Headphones are headphones. Earbuds are earbuds. Glasses are glasses.
These are truths that anyone and everyone knows. Until recently there wasn’t ever a bridge between the eyewear and audio worlds. That is at least not one that grew to be a household name.
Imagine it though, think about how convenient it would be to be able to listen to music without plugging your ears with earbuds — no matter how comfortable. Imagine what it would be like to be able to always be able to hear outside conversations if needed without needing to switch to transparency mode.
You could be at a park, walking outside with your sunglasses on. You could be sitting at home working and don’t want to block out your kids in case they need you, but you want to be able to listen to music. Perhaps you are reading after putting the kids to bed and want to listen to music but need to listen in case they wake up.
When I first heard about the Soundcore Frames, I didn’t think they would come out as cool as they sounded. I thought that it would be another attempt, but miss the mark. However, I am thrilled to say I was dead wrong. These things are wonderful. After trying them for a few weeks, I can say that they are very helpful, incredibly useful, and I haven’t even had the chance to put my prescription into the lenses yet.
Soundcore Frames are glasses with interchangeable frames that are also smart glasses with speakers built in. What this means is that with a simple disconnect of the temples, I can swap out clear frames with sunglasses, blue filter glasses, and more.
The speakers are perfect for listening to music while other things are going on that I need to be able to pay some attention to, but they are also great for phone calls. The dual microphones pick up my voice clearly, and the speakers are clear, even while staying quiet enough to not be heard by nosey desk mates.
Operation is easy and intuitive. There is a built-in smart assistant to make changing the song or volume easy. Personally, I prefer to use the temples. Sliding forward and back on either end allows for me to turn the volume up or down and skip a song or return to previous. Tapping can pause, play, switch listening mode or any number of other things I set them to do with the companion Soundcore app.
These glasses are rated at 5.5 hours. With heavy use at about 80% volume I would reach just a little bit longer than 5 hours.
These glasses have absolutely blown my mind at how simple and ingenious they are. I know other companies have tried to make this vision happen, but it feels like Soundcore’s version just makes sense all around. If nothing else, this is the next step into the future. Where we can have smart glasses to expand our smartwatches and smartphones.
