Top 6 Best AR Smart Glasses 2024

The phrase “smart glasses” can apply to a wide range of face-mounted devices, including voice assistant-enabled headphones, live-streaming cameras, and augmented reality displays. With trained eyes and ears, we have examined every pair of smart glasses on this list over the course of our many years of reviewing them. The Viture Pro XR, which projects a personal display directly in front of your eyes and connects to your computer or phone, is one that we especially enjoy. There are always new models available, so return frequently to see which ones are worthy of your consideration. You can click through to our entire reviews below for a closer look at each pair.

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Last update on 2024-08-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

Top 6 Best AR Smart Glasses of 2024

1.Viture Pro XR Glasses

Last update on 2024-08-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

The Viture Pro XR Glasses allow you to at least enjoy a large, bright display projected in front of your eyes, but we’re still a long way from fully functional, self-contained augmented reality glasses that can scan your surroundings and provide live updates and contextual information based on what you’re looking at. These glasses basically function as a portable USB monitor. For gaming or working, plug them into any compatible device to see a 1080p picture.

I’ve been looking for the best AR glasses for a while now because I travel frequently. Essentially, the ability to use my Steam Deck or M3 Pro MacBook Pro while sitting up straight and not have to bend my neck to view the screen has relieved me of any back pain.

Additionally, it prevents anyone who is seated next to you from spying on you (yes, I’m referring to you, Sam, in seat 35D on the flight to Dubai; I did warn you I would bring up your habit of gazing at my emails).

That was the Xreal Air 2 Pro up till now, which brought excellent technology and a superior software synergy that allowed these to bridging the gap between what these specs can do and the full spatial computing experience of a VR headset. Well, that is until now, as the Viture Pro has officially taken its place at the top of the pile.

For what reason is that the case? There are numerous reasons to truly use the potential of these glasses, ranging from the high-end, cozy design and enhanced Micro-OLED technology to the Myopia adaptability and product suite. In my personal experience, though, I would focus on only two factors that really pushed me over the edge:

The screen features excellent brightness, beautiful color reproduction, and no fuzzy edges, comparable to a 135-inch screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz.

The software: Apart from games, the SpaceWalker app is a game-changer for multi-screen spatial computing, even though it can be a little glitchy at times. It offers optimizations and convenience of use to maximize the capabilities of your laptop while you’re on the go.

This is, of course, Viture. In order to obtain the full experience using the Pro Mobile Dock and a controller to play to your heart’s content is going to cost you a fair bit. The glasses themselves are more than Xreal Air 2 Pro), and the full suite of hardware to unlock every feature is north.

But when you think about what these offer, and you are someone who makes the most of these features while out and about regularly, this is a price worth paying — especially when you’re unlocking some features that the Apple Vision Pro touts for a fraction of the cost.

2.Rokid Max

Last update on 2024-08-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

The Rokid Max glasses are more of a face-mounted monitor than a full augmented reality experience, scanning your surroundings and providing contextual information. You can activate a few motion-based features with an Android-only companion mobile app, but otherwise, the glasses just project an image in front of your eyes. They cost, which is a little more than the rival TCL NXTWear S, but they have a seven-degree broader field of view. Additionally, if you’re nearsighted, they provide diopter adjustment dials, a feature that is currently exclusive to the more expensive Viture One spectacles. This eliminates the need for you to acquire additional prescription lens inserts. The Rokid Max glasses are distinguished by their greater size even though they don’t resemble typical sunglasses as much as their rivals.

Although Rokid markets the Max as smart glasses, they’re really more akin to a monitor worn on the head that can overlay a nearly transparent view of your surroundings to project a vivid, colorful picture. Though their huge, almost bug-like oval front lenses make them look less like regular sunglasses than the TCL NXTWear S, they aren’t quite bulky and don’t scream “AR display.” Although the tinting of the lenses is not as intense as that of the NXTWear S sunshades, Rokid has included an opaque black plastic snap-on cover for the spectacles. In addition to making the picture harder to see, it efficiently blocks harsh light, which also makes the glasses appear even less subtle when worn.

On the bottom of the right temple are a brightness-cycling button and a volume rocker. In contrast, the left temple features a USB-C port on the end that may be used with the provided USB-C-to-USB-C cable to connect to a compatible device. The trade-off is that the cable is more likely to pull on your head or yank your attached device if you unintentionally move away from it. On the plus side, it is less likely to come loose than the magnetic connector on the NXTWear S and is more secure.
Above the inward-facing lenses is where the Rokid Max’s best physical feature is located. You may focus the lenses by adjusting their distance from your eyes using two tiny diopter wheels. This implies that you should be able to make the glasses appear crisp even if you’re nearsighted, without having to order prescription lens inserts like you do with the NXTWear S.

