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, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.

Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On
                If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

 As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial. © L’Atitude 52°N Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the 9 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road. It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

 On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

 If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat. I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.      #Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables
© L’Atitude 52°N

Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.

It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.

I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.

#Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables"> Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On
                If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

 As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial. © L’Atitude 52°N Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the 9 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road. It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

 On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

 If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat. I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.      #Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables
Tech-news

, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.

Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On
                If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

 As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial. © L’Atitude 52°N Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the 9 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road. It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

 On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

 If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat. I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.      #Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables
© L’Atitude 52°N

Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.

It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.

I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.

#Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables">Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On

If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.

Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On
                If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

 As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial. © L’Atitude 52°N Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the 9 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road. It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

 On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

 If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat. I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.      #Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables
© L’Atitude 52°N

Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.

It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.

I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.

#Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables

If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like…

’s glasses is called Goya, named after Francisco Goya, the famous Spanish artist who painted renowned masterpieces of romanticism.

CEO and founder Gary Chen, who has worked on wearable devices for companies like Oppo, OnePlus, and HTC, says his company’s glasses are focused on travelers, with AI features that act like a tour guide and talk about all the paintings in famous museums.

“Basically, you can say, ‘Hey, Goya, what is the story about Mona Lisa?’” Chen says. “You can ask anything and, with your permission, they will take a photo to analyze what’s in front of you.”

I ask if you could quiz it about perhaps the most famous Goya painting, the terrifying, Gothic horror-esque image of Saturn devouring his own son.

“Yes, yes,” Chen says, “It can also give you some recommendations about restaurants.”

Image may contain Accessories Sunglasses and Glasses

Berlin-based L’Atitude 52°N is a new player in the smart glasses space, selling its first pairs on Kickstarter in September 2025, where the campaign surpassed its funding goal and raised more than $400,000. There have been some bumps since then, as shipments were delayed from an originally announced release date in February 2026, and one model in development was scrapped outright. Now, L’Atitude 52°N has announced an official release date for its smart glasses.

Preorders for one model, called Berlin, start on May 19. The glasses actually go on sale on May 26. This might be a disappointment for Kickstarter backers, as the most recent official update from the campaign came in March and said shipping would begin on April 15 for Berlin units and June 7 for the second model, called Milan. L’Atitude 52°N still hasn’t set an official launch date for the Milan, except to say that it will be “arriving in the second quarter of 2026.”

The Berlin glasses cost $399. Add another $50 for the photochromatic lenses. There is one very big catch: The AI features enabled on the device will only work for 12 months, which L’Atitude 52°N calls an “AI feature trial.” After that, customers have to pay for a subscription service, or will be limited to the base features, like playing music and capturing media.

How much will that subscription service cost? Chen says he doesn’t know.

#Smart #Glasses #ExOnePlus #Engineers #Hidden #Costsmart glasses,wearables,design,gadgets"> These New Smart Glasses From Ex-OnePlus Engineers Have a Hidden CostLots of smart glasses have AI bots inside them now. The one in L’Atitude 52°N’s glasses is called Goya, named after Francisco Goya, the famous Spanish artist who painted renowned masterpieces of romanticism.CEO and founder Gary Chen, who has worked on wearable devices for companies like Oppo, OnePlus, and HTC, says his company’s glasses are focused on travelers, with AI features that act like a tour guide and talk about all the paintings in famous museums.“Basically, you can say, ‘Hey, Goya, what is the story about Mona Lisa?’” Chen says. “You can ask anything and, with your permission, they will take a photo to analyze what’s in front of you.”I ask if you could quiz it about perhaps the most famous Goya painting, the terrifying, Gothic horror-esque image of Saturn devouring his own son.“Yes, yes,” Chen says, “It can also give you some recommendations about restaurants.”Berlin-based L’Atitude 52°N is a new player in the smart glasses space, selling its first pairs on Kickstarter in September 2025, where the campaign surpassed its funding goal and raised more than 0,000. There have been some bumps since then, as shipments were delayed from an originally announced release date in February 2026, and one model in development was scrapped outright. Now, L’Atitude 52°N has announced an official release date for its smart glasses.Preorders for one model, called Berlin, start on May 19. The glasses actually go on sale on May 26. This might be a disappointment for Kickstarter backers, as the most recent official update from the campaign came in March and said shipping would begin on April 15 for Berlin units and June 7 for the second model, called Milan. L’Atitude 52°N still hasn’t set an official launch date for the Milan, except to say that it will be “arriving in the second quarter of 2026.”The Berlin glasses cost 9. Add another  for the photochromatic lenses. There is one very big catch: The AI features enabled on the device will only work for 12 months, which L’Atitude 52°N calls an “AI feature trial.” After that, customers have to pay for a subscription service, or will be limited to the base features, like playing music and capturing media.How much will that subscription service cost? Chen says he doesn’t know.#Smart #Glasses #ExOnePlus #Engineers #Hidden #Costsmart glasses,wearables,design,gadgets
Tech-news

’s glasses is called Goya, named after Francisco Goya, the famous Spanish artist who painted renowned masterpieces of romanticism.

