Top 8 Smart Glasses for Hands-Free Internet Access

Forget about staring at your phone screen. Instead, just put on a pair of smart glasses for hands-free Internet access. They might look like regular glasses, but they let you watch movies, listen to music, talk with friends, and even capture videos and photos from your perspective. Some offer AR features, while others offer very basic features. If you’re in the market for the best smart glasses, this post will help you out.

Tip: before you invest in your first pair, learn all the awesome things you can do with smart glasses.

1. Best for Audio: Bose Frames Tempo

Price: $250

Bose is well-known for superior audio in all their products. The same holds with the Bose Frames Tempo. They’re designed for an active lifestyle and look like standard sporty sunglasses. No one would ever guess that you’re listening to your favorite music.

You’re limited to just audio with these smart glasses, but they have a 30-foot Bluetooth range. The Bose Open Ear Audio design stays out of your ears, making them far more comfortable than earbuds or headphones.

What’s great is the interchangeable polarized lenses. Switch between three types, or even have prescription lenses made. Also, the glasses are water and dirt-resistant, so feel free to have fun outdoors without worrying about damaging your glasses.

Pros

• Excellent sound quality, even at speeds of up to 25 MPH
• Perfect for outdoor use
• Customizable lenses and nose pads

Cons

• Limited to audio only (calls and music)
• Only eight hours of playtime per charge

2. Best for Facebook Integration: Ray-Ban Stories

Price: $300

Ray-Ban is a classic name in sunglasses, and the Ray-Ban Stories continues the trend of sleek-looking glasses. While some users reported the shell felt less durable than standard Ray-Bans, they still loved the overall look and feel. They come in various styles and colors to fit your personality.

Ray-Ban Stories are some of the best smart glasses for integrating with Facebook. You need a Facebook account and the View app. Once the glasses are connected to your phone and Facebook, any images and videos you capture download directly to the View app on your phone. You can also use the Facebook Assistant for voice control.

In addition to capturing photos, the glasses feature audio for music and calls. And, if you wear prescription lenses, don’t worry. These are available as standard glasses, sunglasses with prescription lenses, and even blue light filter lenses.

Pros

• Variety of colors, frame styles, and lenses
• Automatically downloads video and images to your phone
• Sporty look

Cons

• Requires Facebook account
• Hard to set up

Also helpful: unlink your Facebook and Instagram accounts if you want to protect your privacy with these smart glasses.

3. Best for Video: XREAL Air AR Glasses

Price: $380

The XREAL Air AR Glasses are portable smart glasses with a display. These AR glasses are designed for entertainment and productivity, letting you view up to a 201-inch virtual screen for movies, TV, and even desktop/laptop screens. Even better, you get a full 360-degree range of view.

Unlike most smart glasses, XREAL (formerly NReal) works wired and wirelessly. You can connect directly to your phone, computer, or gaming console to see a virtual screen, while still being able to see other things around you.

You can easily replace the lenses with prescription lenses if you need to, and adjust the arms to fit your head better. Enjoy AR gaming, virtual desktops, and movies/shows on a large screen.

Pros

• View your favorite media projected virtually on a large screen
• Works with most devices, including smartphones, gaming consoles, and computers
• Works wired and wirelessly

Cons

• Some features require the XREAL Beam for connectivity, which is sold separately
• May require a wired connection, depending on what you want to do

4. Best Camera: Spectacles 3 by Snap Inc.

Price: $380

It’s hard to beat Spectacles 3 by Snap Inc. when filming 360-degree video. Create immersive content that lets you relive the moment as if you were there. These innovative glasses feature two cameras to create 3D photos, and even let you film at 60 fps.

You aren’t limited to visual content, though – you can record high-fidelity audio with four microphones. Once you’ve taken a photo or video, wirelessly upload it to your phone, and edit it with Snapchat’s suite of 3D effects.

A VR viewer is included to let you view your creations, stepping back in time to experience the moment. Share with others via YouTube VR. They’re not the most attractive or comfortable smart glasses, but they’re fun and easy to use.

