Best smart glasses 2023

The best smart glasses will have you feeling like you're in the future, and can be a huge help to daily life too.

Smart glasses may just be the next big thing for augmented and mixed reality tech by bringing the power of AR to wearable frames on your head, as opposed to a large VR headset, for instance, which essentially makes everything more convenient and portable for daily use.

The last decade or so has seen multiple attempts to bring the tech to market, including Google Glass, but it is only within the last couple of years that it's become more viable for AR-type smart glasses to make their way to us.

There are only a handful of genuinely good smart glasses on the market right now though, and we've rounded up the very best to help you sift through the rubbish and start your search in the best way possible.

Best smart glasses

1. Vuzix Blade Upgraded
2. Lenovo ThinkReality A3
3. Epson Moverio BT-300
4. Snap Spectacles

Credit: Vuzix

1. Vuzix Blade Upgraded

Best smart glasses from Vuzix

The Vuzix Blade Upgraded, as things stand, is one of a handful of smart glasses around, and certainly does look rather capable.

You'll find that it runs Android and utilises a clever transparent display through waveguides which works by projecting the image onto a clear panel.

The resolution for this is 480 x 480, meaning it's designed for showing key information only, but it's still rather cool that the glasses feature them.

In addition, you'll find that the Vuzix Blade Upgraded runs Android and features voice control, which is convenient, and offers up 8GB of total internal storage, which can be expanded via the included microSD card slot

A 470mAh battery also means you should be able to utilise these glasses for between four and six hours before they need to be charged.

• Read More: Best VR gloves

Credit: Lenovo

2. Lenovo ThinkReality A3

Best smart glasses from Lenovo

For those wanting a powerful pair of tethered glasses that can connect to select PCs and smartphones, then the Lenovo ThinkReality A3s look to be an incredible choice.

In essence, these glasses allow you to create a virtual monitor that can be used for working alongside a phone or laptop and provide you with a clear way of seeing what you're working on, without the need for multiple, physical monitors.

To achieve this, the Lenovo ThinkReality A3s feature 200 nits of brightness and a per-eye resolution of 1920x1080, or Full HD, and utilises a Qualcomm XR-1 Smartviewer processor.

As things stand, this is a brilliant choice for enterprise users, and considering Lenovo is a major exponent in Qualcomm's Snapdragon Spaces tech with these exact glasses, it may be the case that they also become a handy device for the general public, too.

• Read More: Best VR indie games

Credit: Epson

3. Epson Moverio BT-300

Best smart glasses from Epson

The Epson Moverio BT-300s look like quite the versatile pair of smart glasses, and therefore are good for a wide range of tasks.

They come packed with power, which is spearheaded by its 1.44GHz Intel Atom processor, which can also allow it to work at snappy speeds and display content on the rather bright Si-OLED panels with a 1280x720 resolution and a 23-degree FOV.

A weight of 60g also means the Epson Moverio BT-300s are some of the lightest smart glasses out there, and also in a wider sense, some of the lightest AR and VR devices around.

The fact these also feature Bluetooth connectivity and can work with Miracast means displaying content should be a doddle, and for developers, the point that these Epson glasses run Android is also definitely welcome for the sake of convenience.

• Read More: Best free VR games

Credit: Snap Inc.

4. Snap Spectacles

Best smart glasses from Snap

If you want a pair of AR smart glasses specifically designed for the use of content creation, then the Snap Spectacles should be a handy choice.

For starters, they're integrated with Snapchat for the purpose of superimposing AR effects made within the app, which can be used for everything from playing games like basketball or fetch with a virtual dog, to calling and sending messages to friends.

The panels present should be sharp with a 2000 nit quoted brightness, which means the Snap Spectacles look to be suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, which is handy for the purposes of content creation.

There is a small caveat though - they aren't on general sale. To get the glasses, you'll need to fill in an application form on the glasses' product page, and they're only being given to a small number of people.

It may be the case that they go on general sale at some point soon, but that is of course unknown.

• Read More: Best VR headsets

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

We've answered some of the most commonly asked questions about smart glasses below...

Are smart glasses worth it?

As with any new piece of tech, it really the answer to this really depends on how much you'll actually use them.

Smart glasses offer a convenient way to do many things, including protecting your eyes, listening to music, and more, but they might feel superfluous if you've already got a smartwatch.

Will smart glasses get more advanced?

Yes, but it's hard to say what that will look like. We can expect smart glasses to be able to do more as long as the technology gets the investment it needs, but as they get more advanced more ethical issues might appear.

If glasses can pull up someone's name as you're looking at them, well, you can see how that could be abused. So, we'll have to watch the space and the rules that follow it.