CEO and founder Gary Chen, who has worked on wearable devices for companies like Oppo, OnePlus, and HTC, says his company’s glasses are focused on travelers, with AI features that act like a tour guide and talk about all the paintings in famous museums.

“Basically, you can say, ‘Hey, Goya, what is the story about Mona Lisa?’” Chen says. “You can ask anything and, with your permission, they will take a photo to analyze what’s in front of you.”

I ask if you could quiz it about perhaps the most famous Goya painting, the terrifying, Gothic horror-esque image of Saturn devouring his own son.

“Yes, yes,” Chen says, “It can also give you some recommendations about restaurants.”

Image may contain Accessories Sunglasses and Glasses

Berlin-based L’Atitude 52°N is a new player in the smart glasses space, selling its first pairs on Kickstarter in September 2025, where the campaign surpassed its funding goal and raised more than $400,000. There have been some bumps since then, as shipments were delayed from an originally announced release date in February 2026, and one model in development was scrapped outright. Now, L’Atitude 52°N has announced an official release date for its smart glasses.

Preorders for one model, called Berlin, start on May 19. The glasses actually go on sale on May 26. This might be a disappointment for Kickstarter backers, as the most recent official update from the campaign came in March and said shipping would begin on April 15 for Berlin units and June 7 for the second model, called Milan. L’Atitude 52°N still hasn’t set an official launch date for the Milan, except to say that it will be “arriving in the second quarter of 2026.”

The Berlin glasses cost $399. Add another $50 for the photochromatic lenses. There is one very big catch: The AI features enabled on the device will only work for 12 months, which L’Atitude 52°N calls an “AI feature trial.” After that, customers have to pay for a subscription service, or will be limited to the base features, like playing music and capturing media.

How much will that subscription service cost? Chen says he doesn’t know.

#Smart #Glasses #ExOnePlus #Engineers #Hidden #Costsmart glasses,wearables,design,gadgets">These New Smart Glasses From Ex-OnePlus Engineers Have a Hidden Cost

Lots of smart glasses have AI bots inside them now. The one in L’Atitude 52°N’s glasses is called Goya, named after Francisco Goya, the famous Spanish artist who painted renowned masterpieces of romanticism.

CEO and founder Gary Chen, who has worked on wearable devices for companies like Oppo, OnePlus, and HTC, says his company’s glasses are focused on travelers, with AI features that act like a tour guide and talk about all the paintings in famous museums.

“Basically, you can say, ‘Hey, Goya, what is the story about Mona Lisa?’” Chen says. “You can ask anything and, with your permission, they will take a photo to analyze what’s in front of you.”

I ask if you could quiz it about perhaps the most famous Goya painting, the terrifying, Gothic horror-esque image of Saturn devouring his own son.

“Yes, yes,” Chen says, “It can also give you some recommendations about restaurants.”

Image may contain Accessories Sunglasses and Glasses

Berlin-based L’Atitude 52°N is a new player in the smart glasses space, selling its first pairs on Kickstarter in September 2025, where the campaign surpassed its funding goal and raised more than $400,000. There have been some bumps since then, as shipments were delayed from an originally announced release date in February 2026, and one model in development was scrapped outright. Now, L’Atitude 52°N has announced an official release date for its smart glasses.

Preorders for one model, called Berlin, start on May 19. The glasses actually go on sale on May 26. This might be a disappointment for Kickstarter backers, as the most recent official update from the campaign came in March and said shipping would begin on April 15 for Berlin units and June 7 for the second model, called Milan. L’Atitude 52°N still hasn’t set an official launch date for the Milan, except to say that it will be “arriving in the second quarter of 2026.”

The Berlin glasses cost $399. Add another $50 for the photochromatic lenses. There is one very big catch: The AI features enabled on the device will only work for 12 months, which L’Atitude 52°N calls an “AI feature trial.” After that, customers have to pay for a subscription service, or will be limited to the base features, like playing music and capturing media.

How much will that subscription service cost? Chen says he doesn’t know.

#Smart #Glasses #ExOnePlus #Engineers #Hidden #Costsmart glasses,wearables,design,gadgets

Lots of smart glasses have AI bots inside them now. The one in L'Atitude 52°N’s…

Meta’s AI-enabled glasses, I invariably get asked these questions: Why do you even want these? Why do you want smart glasses that can play music or misidentify native flora in a weirdly cheery voice? I am a lifelong Ray-Ban Wayfarer wearer, and I’m also WIRED’s resident Meta wearer. I grab a pair of Meta glasses whenever I leave the house because I like being able to use one device instead of two or three on a walk. With Meta glasses, I can wear sunglasses and workout headphones in one!

