of the biggest strengths of Ray Ban glasses is the ability to connect them directly to your social media. If you’re an influencer or simply have a lot of followers or family who would be interested in your content, this makes everything seamless, fast, and nearly hands free. With all these specialized capabilities, Ray Bans consistently make the list of best smart glasses.

2: FLYSH Bluetooth Sunglasses

Price: $35.99

Where to buy: Amazon

Pros

• Open ear speakers for comfort and audio quality
• Hands free calling with quality listening and speaking microphones
• Easily connects to your iOS or Android devices
• Privacy mode automatically activates to stop people nearby overhearing your calls
• Polarized lens protect the wearer’s eyes from sun glare
• Touch and voice assistant control so you can speak to Cortana, Siri, and Google Now
• Battery fully charges within 2 hours. Can do 4 hours of music and 6 hours of calls
• 24 month replacement warranty
• Far less money than Ray Bans or other high price tag smart glasses

Cons

• Fewer features than Ray Ban Stories or other smart glasses
• Can’t take videos or pictures

Summary of product:

If you’re looking for a pair of smart glasses that play audio, have good battery life, and provide hands free phone calls, this will be a great fit. While other smart glasses may have more features such as onboard storage and other advanced tech, this is a great option for anyone who wants to add affordable convenience to their eye wear. The price can’t be beat, it’s well-loved, and it’s a great way to do activities you love without having to be encumbered.

3. GenXenon Bluetooth Audio Smart Glasses

Price: $38.00

Where to buy: Amazon

Pros

• Open ear speakers for audio
• Battery fully charges in only an hour and supports 6 hours of playback
• Has blue light filtering for eye strain prevention
• Can be used to take phone calls with multiple microphones
• Touch and voice assistant control
• Low price

Cons

• Limited functions
• Quality of sound is good but not as stellar as other brands

Summary of product:

This is another great choice for those looking for smart glasses with more simplistic and affordable qualities. What sets this apart from other brands is the combination of UVB/UVA protection, but also blue light filtering, making it great for indoor use as well.

4. Vue Lite 2

Price: $199.00

Where to buy: Vueglasses.com

Pros

• Same capabilities as most other smart glasses, including Bluetooth, audio listening, and hands free calling
• Built-in noise cancellation algorithms means your voice sounds sharp and clear over phone calls
• Can purchase with pre-installed prescription lenses for several different lens types
• Blue light filtering as well as photochromic lenses that change color in the sun, along with tinted or polarized lenses to protect your eyes outside too
• 10 minutes to charge to full power
• Glasses act as a remote camera trigger to use with your phone
• Connects to your iOS, Android, or other smart device
• Can listen to navigation while driving, biking, or walking, all hands free
• Can use for sending texts, checking your calendar or weather, etc.
• Comes in 8 fashionable styles to fit any personality
• Splash and sweat resistant for all weather use

Cons

• A bit more expensive than some
• Not as good sound quality as other brands
• Vue app is buggy and difficult to use

Summary of product:

While this product does have some downsides, particularly in the area of sound quality, we still consider it one of the best smart glasses currently available. It has multiple styles, Bluetooth capabilities, decent battery life, and other smart features. Where it really shines, however, is the fact that you can get them with your prescription lens built into it. It’s also weather resistant and recharges lightning fast. If you’re a prescription glasses wearer, these would add several nice bonuses to something you already need to purchase. Naturally, you can get regular lenses as well.

5. Iristick.H1

Price: $2599.00

Where to buy: Iristick.com

Pros

• Powerful optical zoom
• Dual central camera
• Adjustable display for hands free communication and real time information sharing
• Heads up display to share information or give instructions to the wearer
• Headset can connect to pocket unit for full shift battery capacity
• Touch pad and voice command operations
• Advanced barcode scanning
• Connects with smart phones
• Remote assistance and “see what I see” technology
• Pick-by-vision hands free barcode scanning
• Video conferencing through Microsoft Teams and other conferencing software
• Step by step instructions or inspections can appear in head mounted display

Cons

• Very expensive
• Highly specialized, more so than some may need
• Complex

Summary of product:

For most of us, this will be overkill for our smart glasses needs. The price tag alone is staggering! That said, for professionals with complex requirements, this product is worth every penny. With all the extra features and hands free technology, it’s almost like a virtual desktop. It’s also amazing for training employees without needing to actually use valuable manpower to do so. The camera quality is incredible and the fact that it can replace handheld barcode scanners not only saves businesses in equipment costs, but it can make the process safer, especially for warehouse workers who may have to climb ladders to get to inventory and will benefit from hands free technology.

