Huawei has announced a new pair of smart glasses for consumers to consider. The smart glasses trend has picked up in 2021 with new models from both old and new players in the space. Each company tries to approach smart glasses differently. While some focus on providing a camera-centered experience, such as Snapchat's Spectacles series and Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories, others focus on audio, such as the Razer Anzu Smart Glasses and Soundcore Frames.
Then there are the more advanced smart glasses options. For example, the Lenovo ThinkReality A3 is a pair of AR smart glasses that connect to a compatible PC or smartphone to allow users to be more productive when working by using features like a virtual monitor. TCL also has a pair of smart glasses that allow the wearer to watch a massive and virtual 140-inch screen.
The new Huawei smart glasses are not the company's first attempt. In the past, it has launched two sets of glasses with the Korean brand, Gentle Monster. However, it has decided to do things a bit differently with its latest pair as the new Huawei smart glasses run a version of HarmonyOS, Huawei's custom operating system that powers its phones, TVs, smartwatches, and speakers. The smart glasses also appear to be designed to only work with Huawei's own products which isn't all that surprising. Another big change is the design as buyers now have the option of swapping the frames. Huawei is offering six different designs overall, including an Aviator-style set of sunglasses. In addition, buyers can also get their prescription lenses fitted into the frames.
An Assistant On Your Face
Huawei's smart glasses come with a lot of features, but to sum up quickly they put an assistant on your face. The smart glasses will remind the wearer of appointments, and read out messages, as well as provide weather updates and translations. The glasses can also be used to take and make calls, or send voice messages. Thanks to the built-in stereo speakers, users can also listen to their favorite songs/podcasts without the need for separate headphones. Furthermore, the glasses also come with gesture support, allowing the use of a combination of swipes, pinches, and taps. Using any or a combination of these gestures, users can control playback and accept or reject calls. Adding to the feature list, there's also wear detection to automatically pause playback when the wearer takes them off. Speaking of detection, an interesting addition is posture detection which alerts the wearer to sit upright after detecting the head has been tilted downwards for a while.
The Huawei smart glasses can connect to two devices at the same time and fast pair support is available for those with an Huawei phone, tablet, or computer. The companion app can be used to manage connected devices and to see the smart glasses' last known location. When it comes to battery life, the smart glasses are equipped with an 85mAh battery that's capable of providing up to 4.5 hours of talk time and 6 hours of listening time. In addition, the proprietary charging USB-C cable supports fast charging. The spec sheet also mentions an IPX4 rating making them resistant to splashes but not dust.
Huawei is charging RMB 1699 which converts to about $267 for the smart glasses. However, the cost of a standalone frame is unknown. While the smart glasses are exclusive to China for now, there is a chance they will get a global release since its other smart glasses are sold in Europe and Asia Pacific. Unsurprisingly, the new Huawei smart glasses are not expected to make their way to North America.
Source: Huawei