Meta sold more than 7 million pairs in 2025. Take a look at any major outdoor or sporting event, and you’ll see more than a few people wearing these to record snippets for Instagram or TikTok. Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has made smart glasses accessible, stylish, and useful and is undoubtedly the reason why Google, and now Apple, are trying to horn in on the market. After the notable flop that is the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is recalibrating its face-wearable strategy, moving away from augmented reality (AR) toward simpler, display-less, and hopefully good-looking glasses.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be careful how you use these glasses. Meta doesn’t have the greatest track record on privacy, and the company has continued to push forward with policies that are questionable at best. Even if you’re not concerned that face recognition will allow Meta to target immigrants or enable stalkers to find their victims, at the very least, people really do not like the idea that you could start recording them at any moment.

Probably the biggest hurdle to wearing Meta glasses is that even doing so seems like a gross violation of the social contract. After all, these are Mark Zuckerberg’s “pervert glasses.” When I pop these on my head, I’ve had friends (and my spouse) recoil and say, “I have apps to warn me away from people like you.” The best part, though, is that Oakley and Ray-Ban already make really great sunglasses. Even if the battery runs out or you don’t use Meta AI at all, these are stellar at shading your eyes from the sun.

Anyway, if you decide to try them, here’s what you should get. If you do chicken out, check out our buying guides to the Best Smart Glasses or the Best Workout Headphones for more.

Table of Contents

Best Overall

  • Photograph: Boone Ashworth

Ray-Ban

Meta Glasses (Gen 2)

Last year, Meta upgraded the original Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers that became a smash hit. These are Meta’s entry-level glasses, and they come in a variety of lens styles. You can order them with clear lenses, prescription lenses, transition lenses, or the OG sunglass lenses, as well as in a variety of fits, including standard, large, or high-bridge frames. Improvements to this generation include an upgrade to a 12-MP camera and up to eight hours of battery life; writer Boone Ashworth’s testing clocked in at five to six hours.

#Meta #Glasses #Comfortable #Functional #Spouse #Recoil #Fearbuying guides,accessories and peripherals,wearables,meta,smart glasses,shopping,outdoors,fashion,lifestyle"> Meta Glasses Are Comfortable, Functional, and Make My Spouse Recoil in FearEvery time I’ve written about Meta’s AI-enabled glasses, I invariably get asked these questions: Why do you even want these? Why do you want smart glasses that can play music or misidentify native flora in a weirdly cheery voice? I am a lifelong Ray-Ban Wayfarer wearer, and I’m also WIRED’s resident Meta wearer. I grab a pair of Meta glasses whenever I leave the house because I like being able to use one device instead of two or three on a walk. With Meta glasses, I can wear sunglasses and workout headphones in one!Meta sold more than 7 million pairs in 2025. Take a look at any major outdoor or sporting event, and you’ll see more than a few people wearing these to record snippets for Instagram or TikTok. Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has made smart glasses accessible, stylish, and useful and is undoubtedly the reason why Google, and now Apple, are trying to horn in on the market. After the notable flop that is the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is recalibrating its face-wearable strategy, moving away from augmented reality (AR) toward simpler, display-less, and hopefully good-looking glasses.That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be careful how you use these glasses. Meta doesn’t have the greatest track record on privacy, and the company has continued to push forward with policies that are questionable at best. Even if you’re not concerned that face recognition will allow Meta to target immigrants or enable stalkers to find their victims, at the very least, people really do not like the idea that you could start recording them at any moment.Probably the biggest hurdle to wearing Meta glasses is that even doing so seems like a gross violation of the social contract. After all, these are Mark Zuckerberg’s “pervert glasses.” When I pop these on my head, I’ve had friends (and my spouse) recoil and say, “I have apps to warn me away from people like you.” The best part, though, is that Oakley and Ray-Ban already make really great sunglasses. Even if the battery runs out or you don’t use Meta AI at all, these are stellar at shading your eyes from the sun.Anyway, if you decide to try them, here’s what you should get. If you do chicken out, check out our buying guides to the Best Smart Glasses or the Best Workout Headphones for more.Table of ContentsAccordionItemContainerButtonBest OverallPhotograph: Boone AshworthRay-BanMeta Glasses (Gen 2)Last year, Meta upgraded the original Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers that became a smash hit. These are Meta’s entry-level glasses, and they come in a variety of lens styles. You can order them with clear lenses, prescription lenses, transition lenses, or the OG sunglass lenses, as well as in a variety of fits, including standard, large, or high-bridge frames. Improvements to this generation include an upgrade to a 12-MP camera and up to eight hours of battery life; writer Boone Ashworth’s testing clocked in at five to six hours.#Meta #Glasses #Comfortable #Functional #Spouse #Recoil #Fearbuying guides,accessories and peripherals,wearables,meta,smart glasses,shopping,outdoors,fashion,lifestyle
Tech-news

