What you need to know
- Amazon announces its new wave of Echo Frames with new styles, two of which are a product of Carrera Eyewear.
- The new Echo Frames have been redesigned with a new premium look with 15% slimmer temples, several lens options, and a custom-built speaker driver.
- The audio smart glasses can achieve up to six hours of continuous media playback when fully charged.
- The 2023 Echo Frames start at $269 while those sporting Carrera Eyewear styles begin at $389.
Amazon has been busy with an assortment of reveals at its usual fall hardware event. Among the announcements is the next wave of Alexa-powered Echo Frames that have revamped audio and design while incorporating new premium appearance options into its lineup.
According to Amazon, the brand has redesigned its smart glasses this time around by featuring seven new styles, two of which come into the fold through its partnership with Carrera Eyewear.
The new styles include Modern Rectangle, Rectangle, Round, Square, Cat Eye, Carrera Cruiser, and Carrera Sprinter for "a combination of high-end fashion with Alexa artificial intelligence."
Not only have the glasses been designed with different shapes and styles in mind, but Amazon states the temples are 15% slimmer than its 2nd-gen devices. Consumers can soon peruse through alternate lens options such as UV400 protection, prescription lenses, and blue light lenses. The Echo frames are scratch-resistant and feature an IPX4 water resistance rating.
The frames have been given German-engineered spring hinges to aid in a more comfortable, secure fit. The temple tips are also adjustable to help consumers find their ideal comfort zone with the glasses. Amazon has crafted the tips with silicon to ensure they remain soft and light when resting behind your ears.
On the other hand, Amazon's Echo Frames are audio devices at their core, and the company has taken strides to improve the audio experience of its 2023 iteration when looking back on its 2nd-gen glasses. The blog post states each new style features a custom-built speaker driver and a redesigned open-ear audio architecture, which should help provide "three times the bass" and overall improvements to its audio.
The outdoor performance of the seven pairs of Echo Frames is further boosted with the company adding the glasses can achieve "double the volume" for clearer calls. Alexa has been improved with better attention to the wake word, while the glasses' attentiveness on windy days has also been enhanced.
Furthermore, several new features have arrived with the reveal of the new smart glasses. The 2023 Echo Frames can have two other audio sources connected to it, so users can swap between them, like a laptop and their phone, seamlessly.
Starting some music has been made a little easier with the inclusion of a double-press action for the glasses' back button. In doing so, the Echo Frames will play a recommended playlist from your collection, so you won't have to look to your phone to start some music.
Amazon has added a new "VIP Filter," which lets users decide which notifications they hear through the glasses. Furthermore, the filter is said to recognize whether or not you're listening to music, so it can provide a "low distraction chime" whenever one of those important messages or notifications appears.
Alexa is also gaining the ability to locate your misplaced glasses, too. Users can ask the AI to find their glasses from an Echo Dot or another device, and the virtual assistant will alert them to its last known location.
To get consumers all of the features, the 2023 Echo Frames are said to provide up to six hours of continuous media playback when charged fully.
Considering these are smart glasses that provide an audio experience, the Echo Frames are been built to direct the sound to your ears while also limiting how much others can eavesdrop. A user's privacy is further taken into account with the inclusion of a microphone mute button and the addition of voice recording controls.
Amazon's 2023 Echo Frames begin at $269, while styles featuring Carrera Eyewear designs with Alexa start at $389. Pre-orders haven't started. However, interested parties can sign up to be notified once they do.