Pros

• Create 3D images and 360 video
• Share VR content with friends
• Easy to set up

Cons

• Requires Snapchat to use
• Many users reported discomfort with use
• No audio features for music or calls

Good to know: you can always invest in noise-cancelling earbuds if your smart glasses don’t support audio.

5. Best for Fitness Enthusiasts: solos Smart Glasses

Price: Starting at $200

While the solos Smart Glasses are ideal for almost anyone, they’re designed with health and fitness in mind. With 9-axis full motion sensors, you get motivation, tips, and even performance measurements to help you keep going and improve. Plus, they’re stylish sunglasses that offer superior UV protection while hiking, biking, and more.

With tech developed by MIT scientists, these are the best smart glasses to help with personalized fitness goals. They also feature call quality and allow hours of listening to your favorite music. Thanks to Whisper Audio Voice Extraction, ambient noise disappears, so all a caller hears is you.

No other smart glasses offer the same level of personalization. The Smart Hinge design lets you quickly snap on different frames, with over 30 options available. See solos Glasses official site for all your options. You can also use the solos AirGo app to customize audio, notifications, and more.

Pros

• Fitness tracking
• 360-degree spatial sound
• Voice assistant compatible
• Easily switch out frames
• 11-hour battery life

Cons

• Not the best sound quality for music

6. Best Prescription Smart Glasses: Vue Lite 2

Price: Starting from $200

Get the look and feel of real prescription glasses with some smart bonuses. The Vue Lite 2 smart glasses offer eight designs and can be fit with prescription or blue light filter lenses. Stay connected with your favorite voice assistant: Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant.

The weather-resistant smart glasses let you listen to GPS instructions, music, podcasts, and more with the open ear surround sound audio. There’s also a noise-canceling mic for better call quality.

Another fun feature is being able to take photos by using your glasses as the trigger. You simply open your phone’s camera app, and you’re all set. If your battery dies, it only takes 10 minutes to recharge.

Pros

• Made with prescription lenses
• Voice assistant compatibility
• Noise-canceling mic

Cons

• Only four hours of playback per charge
• Limited frame choices

Tip: if your smart glasses aren’t showing you everything you need, use an extended display with your iPad.

7. Best Alexa Integration: Amazon Echo Frames

Price: $270

The Amazon Echo Frames are part of Amazon’s Echo line of smart gadgets featuring Alexa integration. Pretty much anything you can do with Alexa, you can do with these smart glasses. But, if you prefer Google Assistant or Siri, the Echo Frames support those assistants, too.

The lightweight frames feature polarized lenses (four available styles) to protect your eyes. Easily hear what’s around you while listening to your music or other audio with open-ear technology. You can also turn off the mic anytime to better protect your privacy.

The glasses auto-adjust the volume based on your environment, letting you hear clearer. You can always turn this feature off if you want. Plus, thanks to the VIP Filter, which lets you choose which notifications are most important to you, you won’t be bothered with unimportant notifications.

Pros

• Voice assistant integration
• VIP notification filter
• Adjustable temple tips for added comfort

Cons

• Only two to four hours of battery life
• Often out of stock or limited varieties available

8. Best Budget Smart Glasses: Razer Anzu

Price: $200

While $200 may not seem budget-friendly, the Razer Anzu smart glasses are usually on sale for less than $50. However, they do just as much as many other pricier options. Listen to audio, take calls, and interact with your voice assistant, using your voice or intuitive touch controls.

They only come in small or large, with round or rectangular frames. But, the polarized lenses protect from UV rays and help filter blue light. Like most smart glasses, these have an open-ear design to keep you more aware of the environment around you.

The glasses work with your phone’s voice assistant. Get notifications, calendar updates, and news, and control connected smart devices. You can use the companion Razer app to customize the sound to meet your needs.

Pros

• Cheaper than most other options when on sale
• Works with voice assistants
• Customize audio

Cons

• Only two design options
• Minimal blue light filtering, only up to 35%
• Five-hour battery life

The best smart glasses should look and feel as much like normal glasses as possible while giving you hands-free access to music, calls, and more. Some can even help protect your eyes from your smartphone screen. If you’re opting for smart sunglasses to spend more time outside, try these smart gardening tools to help save you time.

Image credit: Unsplash