Meta’s AI-enabled glasses, I invariably get asked these questions: Why do you even want these? Why do you want smart glasses that can play music or misidentify native flora in a weirdly cheery voice? I am a lifelong Ray-Ban Wayfarer wearer, and I’m also WIRED’s resident Meta wearer. I grab a pair of Meta glasses whenever I leave the house because I like being able to use one device instead of two or three on a walk. With Meta glasses, I can wear sunglasses and workout headphones in one!

Meta sold more than 7 million pairs in 2025. Take a look at any major outdoor or sporting event, and you’ll see more than a few people wearing these to record snippets for Instagram or TikTok. Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has made smart glasses accessible, stylish, and useful and is undoubtedly the reason why Google, and now Apple, are trying to horn in on the market. After the notable flop that is the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is recalibrating its face-wearable strategy, moving away from augmented reality (AR) toward simpler, display-less, and hopefully good-looking glasses.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be careful how you use these glasses. Meta doesn’t have the greatest track record on privacy, and the company has continued to push forward with policies that are questionable at best. Even if you’re not concerned that face recognition will allow Meta to target immigrants or enable stalkers to find their victims, at the very least, people really do not like the idea that you could start recording them at any moment.

Probably the biggest hurdle to wearing Meta glasses is that even doing so seems like a gross violation of the social contract. After all, these are Mark Zuckerberg’s “pervert glasses.” When I pop these on my head, I’ve had friends (and my spouse) recoil and say, “I have apps to warn me away from people like you.” The best part, though, is that Oakley and Ray-Ban already make really great sunglasses. Even if the battery runs out or you don’t use Meta AI at all, these are stellar at shading your eyes from the sun.

Anyway, if you decide to try them, here’s what you should get. If you do chicken out, check out our buying guides to the Best Smart Glasses or the Best Workout Headphones for more.

Table of Contents

Best Overall

  • Photograph: Boone Ashworth

Ray-Ban

Meta Glasses (Gen 2)

Last year, Meta upgraded the original Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers that became a smash hit. These are Meta’s entry-level glasses, and they come in a variety of lens styles. You can order them with clear lenses, prescription lenses, transition lenses, or the OG sunglass lenses, as well as in a variety of fits, including standard, large, or high-bridge frames. Improvements to this generation include an upgrade to a 12-MP camera and up to eight hours of battery life; writer Boone Ashworth’s testing clocked in at five to six hours.

#Meta #Glasses #Comfortable #Functional #Spouse #Recoil #Fearbuying guides,accessories and peripherals,wearables,meta,smart glasses,shopping,outdoors,fashion,lifestyle">Meta Glasses Are Comfortable, Functional, and Make My Spouse Recoil in Fear

Every time I’ve written about Meta’s AI-enabled glasses, I invariably get asked these questions: Why do you even want these? Why do you want smart glasses that can play music or misidentify native flora in a weirdly cheery voice? I am a lifelong Ray-Ban Wayfarer wearer, and I’m also WIRED’s resident Meta wearer. I grab a pair of Meta glasses whenever I leave the house because I like being able to use one device instead of two or three on a walk. With Meta glasses, I can wear sunglasses and workout headphones in one!

Meta sold more than 7 million pairs in 2025. Take a look at any major outdoor or sporting event, and you’ll see more than a few people wearing these to record snippets for Instagram or TikTok. Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has made smart glasses accessible, stylish, and useful and is undoubtedly the reason why Google, and now Apple, are trying to horn in on the market. After the notable flop that is the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is recalibrating its face-wearable strategy, moving away from augmented reality (AR) toward simpler, display-less, and hopefully good-looking glasses.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be careful how you use these glasses. Meta doesn’t have the greatest track record on privacy, and the company has continued to push forward with policies that are questionable at best. Even if you’re not concerned that face recognition will allow Meta to target immigrants or enable stalkers to find their victims, at the very least, people really do not like the idea that you could start recording them at any moment.

Probably the biggest hurdle to wearing Meta glasses is that even doing so seems like a gross violation of the social contract. After all, these are Mark Zuckerberg’s “pervert glasses.” When I pop these on my head, I’ve had friends (and my spouse) recoil and say, “I have apps to warn me away from people like you.” The best part, though, is that Oakley and Ray-Ban already make really great sunglasses. Even if the battery runs out or you don’t use Meta AI at all, these are stellar at shading your eyes from the sun.

