Reviews: The 10 Best Bluetooth Sunglasses Prove We’re Living in the Future

As much as we all love our Bluetooth earbuds and our slick sunglasses, wouldn’t it be easier if there was a way to combine them both into a single package? Innovation prayers have been answered, as brands have started to find new ways to incorporate the latest and greatest audio technology into sunglasses. Today, the best Bluetooth sunglasses (also called smart glasses) let users listen to music, stay connected to their phone, and even record video.*

There’s no need to fuss about whether or not headphones will stay in place with Bluetooth sunglasses, and there’s also no need to worry about broadcasting music for everyone to hear either. The speakers in most of these shades are located directly above the ears where they’ll gently radiate the music for the wearer’s ears only — without disturbing others.

Over the last two years, SPY’s editors and reviewers have tested all of the major Bluetooth sunglasses from brands like Ray-Ban, Anker, Bose and Razer. At first, this technology seemed like it could be a fad, but after testing out the top options for SPY readers, we’re convinced this technology is here to stay.

To help choose the right pair of smart glasses, we put together a guide to the best Bluetooth sunglasses. Keep reading to see the top products from brands such as Ray-Ban, Anker, and Bose.

1. Ray-Ban Stories

BEST OVERALL

Ray-Ban Stories smart sunglasses were an easy choice for the best Bluetooth sunglasses on this list. Thanks to the Ray-Ban influence, these sunglasses have a more stylish design than the competition, and they’re available in multiple colors. The technology is powered by Facebook, aka Meta, and these are one of the coolest new products tested by SPY.com. Our Tech Editor John Velasco found that these shades are great for creators producing content for TikTok, YouTube, and other social media apps — though they do have a steep price tag.

After testing these out, we were impressed by the audio quality both in terms of the speakers and the microphone. With these smart Bluetooth sunglasses, users can record hands-free video in 1184 x 1184 resolution (with photography capabilities as well). Finally, we appreciate the compact design, as these sunglasses aren’t as bulky and clunky as the first generation of Bluetooth glasses.

Best Features: Stylish, timeless frame design; surprisingly good audio; record video on the go; hands-free.

Battery Life: 6 Hours

Full Review: Ray-Ban Stories

2. Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses

RUNNER UP

Bose is one of the best audio manufacturers in the world, so it makes sense that they’re the ones to beat when it comes to audio quality in Bluetooth sunglasses. Until recently, we rated these as the “Best Overall” smart sunglasses, so why have they been demoted to “Runner Up” status? Bose’s Bluetooth sunglasses were first released in 2019, and the newer Ray-Ban Stories simply offer a more impressive feature set — not to mention design backed by Ray-Ban. However, Bose Frames are still mighty impressive.

What we love about this design is that the audio produced is barely audible to anyone other than the wearer. As mentioned, tiny speakers are included in the back stems of the glasses closest to the ears for subtlety. As with all of their products, the audio quality is great, but we’re also really happy with the quality of the sunglasses as well; they’re shatter- and scratch-resistant, which is a better level of protection than most fashion-oriented frames. Furthermore, the shades themselves come in both a wayfarer and rounded style, so there’s something to fit a majority of face shapes. Discreet, stylish, and high-quality? That’s a triple threat if we’ve ever heard of one.

Best Features: Multiple frame styles available; excellent audio quality.

Battery Life: Up To 5.5 Hours

Full Review: Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses

Editor’s Note: This product is currently unavailable.

3. Anker Soundcore Frames

CUSTOMIZABLE DESIGN

The problem with most smart sunglasses is that they often just come in one particular style. To switch up the style means investing an entirely new pair in a different version. That’s why we were stoked to try the Anker Soundcore Frames. What makes these Bluetooth-enabled sunglasses unique is that they feature a detachable front frame, giving users the ability to mix and match for a wide range of styles. Besides that unique quality, the Anker Soundcore Frames feature an open ear audio design that has the capacity for listening to music and conducting phone calls — all while still being able to hear the surrounding environment.

We were shocked by how good these sunglasses sounded, with audio quality comparable to average wireless earbuds (without drowning out ambient noise). They’re also a great option for driving; staying alert to is easy because the spears won’t drown out the surrounding environment. While testing these on the road, our reviewer was able to hear notifications and access Siri for hands-free control. Finally, touch-sensitive controls on the arms make it easy to adjust volume, media playback, and voice assistant access.

Best Features: Superb audio; interchangeable frames; customized touch controls via Soundcore app;  IPX4 sweatproof design.