3.Nautica Smart Eyewear Powered by Lucyd

Last update on 2024-08-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

The Smart Eyewear from Nautica Powered by Lucyd, these glasses resemble regular spectacles but include integrated speakers and microphones for music playback, call taking, and communication with ChatGPT through a companion app on your phone. While the idea seems intriguing, utilizing the generative AI through the glasses is cumbersome and counterintuitive, and as of right now, it is limited to iOS. Nautica’s smart glasses, which retail for, are more affordable and have a longer battery life than the Amazon Echo Frames, but they have the same basic design flaws that lower audio quality. We suggest a pair of smart assistant-enabled earbuds like the Amazon Echo Buds which provide far higher sound quality and enable hands-free Alexa usage, for a better implementation of the same useful features.

The Astute Eyewear The first smart eyewear offering from sportswear company Nautica is the Powered by Lucyd range. It has teamed with glasses tech startup Lucyd, as the name suggests, and Nautica is supplying the style based on Lucyd’s underlying technology.

With the Nautica smart glasses, you may answer calls, listen to music, receive notifications, and interact with your phone’s digital assistant over Bluetooth connectivity. In essence, they are open-ear headphones with fashionable frames that house microphones.
Prior to the collaboration, Lucyd released a few versions of smart glasses under its own name, all of which had the same fundamental features—such as the ability to control the digital voice assistant on your phone, answer calls, and play music. Lucyd prioritized sound quality and battery performance improvements from its original model with the Lucyd 2.0 glasses that debuted in early 2023, and then later that year introduced the Lucyd Lyte 2.0, the first model touting interaction with ChatGPT. The Nautica version of the glasses have the same capabilities, only with the more well-known brand and its associated styles attached.

At first glance, all styles appear to be regular spectacles. The line’s incognito smarts are appealing since it takes close inspection to reveal the integrated technology. The other two of the four speakers are situated on the bottom of the temples, close to where they rise above your ear, while the other two are positioned atop the temples.

Near the front of the frames, a tiny metallic button protrudes from each temple, and pinholes for the noise-canceling microphones are positioned directly behind the buttons. Each temple has a small set of charging contacts inside.

4.Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

Last update on 2024-08-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

It seems only fitting that a Golden State business like Meta would be launching a new generation of smart glasses in tandem with one of the most well-known sunglasses manufacturers in the world just as the northern hemisphere is about to enter winter.

But in a gloomy and dark UK, I’m trying out the new Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses halfway around the world. I feel like a bit of a pillock, to use a very British expression, when I walk around in early November with a pair of sunglasses on my head, as it is definitely not the season for them.

Naturally, the purpose of these new Ray-Bans isn’t to block out intense sunlight—though they are still effective in that regard—as they have been rated to meet international safety requirements for the US, UK, EU, and Australia. Additionally, Ray-Ban offers more than just sunglasses; in addition to two frame types (the traditional Wayfarer and the new Headliner), they come in a variety of colors and with lenses that range in opacity from clear, “regular” specs to transitional to dark shades. For a premium, prescription lenses are also available—and probably necessary, as I’ll explain.

Regardless of the configuration you choose, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are all about the technology packed inside the frames, with a variety of speakers, cameras, and communication features designed to make it easy for users to record and share their lives.

The new model, which is based on the Ray-Ban Stories from 2021, has a number of noteworthy hardware improvements, resulting in a product that Meta is now comfortable enough to put its name on. The largest on-paper increase is for the integrated camera, which goes from 5 MP to 12 MP. As a result, the resolution of the photos is increased from 2592 x 1944 to 3024 x 4032. The video still maintains 30 frames per second but increases in size from 1184 × 1184 to 1376 x 1824.

The frames now have five exceptionally well-hidden microphones to improve the audio quality of your recordings, as well as upgraded directional speakers that sit directly in front of your ears and provide, according to Meta, a 50% increase in volume and twice the bass of their predecessors.

5.XReal Air 2

Last update on 2024-08-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

The XReal Air 2 augmented reality (AR) glasses are a competent and cozy head-mounted display that provides a 120Hz refresh rate and a bright, crisp, and reasonably wide image. They are reasonably priced, starting at for the Air 2 Pro glasses, which contain a lens-darkening feature), and are a suitable option for anyone who does not currently wear corrective lenses. However, if you’re nearsighted, you’ll need to purchase a costly insert. For this reason, we typically recommend the Rokid Max and the Viture One), as they both include integrated myopia focus knobs.