Anyway, if you decide to try them, here’s what you should get. If you do chicken out, check out our buying guides to the Best Smart Glasses or the Best Workout Headphones for more.

Table of Contents

Best Overall

  • Photograph: Boone Ashworth

Ray-Ban

Meta Glasses (Gen 2)

Last year, Meta upgraded the original Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers that became a smash hit. These are Meta’s entry-level glasses, and they come in a variety of lens styles. You can order them with clear lenses, prescription lenses, transition lenses, or the OG sunglass lenses, as well as in a variety of fits, including standard, large, or high-bridge frames. Improvements to this generation include an upgrade to a 12-MP camera and up to eight hours of battery life; writer Boone Ashworth’s testing clocked in at five to six hours.

#Meta #Glasses #Comfortable #Functional #Spouse #Recoil #Fearbuying guides,accessories and peripherals,wearables,meta,smart glasses,shopping,outdoors,fashion,lifestyle

Every time I’ve written about Meta’s AI-enabled glasses, I invariably get asked these questions: Why…

modern computers. But what if you didn’t have to dictate to your computer? What if you could type just by thinking?

Silicon Valley startup Sabi is emerging from stealth with that goal. The company is developing a brain wearable that decodes a person’s internal speech into words on a computer screen. CEO Rahul Chhabra says its first product, a brain-reading beanie, will be available by the end of the year. The company is also designing a baseball cap version.

The technology is known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, a device that provides a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. While many companies such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink are developing surgically implanted BCIs for people with severe motor disabilities, Sabi’s device could allow anyone to become a cyborg.

It’s not exactly Musk’s vision of the future, which involves implanted brain chips to allow humans to merge with AI. But venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who was an early investor in OpenAI, says a noninvasive, wearable device is the only path to getting lots of people to use BCI technology.

“The biggest and baddest application of BCI is if you can talk to your computer by thinking about it,” says Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, one of Sabi’s investors. “If you’re going to have a billion people use BCI for access to their computers every day, it can’t be invasive.”

Sabi’s brain-reading hat relies on EEG, or electroencephalography, which uses metal disks placed on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity. Decoding imagined speech from EEG is already possible, but it’s currently limited to small sets of words or commands rather than continuous, natural speech.

A very small chip shown on the pad of a finger to illustrate it's tiny scale

Photograph: Courtesy of Sabi

The drawback of a wearable system is that the sensors have to listen to the brain through a layer of skin and bone, which dampens neural signals. Surgically implanted devices pick up much stronger signals because they sit so close to neurons. Sabi thinks the way to boost accuracy with a wearable is by massively scaling up the number of sensors in its device. Most EEG devices have a dozen to a few hundred sensors. Sabi’s cap will have anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 miniature sensors.

“Given that high-density sensing, it pinpoints exactly what and where neural activity is happening. We use that information to get much more reliable data to decode what a person is thinking,” Chhabra says.

The company is aiming for an initial typing speed of 30 or so words per minute. That’s slower than most people type, but he says the speed will improve as users spend more time with the cap.

#Beanie #Designed #Read #Thoughtswearables,neuroscience,artificial intelligence,brain-computer interfaces"> This Beanie Is Designed to Read Your ThoughtsSpeech-to-text capability is now baked into all modern computers. But what if you didn’t have to dictate to your computer? What if you could type just by thinking?Silicon Valley startup Sabi is emerging from stealth with that goal. The company is developing a brain wearable that decodes a person’s internal speech into words on a computer screen. CEO Rahul Chhabra says its first product, a brain-reading beanie, will be available by the end of the year. The company is also designing a baseball cap version.The technology is known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, a device that provides a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. While many companies such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink are developing surgically implanted BCIs for people with severe motor disabilities, Sabi’s device could allow anyone to become a cyborg.It’s not exactly Musk’s vision of the future, which involves implanted brain chips to allow humans to merge with AI. But venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who was an early investor in OpenAI, says a noninvasive, wearable device is the only path to getting lots of people to use BCI technology.“The biggest and baddest application of BCI is if you can talk to your computer by thinking about it,” says Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, one of Sabi’s investors. “If you’re going to have a billion people use BCI for access to their computers every day, it can’t be invasive.”Sabi’s brain-reading hat relies on EEG, or electroencephalography, which uses metal disks placed on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity. Decoding imagined speech from EEG is already possible, but it’s currently limited to small sets of words or commands rather than continuous, natural speech.Photograph: Courtesy of SabiThe drawback of a wearable system is that the sensors have to listen to the brain through a layer of skin and bone, which dampens neural signals. Surgically implanted devices pick up much stronger signals because they sit so close to neurons. Sabi thinks the way to boost accuracy with a wearable is by massively scaling up the number of sensors in its device. Most EEG devices have a dozen to a few hundred sensors. Sabi’s cap will have anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 miniature sensors.“Given that high-density sensing, it pinpoints exactly what and where neural activity is happening. We use that information to get much more reliable data to decode what a person is thinking,” Chhabra says.The company is aiming for an initial typing speed of 30 or so words per minute. That’s slower than most people type, but he says the speed will improve as users spend more time with the cap.#Beanie #Designed #Read #Thoughtswearables,neuroscience,artificial intelligence,brain-computer interfaces
Tech-news

modern computers. But what if you didn’t have to dictate to your computer? What if you could type just by thinking?

