Smart glasses are a tricky product class to define, with different manufacturers sharing a broad range of visions, from full-fledged AR displays to simple voice-controlled headsets. And while the Apple Vision Pro brought much-needed attention to the space, its cost gives people plenty of reasons to look for more affordable alternatives.
Like most things, the key to saving money is identifying the features you need while limiting the ones you don’t. For example, the Ray-Ban Stories are great for capturing first-person video, while the OhO Bluetooth Sunglasses are limited to speaker and voice-assistant functions. If you’re focused on the smart glass capabilities you want the most, you can cut out much of the additional cost. So, if you’re interested in diving into AR but don’t want to spend $3,500 for the pleasure, let’s look at some of the best smart glasses available that will still suit your needs.
Best smart glasses you can buy right now
Xreal Air 2 Pro
High-quality viewing experience
The Xreal Air 2 Pro smart glasses allow you to bring your content to the big screen without investing in a large television or monitor. It features two Sony Mini-OLED displays providing crisp, color-accurate images and cinema-quality sound. If you’re a gamer, the Air 2 Pros are a great way to experience your games.
- Great display
- High refresh rate
- Quality sound
- No wireless connectivity
- Needs adapter for game consoles
The Xreal Air 2 Pros earn our best overall pick because of their versatility, allowing almost any digital device with a DisplayPort to seamlessly use the glasses, giving you a large, vibrant display for things like Samsung DeX, your iPhone, or your PC. If you’re a gamer, an optional adapter lets your use your Air 2 Pros with your Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
At the heart of the Xreal Air 2 Pros are two Sony Mini-OLED displays refreshing at 120Hz. These fantastic, color-accurate displays offer a stellar viewing experience. In addition, the Xreal Air 2 Pros feature 3 electrochromatic dimming levels, allowing you to choose how much outside light you want, depending on your surroundings.
With the Air 2 Pros, you can pin, resize, or enlarge the display you see, as they utilize 3DoF tracking. Xreal also improved the sound, claiming cinema quality for rich, immersive audio, adding to games and movies. Its high resolution and fast refresh rate should help with motion sickness, and the smooth follow mode reduces the jarring effect if you’re in a moving vehicle. All told, the Xreal Air 2 Pros offer many premium features for the price tag.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
If you want to live stream on the go
The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses make some notable improvements over their predecessor, with a 12MP ultra-wide camera and 1440×1920 video resolution. In addition to the camera upgrade, the Metas are capable of live streaming to Facebook and Instagram. They are also available in more designs and lenses than before, so you can best personalize your frames.
- Great video resolution
- Live streaming capabilities
- Directed open-air audio
- Expensive
- Meta app dependent
The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are the company’s follow-up to its Ray-Ban Stories series. They feature an improved camera, better battery life, and more styles. While the Stories sported a 720p camera for video, the Meta smart glasses are capable of 1440×1920, with the improved 12MP sensor producing better still photography.
Unlike the Stories, the Meta smart glasses allow live-streaming on Instagram and Facebook. You can also swap between cameras during the stream, utilizing the glasses and your phone for more dynamic broadcasts. And with the Meta glasses, you can stream longer, as they feature 50% better battery life than the outgoing Stories.
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Personalizing your smart glasses has never been easier, as Ray-Ban offers the Metas in several styles with multiple lens options. One of the Ray-Ban Meta’s biggest advantages is that they wear closer to traditional sunglasses than smart glasses, meaning you can have some tech in your glasses without feeling like you’re walking around with a computer on your head.
OhO Bluetooth Sunglasses
Bluetooth-powered sunglasses
OhO’s Bluetooth Sunglasses offer a very light smart glasses option for users that want to take advantage of the included open-ear speaker technology. There aren’t any AR capabilities here, but if you’re interested in trying out some of the possibilities that smart glasses bring to the table, then OhO’s smart sunglasses are a solid option.
- Multiple color options
- Waterproof design
- No AR components
Compared to the more premium options above, the OhO SunShine Bluetooth smart glasses might not look like much, but for the price, they’re exactly what you’d expect. At under $50, this pair of smart glasses offers open-ear speakers that allow you to talk on the phone, listen to music, and more.
They support Bluetooth 5.0, which means you can expect low latency when listening to your favorite audio entertainment. They’re also IP44 water-resistant, which means you can wear them without having to worry about a little rain or sweat messing them up. There are also multiple color options, which might make this value option stand out. Of course, for this price you aren’t getting any kind of AR experience, so don’t expect it to stand up to the true smart glasses on this list.