6. Bose Frames Tempo

Price: $249.00

Where to buy: Bose.com

Pros

• Open audio design
• Sweat and weather resistant
• Built for comfort
• UVA/UVB protection
• Polarized lenses
• Battery lasts up to 8 hours
• 1 hour battery charge time
• Interchangeable sports lenses

Cons

• Limited smart features
• Limited styles
• Expensive

Summary of product:

So here’s the deal. There’s not a ton to say about Bose Frames Tempo glasses. You will probably find plenty of other products that are cheaper, more stylish, and come with far more capabilities. That said, if want quality sound when you play music or use it for audio purposes, it’s simply hard to beat Bose Frames. They’ve long been respected for their stereo speakers and other such tech, so it’s no surprise that people love their smart glasses too. If high quality sound is everything to you, you’re probably going to want to go with Bose.

7. OOAVR Smart Glasses

Price: $71.61

Where to buy: Amazon

Pros

• Fast charging and fully charged within 30 minutes
• Continuous music listening for 4 hours, calls for 5
• UV protection and blue light filtering
• Waterproof for all weather
• Easily connects to your smart devices and Bluetooth
• Ergonomic for long term use and comfort

•  Competitively priced

Cons

• Basic functions only
• Not as stealthy as other brands in terms of others hearing your speakers

Summary of product:

This is a good in-between model of smart glasses. If you’re looking for decent speakers that won’t break the bank, this may be your answer. It has great eye protection, fast charging, and good sound without the high price tag found on models like Bose. What’s more, it’s also the most waterproof of the options on this list, so if you’re going to be extra sweaty or in the weather a lot, that alone makes this a great choice. While we’re talking about sweat, here’s the best tech to improve your virtual home workouts.

What are smart glasses?

Now that you know the best smart glasses on the market, what exactly are they? Let’s dive into what they are, and what they aren’t.

Smart glasses are basically hands free devices that enable you to do certain tasks or activities from them. The most simple functions are listening to audio or music like you would via Bluetooth headphones, taking phone calls, and protecting your eyesight from either blue light, the sun, or both. Several of the options on the above list perform these simple tasks. Some brands, however, will have more advanced features, such as built in cameras, video, or even 3D options.

Here’s a breakdown of what smart glasses entail:

• Tiny speakers built into the frames and situated by your ears for subtle audio capabilities
• Bluetooth compatibility with your smart phone or some smart home devices
• Ability to somewhat filter out background noise when you’re using it to make calls
• UVA/UVB and/or blue light filtering
• In some cases, the ability to use with prescription lenses
• In advanced smart glasses, camera, recording, and video capabilities

What’s the difference between smart glasses and AR?

The term smart glasses is often used interchangeably with augmented reality glasses. Not all smart glasses are AR, however, so it’s important to look for that term when you’re trying to purchase something with those capabilities. Some brands, like Nreal Air smart glasses, have a wide following, but others are more obscure and less obvious in what they can offer.

What is augmented reality? This is when digital content can be projected into your field of vision in a semi-immersive way. Instead of using a screen, the content shows up on your glasses. This could be something like a movie or video to basically create a virtual desktop that lets you work or even game, all in full color HD display. Meanwhile, if you need something more affordable for your gaming needs, here’s the best gaming glasses for blue light protection.

AR products don’t usually look like normal glasses, whereas many of the simpler smart glasses can appear like your normal prescription lenses. AR glasses are also by far more expensive than those without augmented reality. We’re talking thousands. They are also growing in uses. Not only can they become your virtual movie theatre or gaming experience, but they’re also progressing in the work field too. Training, simulations, object identification, education, the possibilities are endless.

Current limitations of smart glasses

Smart glasses tend to have a lot of limitations. This technology is still new and the bugs are getting worked out. One issue is availability. We’ve already mentioned how hard it is to find Echo Frames and other such well-loved brands. Sometimes this is an issue with shipping, product availability, or, in many cases, because improvements are being made to the smart glasses themselves. If you compare past and current versions, many smart glasses are only getting better, advancing features like battery life, video capture, and comfort.

That said, some current limitations include:

• Breakability if not handled correctly
• Require connection to smart devices to increase function
• Limited battery life
• AR glasses can be extremely expensive
• Tumultuous branding and version availability. Example: Nreal air smart glasses are sold on Amazon as Xreal, Snap Spectacles and Amazon Echo Frames lack of availability
• Most smart glasses have very few functions
• AR features can require extra tech to get the most out of it
• Prescription lenses only available for select brands, limiting their user base
• Most smart glasses have very few options in terms of fit, comfort, and style

The future of smart glasses

Here are some of the possibilities for AR glasses and other such technology:

• Wider prescription lenses availability will mean standard glasses with no extra features will diminish
• You can watch movies anywhere
• Consumer technology, such as virtually trying on jewelry or seeing what furniture could look like in your house without it actually being there
• You can play music without completely disconnecting from the world around you, making you more aware
• The right smart glasses can help in the medical industry, allowing doctors to perform surgery or do other crucial tasks with vital information in their eye-line
• Virtual training via AR smart glasses
• The best smart glasses will be far more affordable compared to current prices

As this tech gets more advanced, it will likely become widely adopted until eventually it will just be one more mobile device you can’t live without. Until then, it’s just plain fun! Speaking of fun, if you know someone who loves tech, here’s the best gadget gifts under $50.