Silicon Valley startup Sabi is emerging from stealth with that goal. The company is developing a brain wearable that decodes a person’s internal speech into words on a computer screen. CEO Rahul Chhabra says its first product, a brain-reading beanie, will be available by the end of the year. The company is also designing a baseball cap version.

The technology is known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, a device that provides a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. While many companies such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink are developing surgically implanted BCIs for people with severe motor disabilities, Sabi’s device could allow anyone to become a cyborg.

It’s not exactly Musk’s vision of the future, which involves implanted brain chips to allow humans to merge with AI. But venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who was an early investor in OpenAI, says a noninvasive, wearable device is the only path to getting lots of people to use BCI technology.

“The biggest and baddest application of BCI is if you can talk to your computer by thinking about it,” says Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, one of Sabi’s investors. “If you’re going to have a billion people use BCI for access to their computers every day, it can’t be invasive.”

Sabi’s brain-reading hat relies on EEG, or electroencephalography, which uses metal disks placed on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity. Decoding imagined speech from EEG is already possible, but it’s currently limited to small sets of words or commands rather than continuous, natural speech.

A very small chip shown on the pad of a finger to illustrate it's tiny scale

Photograph: Courtesy of Sabi

The drawback of a wearable system is that the sensors have to listen to the brain through a layer of skin and bone, which dampens neural signals. Surgically implanted devices pick up much stronger signals because they sit so close to neurons. Sabi thinks the way to boost accuracy with a wearable is by massively scaling up the number of sensors in its device. Most EEG devices have a dozen to a few hundred sensors. Sabi’s cap will have anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 miniature sensors.

“Given that high-density sensing, it pinpoints exactly what and where neural activity is happening. We use that information to get much more reliable data to decode what a person is thinking,” Chhabra says.

The company is aiming for an initial typing speed of 30 or so words per minute. That’s slower than most people type, but he says the speed will improve as users spend more time with the cap.

#Beanie #Designed #Read #Thoughtswearables,neuroscience,artificial intelligence,brain-computer interfaces">This Beanie Is Designed to Read Your Thoughts

Speech-to-text capability is now baked into all modern computers. But what if you didn’t have to dictate to your computer? What if you could type just by thinking?

Silicon Valley startup Sabi is emerging from stealth with that goal. The company is developing a brain wearable that decodes a person’s internal speech into words on a computer screen. CEO Rahul Chhabra says its first product, a brain-reading beanie, will be available by the end of the year. The company is also designing a baseball cap version.

The technology is known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, a device that provides a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. While many companies such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink are developing surgically implanted BCIs for people with severe motor disabilities, Sabi’s device could allow anyone to become a cyborg.

It’s not exactly Musk’s vision of the future, which involves implanted brain chips to allow humans to merge with AI. But venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who was an early investor in OpenAI, says a noninvasive, wearable device is the only path to getting lots of people to use BCI technology.

“The biggest and baddest application of BCI is if you can talk to your computer by thinking about it,” says Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, one of Sabi’s investors. “If you’re going to have a billion people use BCI for access to their computers every day, it can’t be invasive.”

Sabi’s brain-reading hat relies on EEG, or electroencephalography, which uses metal disks placed on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity. Decoding imagined speech from EEG is already possible, but it’s currently limited to small sets of words or commands rather than continuous, natural speech.

A very small chip shown on the pad of a finger to illustrate it's tiny scale

Photograph: Courtesy of Sabi

The drawback of a wearable system is that the sensors have to listen to the brain through a layer of skin and bone, which dampens neural signals. Surgically implanted devices pick up much stronger signals because they sit so close to neurons. Sabi thinks the way to boost accuracy with a wearable is by massively scaling up the number of sensors in its device. Most EEG devices have a dozen to a few hundred sensors. Sabi’s cap will have anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 miniature sensors.

“Given that high-density sensing, it pinpoints exactly what and where neural activity is happening. We use that information to get much more reliable data to decode what a person is thinking,” Chhabra says.

The company is aiming for an initial typing speed of 30 or so words per minute. That’s slower than most people type, but he says the speed will improve as users spend more time with the cap.

