Oakley Meta Vanguard AI Glasses Pros
Sleek and weatherproof design
Hands-free video seize
Garmin integration elevates health metrics
9-hour battery life with quick charging
Cons
Setup could be tough with a number of apps
Niche use case
Video seize lags on command
As a sensible frugalist who’s by no means owned greater than a gas-station-quality pair of sun shades, getting to check a pair of Oakleys already felt like I used to be dwelling in some type of alternate universe. And the truth that they pack the newest tech launched them straight into superhero standing. My first outing with the Oakley Meta Vanguard AI glasses had me feeling like Clark Kent: strolling by way of the town, pretending to be a mere mortal, whereas hiding my superpowers in plain sight.Unlike Clark Kent’s inconspicuous black-rimmed frames, the $500 Vanguard sun shades curve round your eyes as streamlined shields. They’re styled just like the “wraparound shades” often related to efficiency sports activities like snowboarding or working, besides these come totally loaded with Meta AI and Garmin integration, making them the primary glasses geared for nerds and thrill seekers alike. They’re robust sufficient to deal with the weather, but good sufficient to ship real-time coaching stats in your ear as you hit the paths or slopes. You may also play music, take calls and doc all of your motion photographs utterly hands-free. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETThese are certainly not Meta’s first good glasses. The firm has been experimenting with wearable eyewear (digital, augmented and every part in between) for over a decade. What’s new, and the rationale they landed on my desk (as a well being and health wearables reviewer), is the health integration.Garmin, the chief in performance-focused smartwatches, brings the intense health clout and deep coaching information that Meta lacks. Together, they’ve an actual shot at increasing past the early tech adopters and hardcore athlete crowd and reaching the mass-market territory at present dominated by the Apple Watches, Fitbits and Galaxy Watches of the world.This first try will get shut, but it surely’s nonetheless area of interest. Unless you are transferring so quick you may’t afford even a split-second distraction, you will in all probability nonetheless attain on your telephone for higher pictures and look at your look ahead to stats, which you continue to must lug with you for the entire expertise to work within the first place. Plus, getting all of them to play good collectively is not precisely simple. It took me three failed exercises earlier than Meta AI, the glasses and my Garmin watch lastly began speaking. But as soon as they did, every part clicked into place.The glasses’ true potential lies on this hands-free trifecta of audio playback, media recording and real-time health teaching unfold earlier than your eyes and curving round your ears. And even when they don’t seem to be for everybody but, these glasses provide a glimpse of how wearables and telephones are actually coming to a head.One factor to notice: This is not meant to be a assessment of Meta AI (the voice assistant that powers the glasses). For that, you may try our in-depth assessment of Meta AI. As a common rule, although, take any AI-powered information responses (even the exercise metrics it spits again) with a grain of salt. They’re not all the time correct, as I’ve come to search out, and undoubtedly not an alternative choice to verified, real-world information. The Oakley Meta Vanguard AI Glasses have a glossy design that is mild and comfy to put on throughout exercises. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETGreat-looking glasses. The tech is a bonusBeneath the futuristic voice assistant and high-tech flex, these are nonetheless actual Oakley sun shades with polarized lenses, a rugged construct and efficiency match included. Even if the AI fried itself tomorrow, they’d nonetheless maintain up as head-turning sport shades which have earned me various compliments out within the wild.I examined the 24Okay lenses with the black body, which principally appear like a golden-hour gold however choose up reflections of no matter shade I’m carrying, making them a pleasant impartial match for nearly any outfit. They’re additionally obtainable in reddish, blue and black finishes.In phrases of match, they’re lots lighter than what I anticipated contemplating the additional options. But the next purple mark left on the bridge of my nostril would sign they are not fairly as mild as conventional shades (they weigh 66 grams). I ended up swapping out the nostril piece (it comes with three) to make them extra snug for longer put on, however I nonetheless had the proof on my nostril the best way a swimmer has goggle rings after a pool sesh. The earpieces additionally felt a bit stiff and slender for my head, however I like that they stayed put even on bumpy path runs. Visibility in full solar was wonderful, however (like most different solar glasses) wasn’t optimum on a cloudy day once I was darting out and in of tree canopies. They did maintain as much as mild rain sprinkles, and surprisingly, not one of the footage from that day confirmed any water spots on the lens. I in all probability would not put on them as a substitute of ski goggles throughout a full-on snowstorm, however they’re rated to face up to water, sweat and mud. The glasses have a couple of bodily controls: an influence button on the precise temple, a small swipe-sensitive touchpad on the precise arm and a customizable motion button on the left. Without having the ability to see them, discovering and remembering which facet does what takes a little bit of observe. I did most of my controlling by way of voice instructions anyway, so the buttons had been only a security internet.Unlike Meta’s new Orion AR (augmented actuality) glasses, these haven’t got a floating display in your line of sight. The Garmin overlays you see within the movies and pictures from the glasses