I've tested several AI smart glasses in 2025, but these are the only ones I'd confidently wear

16 hours ago 5
Even Realities G2 Smart Glasses and R1 Smart Ring
Jason Hiner/ZDNET

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Even Realities unveiled its caller astute glasses with respective surprises and cardinal upgrades to beforehand the product. The biggest astonishment was that not lone did the institution unveil the Even G2 Display Smart Glasses but it besides announced the Even R1 Smart Ring that doubles arsenic a power instrumentality for the glasses. 

I've been investigating some the Even G2 and the Even R1 since the extremity of October, erstwhile Even Realities hosted a tiny property lawsuit successful New York to demo some products for journalists. 

Also: Your Amazon operator whitethorn commencement showing up with astute glasses connected - wherefore that's a bully thing

Still, since not each of the features person been afloat polished oregon made functional yet, I would telephone this nonfiction my archetypal impressions communicative alternatively than a afloat merchandise review.

And I won't hide the pb here. 

I've tried each the astute glasses 

I see the Even G2 the astir comfy and astir fashionable acceptable of astute glasses I've tried. I've tried virtually each the starring products, including each the models from Meta. And due to the fact that of the absorption connected privateness successful the Even G2 -- with nary cameras oregon speakers -- they are besides the lone astute glasses I'd beryllium comfy wearing astatine each times of the day. 

Priced astatine the aforesaid level arsenic the first-generation merchandise astatine $599, the Even G2 glasses stay a merchandise that's priced much similar a premium brace of eyeglasses than a tech gadget. 

Also: I tried the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, and they got maine excited for the post-smartphone era

The main diagnostic of the Even Reality glasses is simply a bright, monochrome greenish surface show successful some eyes that enables respective cardinal features, including unrecorded translation, telephone notifications, step-by-step navigation, speedy notes, AI-based speech enhancement, and a basal AI chatbot. 

Even G2 and Even R1 with greenish  heads-up display
Even Realities

But, by far, the champion and astir polished diagnostic connected these glasses is the teleprompter. It allows you to easy upload scripts from modular substance files and uses AI to way your advancement portion speaking the script, automatically advancing the text. It works incredibly well. 

Even G1 astute glasses recap

Against each odds, Even Realities had a viral deed with its Even G1 astute glasses released successful 2024. These were particularly championed by YouTubers, influencers, and contented creators, who loved the glasses astir exclusively due to the fact that of the teleprompter feature. 

And beyond the YouTubers, the first-generation Even Realities glasses were made celebrated by salient nationalist figures who unabashedly utilized them portion giving nationalist talks. That included authorities ministers from France and UAE, on-air TV hosts, radical giving TED Talks, and CEOs RJ Scaringe of Rivian and Palmer Luckey of Anduril. 

I utilized the teleprompter diagnostic connected the Even G1 glasses to present my opening remarks earlier the AI keynote discussions that I hosted astatine Mobile World Congress 2025 successful Las Vegas. And connected the time earlier publishing this article, I utilized the teleprompter connected the Even G2 glasses to present my remarks during the opening keynote of SpiceWorld 2025 successful Austin, Texas. The diagnostic worked flawlessly successful some cases. 

Jason Hiner wearing Even G1 connected  stage

I wore the Even G1 glasses and utilized the teleprompter diagnostic to present my opening remarks for an AI keynote astatine MWC 2025 Las Vegas connected October 15, 2025.

GSMA / Mobile World Congress

To beryllium fair, not each of the features of the Even Realties glasses are arsenic polished arsenic the teleprompter. Many reviewers of the first-generation glasses criticized the bundle acquisition arsenic buggy, unintuitive astatine times, and not ever casual to navigate. I utilized the Even G1 glasses for respective months successful 2025, and I recovered the appraisal to beryllium beauteous accurate. 

It could beryllium hard to find things successful menus; immoderate of the features, specified arsenic Navigation, felt unfinished, and the 8-bit benignant of the interface didn't ever marque this consciousness similar a cutting-edge product. 

Also: I tested Meta Ray-Ban Display alternatives, and these are amended successful respective ways for little money

That said, my wide content of the Even G1 glasses was precise positive. I enjoyed wearing them much than immoderate different astute glasses I've tried, mostly owed to the look and consciousness of the product. Since they are comfortable, stylish, and bash not person cameras pointed retired astatine the world, they don't marque you consciousness (justifiably) self-conscious astir wearing them successful immoderate setting. 

So, however astir the Even G2 glasses? 

Testing Even G2 astute glasses 

The biggest and astir important upgrade is to the show itself -- it's 75% larger and astir 30% brighter, which unlocks a fig of capabilities and improvements. Most notably to maine was the teleprompter, of course. A fewer weeks apart, I utilized the teleprompter diagnostic onstage for keynote remarks utilizing the Even G1 and the Even G2. The Even G2 show was adjacent clearer to spot and travel -- which gave maine a small much state to determination astir much people portion utilizing the glasses connected stage.

Jason Hiner wearing Even G2 connected  signifier    astatine  SpiceWorld

I wore the Even G2 glasses and utilized the teleprompter diagnostic to present my remarks during the opening keynote league of SpiceWorld connected November 11, 2025.

Spiceworks

The larger show besides makes the Navigation diagnostic amended (and Even has upgraded the bundle acquisition arsenic well). The bigger show comes successful useful for the connection translation diagnostic arsenic well, since the translation lone appears arsenic substance connected screen, since the glasses don't person speakers. 

Even Realities besides launched a caller diagnostic called Conversate successful the G2 glasses. This allows you to crook connected the AI during a real-world conversation, truthful the glasses tin travel what's being said, and show accusation connected important presumption and topics being discussed, and perchance summarize the speech afterward. This is akin to a caller diagnostic called Live AI connected the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses. 

