Solos AirGo Smart Glasses (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://store.solosglasses.com/
When startups like Mutrics and Lucyd launched their audio smart glasses a couple of years ago, their products aimed to revolutionize eyewear with a simple yet effective premise: inconspicuously integrate Bluetooth earbuds into the frames without being closed from the external environment with open-ear design. While these smart glasses focused on the audio aspect only, they offered more fashionable frames than the ill-fated Google Glass. Since then, the audio smart glasses concept picked up steam with even major brands like Amazon and Razer releasing their own versions. However, innovation has stagnated when it comes to such smart glasses as they merely replicate what earbuds can do; this means that you can call up your phone’s virtual assistant, answer/reject calls and control music. They mostly differ on the sound and build quality front, but not much in terms of features.
However, Solos’ first pair of consumer audio smart glasses, the Solos AirGo, begs to differ. It does what its competitors do but also more. Let’s take a closer look at what more means with this smart eyewear.
Out of the box come the following items:
- Smart glasses frame front
- Solos temples
- Magnetic charging cable
- Glasses pouch
- User manual
As for the specifications, you can find them below:
- Weight: 41g
- Mobile Phone OS Platforms: Supports Android & iOS
- Wireless Bluetooth: BT5.0 and BLE wireless
- Charging Cable: Magnetic pogo pin cable for battery charging
- Temple and tips material: TR90, TPE
- Sensors: Touch Sensing, Proximity Sensing, 9-axis Sensing
- Operating Time: 3 - 3.5 hours
- Standby Time: 16 hours
- Charging Time: Quick Charge: 15 mins chargers up from 0% to 35%.
Normal Charge: 65 mins from 0% to 100%.
From these details, you might have noticed two main differences from other audio smart glasses. Firstly, the temples are detachable and secondly, the AirGo packs a couple of sensors within those temples.
This modular aspect of the temples is a first in such smart glasses and is really a game-changer. This is because such audio smart glasses last for around 3.5 hours with the built-in batteries in the temples, so they can’t really be used all day long and you will need to take them off at some point to charge them. For people like me who depend on prescription glasses, this is not ideal as it means I will need to carry an extra pair of glasses when the smart ones need charging,
But with detachable temples, you can easily have a full day of use by simply pulling out the temple whose battery has drained and attaching one that is fully charged (there is a safety lock that keeps the temples in place). Then you can charge the temple with the depleted battery while still using the glasses and you will have a fully-charged spare temple in around 1 hour.
Solos already sells temples separately starting at $89 for the AirGo Battery Temple Kit. This kit allows you to change the left temple but there is another kit that lets you change both temples as well. I was provided with the AirGo Battery Temple Kit with the review unit and I can say that the extra temple bears no difference to the temples that came with the main frames so they integrate seamlessly. However, it’s still rather pricey and adds to the cost of the frames itself. These start at $199 for the Argon 5 models, while all other models go for $299. The company also sells the front part of the frames separately so you can swap between styles or different lens types (blue light filter or shades). Solos built a pretty convincing ecosystem around its first smart glass and it’s refreshing to see; even if it remains pricey. However, I would still like to see more frame styles as most of what’s available are rectangular in shape with rounded ones as I personally prefer not available.
Additionally, Solos does not offer the option to fit the AirGo with prescription lenses, so you will have to do that at a local optician’s. I hope the company eventually offers this option directly when ordering the AirGo as it would make for a more attractive product for bespectacled people. My unit was fitted with prescription lenses and the AirGo does work well as my prescription glasses. When worn, it is comfortable and light; and comparable to regular glasses. The temples are thicker than regular ones but not so much as to attract unwanted attention. But I wish Solos used nose pads that are integrated in the frames rather than silicone ones as these can slide easily and can also leave marks on the nose bridge if they are too tight.
Now for the second main difference, the inclusion of sensors, they have several uses. The proximity sensor is located on the inner surface of the right temple. It detects when you are actually wearing the glasses and once you take them off, any music that was playing through pauses and resumes once you put them back on. Additionally, if this sensor detects that the frames are not put back on after 3 minutes, it will automatically power the device off. Embedding this sensor provides quite a couple of handy features that make for a seamless or even effortless experience.
Next to the proximity sensor are the pogo pins that also enable another method to charge the device with the included magnetic charging cable.
As for the touch sensors, they are also located on the right temple but on its external surface. Swiping back increases the volume by one level while swiping forward decreases it by one level. I personally think these controls are inverted but I eventually got used to it. Nevertheless, an option to customize these controls via the companion app (more about it later) would be welcome.
Additionally, the frames themselves recognize taps where a single tap plays/pauses music while a double tap calls up the voice assistant. I found it to be a pretty cool way to ask Google Assistant about the weather forecast in the morning and to play the news as I start my routine.