The XReal Air 2 glasses have an extremely basic and somewhat unattractive style. With the exception of chrome hinges joining the temples, the front of the frame and the lenses are nearly perfectly flat, and the entire frame is made of matte gray-black or red plastic. In contrast to the competing Viture One glasses, which have a darker black finish and more natural shapes, they have a generic, almost costumey appearance. The Rokid Max spectacles, with their protruding lenses that resemble bugs, are at the other end of the design range.

With its Kaleido Kit, sticker-like skins that come in a variety of colors and may cover the front of the face and the outward-facing sides of the temples, XReal offers a little bit of customisation along with a pop of color. The Kaleido Kit costs for each color and is available in dark green, light green, navy blue, pink, royal blue, or yellow. This price is a little high for a skin that looks so cheap.

A cloth-wrapped USB-C cable with an angled end that allows it to fall gently behind your ear is included. This cable connects to the USB-C port on the left temple to your preferred device. A pinhole microphone, a brightness rocker, and a multifunction button are located on the right temple. The point at which the temples begin to curl to rest on the ears is directly in front of downward-facing speakers. Enough room is provided for the glasses and the cord in the flip-open hard-shell case that is included.

6.Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen)

Last update on 2024-08-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

Although they seem promising in principle, audio-focused smart glasses perform poorly in real life. The third-generation Echo Frames from Amazon are more fashionable and covert than the previous model, with prices starting at during an introductory period and after that. Nevertheless, they are still unable to match the sound quality of traditional earbuds due to basic design restrictions. The mids and highs of the Frames are rather well-balanced, but they lack any bass and will overpower any music you’re trying to listen to. Positively, you can use Alexa to control your music, messaging, and smart home gadgets with your voice. They also have surprisingly good microphones and work pretty well for voice calls. Nevertheless, specialized headphones like Amazon’s Echo Buds are expensive.

The third-generation Echo Frames are available on Amazon in five distinct styles: gray rectangle, blue round tortoiseshell, brown cat eye tortoiseshell, black rectangle, and black square. There was only one rounded rectangular shape available in the previous iteration.

Prescription-ready configurations include flat, untreated lenses that are intended to be replaced by an optometrist with the prescription lenses of your choosing; Amazon does not manage prescription lenses directly. Like regular computer glasses, blue-light-filtering lenses contain a small tint to decrease blue light from screens. Your chosen frame color will be reflected in the hue of the lenses on your sunglasses.

Amazon claims that the blue glasses are simply “high-quality acetate.” All five Echo Frames styles are composed of acetate, with the exception of the blue frames, which are created particularly of Mazzuchelli 1849 Italian acetate.

Amazon supplied me the blue Echo Frames with blue light-filtering lenses so I could write this review. Even though I’m not a huge fan of tortoiseshell frames, this model’s acetate feels smooth, robust, and looks fantastic, even though it’s not from Italy’s Mazzuchelli 1849 like the other Echo Frames designs.

Buying Guide: The Best Smart Glasses for 2024

What Are Smart Glasses?

Any eyewear that has electronic components and is capable of functions other than vision correction and eye protection is considered a smart glass. That encompasses, as you may imagine, a vast range of gadgets with disparate functions.

With some overlap, we are able to narrow the selection of smart glasses down to a few distinct categories. Due to the speakers integrated into the frame, audio smart glasses can also be used as headphones. With the use of tiny projectors and lenses, augmented reality smart glasses can display images as though they were on a screen in front of your eyes. Smart glasses with an emphasis on social media come with built-in cameras that allow you to take pictures, record videos, and even broadcast live.

There are also other less common varieties of smart glasses, such as the Dusk and Music Shield glasses by Chamelo. With a swipe or an app, they can transition from translucent to sunglasses thanks to the adjustable tint provided by liquid crystal lenses. Similar technology is used by some AR glasses, such as the XReal Air 2 Pro and the Viture Pro, but with less control. Their displays make them heavier and less appropriate for strolling around aimlessly.

The Best Smart Glasses for Music and Calls

Since audio technology is present in the majority of devices, it is arguably the foundation of all smart glasses. Smart glasses with audio capabilities are essentially headphones in the form of eyewear, typically featuring tiny drivers that resemble earphones embedded into the temples and oriented to direct sound into your ears. They let you to use voice assistants and make phone calls in addition to allowing you to listen to music when paired with beam-forming microphones.

Because of the limitations imposed by acoustics and sound propagation, we haven’t come across any particularly interesting smart glasses that are just audio-focused. Bass is almost nonexistent with these glasses due to the large air space between the drivers and the ears. While the mids and highs may sound clear enough, the lower frequencies are not as well-represented as they may be, as we saw with the Bose Frames Tempo and the Razer Anzu. Because sound can seep through, you also lose a lot of privacy.