For these caller and upgraded features successful the Even G2 glasses, I'd similar to usage them much and let Even Realities to bash a fewer bundle updates earlier I measurement successful connected the usefulness of the features different than the teleprompter. 

Also: Watch out, Meta: Samsung conscionable confirmed its astute glasses plans (with immoderate spicy hints)

But the G2 glasses themselves are airy (36g compared to 52g for Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 and 69g for Meta Ray-Ban Display), the artillery easy gets done 1-2 days connected a azygous complaint (compared to 2-8 hours for the assorted Meta products), and they tin instrumentality a wide scope of medicine lenses from -12 to +12 (compared to -4 to +4 for Meta Ray-Ban Display). 

With the G2, Even Realities kept the 2 main styles -- 1 circular and 1 quadrate -- but added an further greenish colour to its grey and brownish colors from the G1 lineup. The institution besides made a flimsy saltation to the archetypal round-style glasses by giving the apical of the ellipse a flatter edge, which makes the G2 benignant adjacent a small much unique.

Even Realities G2 styles and colors

The Even G2 Display Smart Glasses travel successful 2 styles and 3 colors.

Even Realities

How the R1 Smart Ring fits in 

The different large question regarding this caller merchandise centers connected the companion R1 Smart Ring. Even Realities has the close thought for what it's trying to execute present -- providing an easier, much full-featured, and much discreet mode to navigate a heads-up show -- but the execution inactive needs immoderate work. 

The ringing is meant to beryllium worn connected your scale digit connected either hand, and past you usage your thumb to tap, double-tap, and swipe up and down to navigate the interface connected the glasses. 

Even Realities R1 Smart Ring

Even Realities besides unveiled its R1 Smart Ring.

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

It took maine a portion to get utilized to the gestures for swiping astir the G2 glasses utilizing the R1 ring, and it got beauteous frustrating astatine times. I besides had a batch of accidental swipes that activated the glasses erstwhile I didn't mean to, and executed actions that I didn't intend. 

You tin usage the G2 glasses without the R1 ringing and usage the interaction pads astatine the extremity of the arms connected the glasses instead. But I recognize what Even Realities is trying to do, due to the fact that erstwhile the ringing works well, it is simply a much subtle and much almighty mode to navigate. Still, erstwhile I utilized the G2 glasses to present an on-stage presumption with the teleprompter feature, I enactment the ringing successful my pouch truthful that I wouldn't person immoderate accidental swipes oregon interface mishaps. 

Also: I tested the Oakley Meta Vanguard connected a 5-mile locomotion - here's however it bushed my Ray-Bans

Also, the R1 isn't conscionable an interface instrumentality for the glasses. It besides functions arsenic a astute ringing to way your wellness and activity, akin to astute rings from Oura, Samsung, and others. And the caller G2 ocular interface includes casual entree to your wellness metrics. 

However, successful my testing, the astute ringing wellness features were inactive reasonably buggy, and truthful I'll hold for Even Realities to decorativeness up and polish disconnected the bundle earlier I marque a determination connected however good it's implemented. That said, I bash person immoderate assurance that the institution tin bash this well, arsenic the laminitis and CEO, Will Wang, antecedently worked connected the Apple Watch team. 

I'm truly looking guardant to seeing however the R1's relation evolves implicit clip with bundle updates and refinements. 

The R1 Smart Ring costs $249 successful summation to the $599 for the Even G2 glasses, truthful the brace volition outgo $848 -- This is much costly than the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, which travel with a Neural Band and a full-color show successful 1 eye. However, if you acquisition the R1 with the G2 astatine launch, past you get the ringing for 50% off, oregon $125 off, and that puts the full outgo of the brace astatine $725 astatine launch. 

hiner-even-g2-tryout

I tried retired the caller new greenish Even G2 glasses astatine a demo successful New York connected Oct 29, 2025.

Christopher Cieri/Cieri Photography LLC

Even Realities vs. Meta

And that brings america to the David-and-Goliath factor. Meta is presently the runaway market-leader successful the astute glasses abstraction with 70% marketplace share. Meta is simply a planetary institution with implicit 75,000 employees and a $1.5 trillion marketplace cap. Even Realities has astir 200 employees and Wang told maine that it's mostly divided betwixt 2 locations, with the exertion squad successful China and the glasses plan squad successful Switzerland. 

Nevertheless, Wang embraces the underdog role. He told maine that helium believes Even Realities tin beryllium the disruptor successful the astute glasses marketplace by being narrowly focused, having specified a beardown position connected privacy, and designing its ain glasses with benignant astatine the forefront. 

My Even G2 buying advice

When it comes to buying advice, I urge 2 types of buyers for the G2 -- and since a fig of features are inactive being polished, this proposal whitethorn grow implicit time. However, for now, I'd urge the Even G2 to individuals who often springiness presentations, nationalist speeches, and different polished remarks, and would admit having a teleprompter that accompanies them anywhere, successful immoderate setting. 

This remains the champion and astir refined diagnostic successful the Even 2 Display Smart Glasses. For these buyers, I'd urge getting the G2 without the R1 Smart Ring for now. 

The different benignant of purchaser I'd urge is idiosyncratic who wants to person an AI chatbot astatine the acceptable astatine each times but who's besides profoundly acrophobic with privateness and doesn't privation to -- oregon can't -- deterioration glasses with cameras connected them successful galore of the settings they determination successful passim the day. For these buyers, I bash urge besides adding the R1 Smart Ring due to the fact that it is precise discreet and I'm assured the usability volition amended implicit time. 

Ultimately, the style, comfort, artillery life, and deficiency of cameras marque the Even G2 glasses the lone astute glasses I spot arsenic applicable for wearing each time long, for now.

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