#Beanie #Designed #Read #Thoughtswearables,neuroscience,artificial intelligence,brain-computer interfaces

Speech-to-text capability is now baked into all modern computers. But what if you didn’t have…

first Apple Watch launched in 2015. After years of wearing and swapping, I’ve rounded up the best bands for every occasion. Be sure to check out our related product guides, including the Best Apple Watch Accessories, Best Apple Watch, and Best Smartwatches for more recommendations.

Jump to

Best Band for Everyday Wear

The Nike Sport Loop has been my everyday band since 2020. I bought another in 2023 because I wanted to swap colors, and I figured after three years, I should buy a brand-new one, but it has held up remarkably well. Made from a blend of recycled polyester, spandex, and nylon, it’s breathable and lightweight. The double-layered nylon weave is designed with dense loops that help prevent moisture from getting trapped against your skin. As long as you regularly hand-wash it to rid it of sweat buildup and dirt, it stays odor-free.

The hook-and-loop fastener and pull tab make it easy to adjust with one hand. It is Velcro, so beware, it can snag on softer fabrics. Still, for a band designed with sports in mind, it’s understated enough to wear almost anywhere. I wouldn’t wear it to a formal event, but for the office or casual social events, it’s perfect.

Best Titanium Apple Watch Band

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

Nomad originally designed the Stratos Band for the Apple Watch Ultra, but it fits just as well with the SE and Series 1 through 11. It’s easy to adjust, refined enough for the office, and backed by Grade 4 titanium hardware with a scratch-resistant DLC coating. FKM rubber links (PFA-free and antimicrobial, according to Nomad) add flexibility, durability, and water-resistance. The clasp is made with corrosion-resistant N52 magnets, which make it effortless to snap on, and it’s designed with a manual release button, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally falling off. It’s technically suited for workouts and outdoor use, but it is a hefty band that I personally prefer for casual everyday wear.

#Favorite #Apple #Watch #Bands #Avoidwearables,apple,health,fitness,gear,buying guides,shopping,accessories"> My Favorite Apple Watch Bands (and the Ones to Avoid)Apple Watches are smart little gadgets, but they don’t always fit the vibe. There were plenty of nights and dressier events when I left mine at home because—as much as I wanted to check my notifications discreetly—it didn’t match my outfit. I’ve also had my fair share of faux pas and just let the neon orange sport band clash with my neutral ensemble.Fortunately, Apple Watch bands are a simple and relatively affordable way to zhuzh up the look of your wearable. Beyond aesthetics, different styles also impact performance and functionality. For example, I don’t want a heavy stainless steel or high-quality leather band weighing me down during a sweaty workout, just as I wouldn’t wear a flimsy silicone band to a dinner party.At WIRED, we’ve been testing bands since the very first Apple Watch launched in 2015. After years of wearing and swapping, I’ve rounded up the best bands for every occasion. Be sure to check out our related product guides, including the Best Apple Watch Accessories, Best Apple Watch, and Best Smartwatches for more recommendations.Jump toAccordionItemContainerButtonBest Band for Everyday WearThe Nike Sport Loop has been my everyday band since 2020. I bought another in 2023 because I wanted to swap colors, and I figured after three years, I should buy a brand-new one, but it has held up remarkably well. Made from a blend of recycled polyester, spandex, and nylon, it’s breathable and lightweight. The double-layered nylon weave is designed with dense loops that help prevent moisture from getting trapped against your skin. As long as you regularly hand-wash it to rid it of sweat buildup and dirt, it stays odor-free.The hook-and-loop fastener and pull tab make it easy to adjust with one hand. It is Velcro, so beware, it can snag on softer fabrics. Still, for a band designed with sports in mind, it’s understated enough to wear almost anywhere. I wouldn’t wear it to a formal event, but for the office or casual social events, it’s perfect.Best Titanium Apple Watch BandPhotograph: Boutayna ChokranePhotograph: Boutayna ChokranePhotograph: Boutayna ChokraneNomad originally designed the Stratos Band for the Apple Watch Ultra, but it fits just as well with the SE and Series 1 through 11. It’s easy to adjust, refined enough for the office, and backed by Grade 4 titanium hardware with a scratch-resistant DLC coating. FKM rubber links (PFA-free and antimicrobial, according to Nomad) add flexibility, durability, and water-resistance. The clasp is made with corrosion-resistant N52 magnets, which make it effortless to snap on, and it’s designed with a manual release button, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally falling off. It’s technically suited for workouts and outdoor use, but it is a hefty band that I personally prefer for casual everyday wear.#Favorite #Apple #Watch #Bands #Avoidwearables,apple,health,fitness,gear,buying guides,shopping,accessories
Tech-news

first Apple Watch launched in 2015. After years of wearing and swapping, I’ve rounded up the best bands for every occasion. Be sure to check out our related product guides, including the Best Apple Watch Accessories, Best Apple Watch, and Best Smartwatches for more recommendations.

