These new smart glasses remind me of Meta Ray-Bans – but have a clever privacy feature

Until today, if you wanted to a pair of smart glasses that can both put an AI voice assistant in your ears and be able to process visual information, you’d have — realistically — only one option: the Ray-Ban Metas.

Also: Forget the Ray-Ban Metas: Samsung’s upcoming smart glasses are the wearables I’ve been waiting for

But competition is a wonderful thing, and smart eyewear brand Solos is releasing today its pair of multimodal smart glasses: the AirGo Vision. Much like previous versions of Solos AirGo glasses, there’s a ChatGPT-powered voice assistant baked into the system, allowing you ask questions and communicate hands-free. 

With the AirGo Vision model, the addition of camera sensors in the side frames allows the glasses to process visual information for more context and environmental-based queries. For example, you can ask the Solos to identify people, objects, activities, and text, according to the company. Theoretically, the glasses can help translate text in a foreign language. Users can also tell the glasses to capture photos.

Of course, this multimodal aspect is nothing new in the industry. We’ve seen glasses, pins, and other quirky AI-powered devices leverage cameras to help users better understand their surroundings. But there is one thing that makes the Solos a little more unique: the removable side frames.

Due to the modular nature of the wearable, you can easily swap out the camera-mounted side frames for a more traditional pair, fully removing any possibility of miscapturing or capturing things that you shouldn’t. 

Also: Qualcomm’s secret project with Samsung and Google is mixed reality smart glasses, and I’m glad

Solos also says that the glasses are based on an open-architecture design, meaning they’ll support multiple AI frameworks like Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini. For someone who has become well acquainted with Gemini and uses it daily for work and play, that’s great news. 

As for battery life, Solos claims the glasses can support up to 2,500 AI interactions or image captures on a single charge. The company is also pushing out a new “Always-On” mode that keeps the onboard AI running even when the companion app is closed.

You can buy the Solos AirGo Vision glasses today for $299, with the option to purchase a traditional frame and camera frame for $349, and select from two different styles (Krypton 1 and Krypton 2), seven colors, and prescriptions.