Other controls are performed via the “multi-function button” on the underside of the right temple. Long-pressing it powers the device on/off and pressing for longer enters pairing mode. While listening to music, short-pressing it once plays the next track while short-pressing it twice plays the previous track. Calls can also be answered/ended (short press) or rejected (long press) with this button. Alternatively, you can swipe down the right temple to answer or swipe up to reject a call.
These controls might feel intimidating and do need some time to get adjusted to, but they are quite easy to get a hang of. They are also very responsive, especially the touch controls which was a relief as I wouldn’t like to fiddle too much with touching my glasses in public for a simple action.
As for the final sensor, the 9-axis sensor, it monitors your head posture and through the companion Solos AirGo app, the glasses remind through a voice prompt to maintain an upright position. As someone who spends a lot of time in front of my computer screen, it becomes very important to maintain proper posture so as to avoid neck and back strain in the long run. The Solos AirGo monitors only the head posture but it can give a good indication regarding whether I am tilting my neck or slouching too much. It helped me find out that while seated at a desk, I adopt a better posture than when using my standing desk. And while I frequently swap to the latter, the app’s AI Care’s voice prompt notifies me whenever I need to readjust my posture.
It also features an option to remind you at set intervals to drink water and I also use it to take a break from my screen and stretch my legs. The Solos AirGo app also features the AI Coach option which guides you through exercises to stretch your torso and neck. The app also monitors whether you are performing these exercises correctly through the sensors. It also provides other training options for posture, fat burning, cadence and more. But I found the posture monitoring and quick stretching exercises to be most appropriate as I already have a workout routine. Moreover, the app provides quantified metrics regarding the exercises and posture monitoring that can help you better visualize your posture status and make more informed decisions regarding where to improve.
These health features of the companion app gives you an additional reason to use this pair of smart glasses throughout the day and have a spare battery temple at the ready. They are rather unique and frankly helpful for heavy computer users. However, to use these features, the AirGo needs to be paired to the app and I really wish it could be used independently directly from the glasses alone without the need to connect to a phone.
Regarding the audio itself, the Solos AirGo uses directional speakers on each temple rather than bone conducting ones. As I noted in a previous review, open speakers are the way to go with smart glasses as they are more comfortable than bone conducting ones which press at the back of the head. The quality is pretty good with a balanced and crisp soundscape that’s actually pretty good for such small speakers, somewhat akin to the Vue Lite; although the Vue delivers better quality with aptX support. The audio is also loud enough to be used in a moderately busy street but not so much in loud public transport. I’ve used it to listen to my Spotify playlist, YouTube videos and even to play a couple of Death Stranding side quests and the quality was very decent and clear, although, of course, not comparable to high end headphones.
These smart glasses also feature a patented built-in Whisper Audio Technology that can reduce ambient noise by 45dB. This confers the glasses some noise-cancellation property and they are indeed not too bad for their size.
It’s also worth noting that the Solos AirGo has an IP54 rating for both dust and water resistance, making it resilient against water splash and rain from all directions.
However, with the unit I tested, I encountered some Bluetooth connection issues. Within a 1m radius around the audio source, I had no problems but when moving past that range, the connection would break or the device would even disconnect altogether. I reached out to the company regarding this issue and they said it’s unusual and haven’t encountered it themselves. So it might be a localized problem with my unit and I didn’t come across such issues with other smart glasses I’ve tried myself.
Another hiccup I came across is that the temples don’t fully close. It’s not really a problem if you are constantly wearing the glasses or place it on a flat surface when not in use. But for packing in a carry case, it might pose an issue. Also, regarding packing, Solos only offers a soft pouch and no hard carry case. This is a notable omission which I hope the company remedies since the lenses and device as a whole are prone to damage if placed in a bag.
All things considered, the Solos AirGo provided my best audio smart glass experience so far. I cannot compare it to smart glasses like the Nreal Light and MAD Gaze GLOW Plus as these are in a different category since they augment vision rather than focus on audio solely and deliver a better smart multimedia experience but aren’t meant to replace your regular eyewear. The smart glasses market is thus currently divided into those two categories with the likes of the Solos AirGo supplementing regular glasses with what’s essentially wireless earbuds. With Solos’ approach these glasses can also provide handy health features thanks to the embedded sensors and they are rather compelling.
The modular aspect also boosts usage and can further allow you to replace any parts that might get damaged. However, Solos does not offer the option to fit prescription lenses in them which is a huge missed opportunity. I really hope that the company provides these in the near future as the AirGo really delivers a compelling reason to buy into the audio smart glasses hype. They aren’t perfect, have some room for improvements and could be more attractive if they were more affordable but Solos is on the right track to lead its competitors with what it has to offer.
If you want to purchase your own pair of Solos AirGo, you can head to their official online store for more details and to place an order.
Verdict
- Health features
- Audio quality
- Comfortable and inconspicuous smart glasses
- Detachable arms and battery
- Responsive controls
- Bluetooth connection issues
- No prescription lens option on official website
- Health features require connection to companion app
- Arms do not fully close
- No hard carry case
