Skip These CES Smart Glasses: 3 Better Alternatives to Buy

The Halliday smart glasses generated significant buzz at CES with promises of proactive AI assistance, but the final product fails to deliver a compelling user experience. After extensive testing, these AI-powered spectacles feel more like a prototype than a finished consumer device, making them difficult to recommend over established alternatives.

While the Halliday glasses boast a sleek, minimalist design that closely resembles traditional eyewear, this aesthetic appeal comes at a significant functional cost. The absence of a camera represents a major limitation in today’s smart glasses market, preventing users from capturing first-person photos or providing visual context to the AI assistant. This missing feature becomes particularly noticeable when compared to competitors like Meta’s smart glasses or Rokid’s offerings, where visual context serves as a fundamental component of the AI interaction.

Audio quality presents another substantial disappointment. The built-in speakers produce hollow, tinny sound that falls well below modern standards, making even budget gas station earbuds seem superior by comparison. Music and podcasts lose their richness and depth, creating an auditory experience that feels more like listening through a cheap piezoelectric buzzer than proper audio equipment.

The miniature display positioned above the right eye proves challenging for reading anything beyond brief notifications. Text appears cramped and difficult to parse comfortably, while competing products have already advanced beyond this basic implementation. Rokid Glasses utilize waveguide lens technology to project information directly into the user’s field of vision, creating a more natural and readable interface based on hands-on demonstrations.

Software performance compounds these hardware shortcomings. The ring controller suffers from noticeable input lag, sometimes failing to register commands entirely. This creates constant friction during use, transforming simple tasks into frustrating exercises in patience. The AI assistant itself provides superficial responses that often require multiple follow-up questions to extract meaningful information, undermining the promised “proactive” assistance.

Practical considerations further diminish the glasses’ appeal. Unlike many modern wearable devices, the carrying case doesn’t function as a charging accessory. This oversight means users must remember to manually recharge the glasses separately, a detail easily forgotten in daily routines. The combination of these limitations makes the $499 price tag difficult to justify when superior options exist at similar price points.

For those seeking capable smart glasses without breaking the bank, the displayless Ray-Ban Meta glasses deliver more consistent performance and practical functionality. Their integrated camera, superior audio, and reliable AI assistance provide a more polished experience that better serves everyday needs. The charging case convenience alone represents a significant quality-of-life advantage over the Halliday design.

If an integrated display remains a priority, Rokid’s upcoming glasses show promising potential based on demonstration units. Their waveguide technology creates a more immersive viewing experience while maintaining competitive pricing, particularly during early bird promotions. Alternatively, investing in the latest Meta Ray-Ban models provides access to more refined technology and proven reliability, despite the higher initial cost.

(Source: techradar)