Jump to

Best Band for Everyday Wear

The Nike Sport Loop has been my everyday band since 2020. I bought another in 2023 because I wanted to swap colors, and I figured after three years, I should buy a brand-new one, but it has held up remarkably well. Made from a blend of recycled polyester, spandex, and nylon, it’s breathable and lightweight. The double-layered nylon weave is designed with dense loops that help prevent moisture from getting trapped against your skin. As long as you regularly hand-wash it to rid it of sweat buildup and dirt, it stays odor-free.

The hook-and-loop fastener and pull tab make it easy to adjust with one hand. It is Velcro, so beware, it can snag on softer fabrics. Still, for a band designed with sports in mind, it’s understated enough to wear almost anywhere. I wouldn’t wear it to a formal event, but for the office or casual social events, it’s perfect.

Best Titanium Apple Watch Band

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

Nomad originally designed the Stratos Band for the Apple Watch Ultra, but it fits just as well with the SE and Series 1 through 11. It’s easy to adjust, refined enough for the office, and backed by Grade 4 titanium hardware with a scratch-resistant DLC coating. FKM rubber links (PFA-free and antimicrobial, according to Nomad) add flexibility, durability, and water-resistance. The clasp is made with corrosion-resistant N52 magnets, which make it effortless to snap on, and it’s designed with a manual release button, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally falling off. It’s technically suited for workouts and outdoor use, but it is a hefty band that I personally prefer for casual everyday wear.

#Favorite #Apple #Watch #Bands #Avoidwearables,apple,health,fitness,gear,buying guides,shopping,accessories">My Favorite Apple Watch Bands (and the Ones to Avoid)

Apple Watches are smart little gadgets, but they don’t always fit the vibe. There were plenty of nights and dressier events when I left mine at home because—as much as I wanted to check my notifications discreetly—it didn’t match my outfit. I’ve also had my fair share of faux pas and just let the neon orange sport band clash with my neutral ensemble.

Fortunately, Apple Watch bands are a simple and relatively affordable way to zhuzh up the look of your wearable. Beyond aesthetics, different styles also impact performance and functionality. For example, I don’t want a heavy stainless steel or high-quality leather band weighing me down during a sweaty workout, just as I wouldn’t wear a flimsy silicone band to a dinner party.

At WIRED, we’ve been testing bands since the very first Apple Watch launched in 2015. After years of wearing and swapping, I’ve rounded up the best bands for every occasion. Be sure to check out our related product guides, including the Best Apple Watch Accessories, Best Apple Watch, and Best Smartwatches for more recommendations.

Jump to

Best Band for Everyday Wear

The Nike Sport Loop has been my everyday band since 2020. I bought another in 2023 because I wanted to swap colors, and I figured after three years, I should buy a brand-new one, but it has held up remarkably well. Made from a blend of recycled polyester, spandex, and nylon, it’s breathable and lightweight. The double-layered nylon weave is designed with dense loops that help prevent moisture from getting trapped against your skin. As long as you regularly hand-wash it to rid it of sweat buildup and dirt, it stays odor-free.

The hook-and-loop fastener and pull tab make it easy to adjust with one hand. It is Velcro, so beware, it can snag on softer fabrics. Still, for a band designed with sports in mind, it’s understated enough to wear almost anywhere. I wouldn’t wear it to a formal event, but for the office or casual social events, it’s perfect.

Best Titanium Apple Watch Band

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

  • Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane

Nomad originally designed the Stratos Band for the Apple Watch Ultra, but it fits just as well with the SE and Series 1 through 11. It’s easy to adjust, refined enough for the office, and backed by Grade 4 titanium hardware with a scratch-resistant DLC coating. FKM rubber links (PFA-free and antimicrobial, according to Nomad) add flexibility, durability, and water-resistance. The clasp is made with corrosion-resistant N52 magnets, which make it effortless to snap on, and it’s designed with a manual release button, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally falling off. It’s technically suited for workouts and outdoor use, but it is a hefty band that I personally prefer for casual everyday wear.

#Favorite #Apple #Watch #Bands #Avoidwearables,apple,health,fitness,gear,buying guides,shopping,accessories

Apple Watches are smart little gadgets, but they don't always fit the vibe. There were…

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London-based hardware company Nothing is on track to release a pair of smart glasses next…

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Last year, Garmin introduced a Pro version that incorporates the inReach's satellite communications savvy. Not…

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Deveillance also claims the Spectre can find nearby microphones by detecting radio frequencies (RF), but…

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“Wearables” may already be too broad a term in tech. It encompasses more than smartwatches.…

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You don’t need a four-figure Swiss movement to know what time it is—or look good…