Amazon Echo Frames
Great if you love using Alexa
The Amazon Echo Frames allow you access to Alexa hands-free from your eyewear. Directed open-air speakers let you enjoy music and take phone calls while minimizing the disturbance to those around you. They also feature Bluetooth 5.2, which allows for multi-point pairing, giving you the ability to walk between two devices without needing to disconnect and re-pair each time.
- Seamless Amazon integration
- Multi-point pairing
- Directed audio speakers
- Poorly designed charger
If you love Alexa and are firmly planted in the Amazon ecosystem, the third-generation Echo Frames might be the best option. They give you hands-free access to your favorite virtual assistant. Amazon reworked the button configuration for the third-gen, with newly added customizable buttons, allowing you a wide range of options for controls on the fly.
The Echo Frames feature directed speakers for open-air audio, meaning you can listen to your music and take calls while minimizing what those around you hear. Amazon also improved the battery, with the company claiming you can get up to 14 hours of mixed-use, enough to get you through your day. Bluetooth 5.2 allows for multi-point pairing, which means you can walk between two devices, and your Echo Frames will connect seamlessly — a major benefit to a wireless lifestyle.
Like the Ray-Ban Metas, Amazon offers a wide range of styles for Echo Frames. The frames have scratch-resistant lenses and IPX4 ratings, making them ready for your lifestyle. If you already have Alexa engrained in your digital lifestyle, the Echo Frames are a great way to extend its capabilities while keeping your smartphone in your pocket.
Snap Spectacles 3
Easily take photos and videos for Snapchat
The Snap Spectacles offer a near-perfect way for content creators to easily capture footage and create content centered around photos and videos for Snapchat. They don’t offer any kind of AR capabilities, but the internal storage means you can hold up to 100 videos and 1,000 photos, all of which you can easily access at any time.
- Stylish look
- High-definition cameras
- 4GB of flash storage
- No AR functions
- Limited usage beyond taking photos and videos for Snaps
The Snap Spectacles fall under the smart glasses moniker, but they aren’t actually AR glasses. Instead, they are essentially set up to act as a sports camera mounted at eye level, allowing you to capture the unique perspective that your life has to offer.
The Spectacles 3 are the latest version of Snap’s smart glasses, and their built-in cameras allow you to create content based around 3D snaps. They’re really useful for hardcore Snapchat users, but you’re not going to find any AR components here, like content projection or any kind of high-resolution display. Still, for what they are, the Snap Spectacles 3 are a solid set of smart glasses for content creators who spend most of their time on Snapchat.
Razer Anzu
Wear for longer times without having to charge as often
Great battery life makes the Razer Anzu a solid contender for your next smart glasses purchase. Combine that battery life with really responsive touch controls, and its even easier to justify adding these smart glasses to your shopping list. There are some limitations, though — like the fact you can’t hand off calls to other people.
- Great battery life
- Water-resistant
- Solid Bluetooth connection
- Can’t take off and hand to someone else during a call
- Speakers are loud
If battery life is important, the Razer Anzu is a great option for smart glasses buyers on the market for a new pair. These smart glasses are extremely light and offer up to five hours of battery life, which is excellent for these types of devices. The touch-enabled controls are also really responsive, and using water-resistant materials means you can interact with your smart glasses even if your hands are a little wet.
The Razer Anzu also sports built-in blue light filters, which help reduce eye strain while using them. The 60ms Bluetooth connection is great for people who want to use their smart glasses to talk on the phone, and the built-in omnidirectional mic offers solid audio quality.
Choosing smart glasses that fit you
Smart glasses are a diverse product class, with companies offering different features at varying prices. Therefore, it’s more important to narrow down the capabilities you want to avoid paying for the specs you don’t need. If you’re looking for a great display for your mobile tech and video games, the Xreal Air 2 Pros provide a fantastic solution, offering a high refresh rate and a crisp image.
If you like to live stream and capture video, the Ray-Ban Metas are your best bet, with their improved video resolution and battery life. Similarly, if you only need a voice assistant and would like to make some phone calls on the go, the OhO smart glasses are an affordable alternative. If you’re honest with yourself about how you’ll use your smart glasses, you can make an informed and economical decision.
Xreal Air 2 Pro
Works with a wide range of devices
The Xreal Air 2 Pro smart glasses are the best mix of price and performance if you’re looking for a great compliment to your mobile tech and video games. Instead of suffering on a small screen, the Air 2 Pros allow you to experience Samsung DeX, movies, and games on a large display with great cinema quality sound.