Battery Life: 5.5 Hours

Full Review: Soundcore Frames

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5. Ampere Dusk

ADJUSTABLE SHADE

Ampere is known for its wide array of accessories for smartphones and smart home devices, but the company brought its expertise to the outdoors with the Ampere Dusk. It’s the only pair that features electrochromic lenses that can be adjusted for any situation. Whether it’s a bright sunny day or an overcast afternoon, users can adjust the shade intensity of the lenses, either by pressing a button on the frame or through the mobile app, all to achieve that perfect comfort level. This pair of Bluetooth sunglasses are also water resistant and can play music.

Best Features: Adjust the shade level of the lenses with a push of a button.

Battery Life: 7 days of paired tint adjustment; 4 hours of listening

Full Review: Ampere Dusk

6. Amazon Echo Frames

GREAT FOR ALEXA

When thinking of smart glasses, the image might conjure futuristic frames with lenses doubling as screens. The Echo Frames aren’t that. Instead, the glasses look, well, like normal glasses. The two arms that go around your ears are a bit thicker to hold the microphones and speakers to talk to and listen to Alexa. The lenses are just lenses — no crazy screens or cameras with facial recognition technology. Users can activate the glasses by pressing the button on the top of the right arm, and double-tapping the button will deactivate the microphone. Once activated, Alexa is there on-the-go. It’s a little more convenient than the Echo Loop; Since the glasses have speakers on the arms, Alexa can answer any inquiry without needing to lift a finger, like the Loop. The glasses connect to the phone via Bluetooth and last roughly 4 hours on a single charge.

Best Features: Available with sunglasses, prescription, or blue light lenses; works great with Alexa and other Amazon devices.

Battery Life: 4 Hours

Editor’s Note: This product is currently unavailable.

7. OhO Sunshines Bluetooth Audio Sunglasses

BEST SPORT FRAMES

With a frame that’s similar to the classic Oakley shades that were ubiquitous in the ’90s, the OhO Sunshine Bluetooth audio sunglasses are a sportier look than the other frames we’ve featured thus far. The wraparound style lends itself to running and cycling, as well as other high-octane activities. As with other shades we’ve featured, there’s a built-in microphone to take calls or activate a voice assistant. The polarized lens protection will prevents cracks and scratches, and they sit comfortably on the face for extended periods of time.

Best Features: Polarized lenses; affordable Bluetooth sunglasses for listening to music.

Battery Life: 4-5 Hours

8. Snapchat Spectacles 2 Bluetooth Video Sunglasses

BEST FOR VIDEO

Made for more than just sharing videos to Snapchat, the new and improved version of the Spectacles look significantly less garish than the previous edition. All the great features that made the initial Spectacles such a hot ticket item are still present, albeit in a more subtle — and stylish — package. High-quality video recording is ready at the touch of a button (along with photos, too). From there, they’ll sync over Bluetooth where users can share videos to a variety of platforms including YouTube, Twitter, iMessage, and Snapchat. With polarized lenses and water resistance, they’re certainly built for the elements. It’s a compelling package, made even better.

If shopping primarily for Bluetooth sunglasses to listen to music or stay connected, these aren’t a great option. However, for video recording (especially around water), the Spectacles 2 Nico frames are still a worthy pair to consider.

Best Features: Record up to 70 videos on a single charge; water-resistant.

Battery Life: n/a

Editor’s Note: This product is currently unavailable.

9. Inventiv Bluetooth Audio Sunglasses

MOST COLORFUL

These black and orange Bluetooth audio sunglasses from Inventiv are as striking as a warm summer’s day, which will make them a perfect companion for jaunts down to the beach to soak up the sun. While the three-hour battery life isn’t as long-lasting as we’d like, the Bluetooth 4.0 output allows the user to be up to 30 feet away from an audio device without losing playback. Additionally, the lenses are fully polarized to provide high-quality protection from the sun’s rays.

Best Features: Polarized lenses; hands-free calling.

Battery Life: 3 Hours

10. Solos Argon 3

LONGEST BATTERY LIFE

Sure, it can play music and accept phone calls, but the Solos Argon 3 goes beyond that by doubling as a step tracker to monitor the user’s fitness level. Furthermore, these smart sunglasses can detect the wearer’s posture and even give reminders to sit up properly. However, it beats a lot of the competition in the battery life department where it can put up 11 hours of music listening, or about 8 hours of call time.

Best Features: Built-in step tracker; posture correction.

Battery life: 11 Hours

Coming Soon: Human Capable Norm Bluetooth Audio and Video Sunglasses

Fresh off a successful crowdfunding campaign, Human Capable’s Norm Bluetooth sunglasses are described as a “fully functioning microcomputer in your glasses.” Unfortunately, like a lot of Kickstarter projects, there have been some delays in shipping these smart glasses to customers, and the expected price has increased quite a bit. Still, these Bluetooth sunglasses have the potential to be the most advanced product in this category yet. Capable of making phone calls, taking photos and video, visual navigation, watching movies, and listening to audio, the Norm is basically an extremely stylish upgrade over the much-bemoaned Google Glass.

We can’t wait to get our hands on a pair to see if they’re as promising and exciting as they seem to be. They’re not quite for sale yet, but are available for pre-order at Norm’s website right now. According to a recent update posted to Indiegogo, there are ongoing updates being made.

How We Chose the Best Bluetooth Sunglasses

As we explained above, we were initially very skeptical about this product category, so we approached testing carefully. The first Bluetooth sunglasses worth buying came out in 2019, and in the years since, we’ve seen major new releases in this market. We’ve had the chance to test all of the top options at this point.

When reviewing Bluetooth sunglasses, we consider the following criteria:

Setup and Installation: How easy is it to get these sunglasses out of the box and onto the face? When rating Bluetooth sunglasses on setup, we also consider how easily they pair to devices via Bluetooth and how reliable that connection proves to be.

Design: This is a criterion that’s partly subjective. Ultimately, we expect the best Bluetooth sunglasses to look cool, and if they don’t, that’s a problem. However, design also includes special features, such as automatically shutting off when the arms are folded. When selecting the top products in this category, we considered how many unique design features are present with each particular product.

Audio Quality: Ultimately, this is one of the most important factors in our Bluetooth sunglasses reviews. When wearing these sunglasses, can you clearly hear music and phone calls? In addition, how noticeable is the sound to people around you? Microphone quality also plays a role in this part of the review.

Camera Performance: Not all Bluetooth sunglasses have cameras, but for those that do, we considered both overall video quality (resolution, field of view) and how easy it was to record video.

Battery Life: How long does the battery life last compared to the manufacturer’s promises?

Privacy Features: Unfortunately, we’re usually disappointed when it came to privacy features. For new Bluetooth sunglasses, there are some improved privacy features, and we always consider this when reviewing smart products.

App Quality: Do the sunglasses come with their own app? If so, we ask our product reviewers to download the app to their smartphones and test out the various customization features. This isn’t a huge factor in our final ranking of the best Bluetooth sunglasses, but it is something we consider.

When selecting the best Bluetooth sunglasses for this roundup, we balanced all of the criteria listed here with audio quality, design, and camera quality being the biggest factors in our ranking.

Why Invest in Bluetooth Sunglasses?

We know that the best Bluetooth sunglasses are expensive, and one might be reluctant to drop $200 or more on these frames. We understand there may be skepticism, especially since this is still a new type of product. However, we think there are three very good reasons to invest in a pair.

Fewer Distractions From Devices

One of the major reasons to own a pair of Bluetooth sunglasses is that they help to sever that need to constantly look at a smartphone. Most of them do this through voice control and notifications with their respective speaker technologies. Therefore, there’s no need to take out a phone to read an email notification or text message — the sunglasses will notify the user. Many of them can also initiate connections to virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, by simply speaking the keyword.

Record Life Moments

But Bluetooth sunglasses aren’t just for audio; there are plenty of great video options as well for when there’s that really cool moment or experience that should be recorded from a first-person perspective. Perfect for any outdoor activity (visiting the beach, hiking, exercising outdoors), we have a feeling everyone will be reaching for these time and time again.

A Mashup Between Style and Tech

Today’s Bluetooth sunglasses are nothing like earlier versions that were often bulky and ugly-looking. Instead, they’re designed to blend in with the wearer’s sense of style, which is why some of them are available in many different frames. Looking good is one part of the recipe, while the other relates to the tech behind them. Considering how the majority of them pack in speakers, microphones, batteries, and many other components; it’s amazing how they can remain sleek and seamless when worn.

Updates: This article was last updated on Friday, June 3, 2022, at which time we added the Ampere Dusk in the #5 position. Previously, this article was updated on Thursday, May 22, at which time we added the Solo Argan 3-in-1 Bluetooth Sunglasses. Before that, we added in-depth information about our testing and review process. In addition, after further testing of the Anker Souncore Frames, Razer’s Anzu Smart Glasses and Ray-Ban Stories, we updated our reviews and overall product ranking. We selected the Ray-Ban Stories as our new “Best Overall” pick and the Anker Souncore Frames as our new #3 selection. We removed the Gelete Smart Bluetooth Sunglasses, which do not meet our new standards for this category. Finally, we added additional information about the Norm Bluetooth Sunglasses, which are subject to ongoing shipping delays.

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