replicate your real-time stats from that second, however they have been added after the very fact within the Meta AI app and meant for sharing (not stay viewing). Strava customers can do the identical, including efficiency stats to exercise footage within the app to share with their group.The solely visible sign you will see contained in the glasses is a small white LED mild on the higher right-hand facet of the lens. It signifies when the glasses are powered on, when Meta AI has been activated or when options like video recording are in use. It’s adequately subtle to not distract mid-run, however useful for confirming you are truly recording — or not unintentionally recording. There’s additionally a white LED mild on the surface of the glasses, just under the digital camera lens, to let others know if you’re capturing video. Meta’s Oakley Vanguard glasses (within the 24Okay end) have a built-in 12MP motion digital camera that may be managed hands-free. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETThe glossy black carrying case doubles as a charging station, which is a pleasant contact. It plugs right into a USB-C cable, but additionally holds a cost for a fast energy up on the go. The shade of the sunshine on the entrance of the case signifies whether or not you are totally charged (inexperienced), in pairing mode (blue) or working low on battery (purple).Setting up the maze of appsAlthough the design is placing, organising the Oakley Meta Vanguard wasn’t precisely plug-and-play. I examined it with a Pixel 9 Pro telephone and a Garmin Fenix 8 Pro smartwatch. The new Oakley’s aren’t suitable with the Apple Watch, however you should use them with an iPhone and Garmin setup. First, it’s important to obtain the Meta AI app to your telephone, ensure your software program is updated, then pair the app with the sun shades. If you are additionally connecting a Garmin watch, put together for much more steps. You’ll want to put in the Meta AI app in your watch by way of Garmin’s Connect IQ retailer and guarantee every part is up to date throughout all platforms.That’s three layers of pairing and three potential factors of failure. And sure, I completely received it fallacious on the primary strive. My maiden voyage (a scenic bike trip over the Golden Gate Bridge) was a complete dud as a result of I forgot to carry my telephone, which meant no AI assistant, no metrics and no media. Even after I lastly received the glasses up and working, it took two extra exercises earlier than I lastly managed to pair the Garmin watch efficiently to get real-time metrics in my ear. I needed to run two separate updates (one for the Meta app on Garmin IQ, and one other for the watch software program itself) earlier than issues began speaking to one another. By launch, a few of this can be streamlined, however be warned: If one thing breaks, you will must play tech detective to determine whether or not the difficulty lies within the Garmin IQ app, the Meta AI app or the watch itself. Screenshots of the Meta AI app (left to proper): foremost touchdown web page, media gallery, exercise abstract web page with Meta AI insights. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETThe variety of privateness disclosures additionally put me on edge, and handing over my well being information required one other layer of belief that I wasn’t positive I used to be prepared to surrender, not to mention to Meta. It’s principally pay-to-play, along with your private metrics as forex.Yes, I appreciated that the disclosures had been no less than clear and, in concept, you may handle your information within the settings, however having to repeatedly grant permissions for issues like AI coaching and Spotify preferences served as a stark reminder that these aren’t simply sun shades. They’re data-hungry good units that may know every part about you, even what you see.Communication: Speakers and mic high qualityThe sound expertise with the Oakleys is unquestionably completely different from carrying headphones, however evaluating these to high-end over-ears could be unfair, to say the least. They’re not meant to be noise-canceling, and that is a very good factor contemplating the use case.The open-ear audio system are constructed into the temples of the glasses, making a pure sound profile that feels immersive with out isolating you from the world. These are made for high-impact, high-speed actions, so it is truly a profit to retain environmental consciousness whereas nonetheless listening to your music, stats or calls. I used to be impressed by how clear the audio was in most circumstances.Sound even adjusts to your environment, and in regular settings — path runs, solo hikes, even mild metropolis visitors — they carried out nice. The one place they fell brief was biking over the Golden Gate Bridge on a windy day. Between the hum of automobiles whizzing by and the gusts off wind hitting in other way, the audio system could not compete, even at full quantity.It’s value noting that in contrast to earbuds, the sound does not keep sealed inside your ears. At full blast, individuals close by will hear it. That may appear apparent, but it surely’s simple to overlook if you’re used to non-public listening. Especially throughout calls, it is one thing to be aware of so you do not find yourself with the unintended eavesdropper. The Oakley Meta Vanguard AI Sunglasses have a touchpad for music management and quantity on the facet of the frames. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETThe mic high quality, although, actually shocked me. It’s 5 built-in mics means callers may hear me clearly, and the glasses honed in on my voice (and panting) on movies with minimal background noise. One check even managed to seize my toddler’s voice from a child provider strapped to my again. Voice command responsiveness was strong as effectively. I hardly ever needed to repeat myself. And once I did, it wasn’t a mic situation — it was Meta AI not understanding the request.Garmin integration is promisingOne of the most important upgrades right here is the power to entry stay health information by way of your Garmin watch with out ever glancing down at your wrist. While my muscle reminiscence nonetheless had me glancing at my watch as a rule, it was surprisingly helpful to listen to somebody name out my tempo or coronary heart charge zone once I requested. In conditions the place trying down is not secure and even potential given the quantity of substances in your arms (mountain biking, downhill snowboarding, and so forth.), this hands-free suggestions could possibly be a game-changer. Screenshots (from the Meta AI app) of the movies taken from the Oakley Meta Vanguard AI Glasses. The picture on the left exhibits the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, and the video on the precise has an overlay of the metrics from the watch. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETYou can name up stats mid-run or after your exercise simply by asking Meta AI. I examined it with questions like, “What’s my longest run?” or “What’s my average pace to beat?” and it delivered. The glasses even went a step additional by providing coaching strategies like encouraging me to work on growing my tempo whereas staying aware of not overexerting in excessive coronary heart charge zones. It’s not fairly the complete Garmin Connect expertise in your ear (it stopped wanting organising coronary heart charge zone alerts), but it surely does carry among the most useful insights entrance and middle with out having to dig for them in your watch, which regularly cannot show greater than 4 stats on one display. Documenting your adventures hands-free As somebody who’s examined early GoPros and 360-degree cameras, capturing footage out of your head is not precisely new to me. But doing it hands-free from a pair of sun shades — no awkward helmet or bike mounts in sight — utterly elevated the expertise.The glasses have a 12-megapixel ultra-wide digital camera with a 122-degree subject of view and 3K UHD video seize. The lens offers you that signature fisheye GoPro-like look with an ultra-wide body that works for each vertical and horizontal codecs, whether or not you are posting to Instagram or your Strava highlights reel.Image stabilization was surprisingly strong. During a rocky path run in my neighborhood regional park (they do not name it Rockville for nothing), the footage got here out impressively easy. Same for my bike trip throughout the Golden Gate Bridge. You can modify stabilization ranges within the settings, however I saved mine on auto for all my outings. You can shoot time-lapse and slow-motion clips with only a command, and there is additionally an AutoCapture characteristic that kicks in robotically if you begin a exercise in your Garmin watch. It’s designed to report what it thinks are the “highlights” of your session, however that is a little bit of a black field. I’m unsure what the algorithm is utilizing (coronary heart charge spikes? velocity bursts?), but it surely undoubtedly missed one of the best views on my path run. On the upside, it additionally skipped the much less flattering moments, like stopping to choose up after my canine. You may also override AutoCapture (which I did) at any level. Still, be warned: There’s a small delay between the command and when the digital camera truly begins recording. One time I noticed a coyote on my path, however by the point seize kicked in, it was lengthy gone. Cropped screenshot of video footage captured with the Oakley Meta Vanguard AI glasses, displaying exercise metrics pulled from the paired Garmin watch. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETMedia high quality general was strong for a wearable. You can modify digital camera settings within the app, and whereas it will not exchange your DSLR or high-end telephone digital camera, it is greater than adequate for capturing motion moments with out stopping to fumble with gear. It additionally has 32GB of onboard storage for phone-free captures, though it is going to want the telephone’s processing energy for any Meta AI requests. Saving and sharing media, nevertheless, could possibly be smoother. Your content material first has to course of from the sun shades into the Meta AI app. Standard video and picture recordsdata will ultimately sync to your telephone’s gallery, however AutoCapture clips have to be manually saved, and provided that the app is open in the course of the switch. There is an choice to share on to Instagram should you join your account, however I personally choose to assessment what I’ve captured earlier than broadcasting it stay, thanks very a lot.Battery life that holds as much as the pathsYou can ask Meta AI for a fast battery verify, which is useful if you’re out within the wild (in truth, and not using a show, it is the one option to verify on the go). Meta claims the glasses last as long as 9 hours with typical use, and as much as six hours of steady music playback. I did not put on them for 9 consecutive hours (that is subsequent stage dedication), however after a two-hour path run with fixed recording and AutoCapture enabled, I got here residence with about 75% battery left over. Charging velocity can also be spectacular; you may rise up to 50% in simply 20 minutes on the charger. The charging case for the Oakley Meta Vanguard AI Glasses with the LED indicator. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETOakley Meta Vanguard glasses: Bottom lineThe Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses are novel and thrilling, however they’re nonetheless area of interest. Most individuals will nonetheless discover it simpler to look down at their smartwatch or pull out their telephone for a similar performance.Where they honestly shine is in high-speed conditions the place checking your wrist mid-action is not an possibility: assume downhill snowboarding, biking, filth biking and even path working. They is also nice on race day (marathon, triathlon) when time is of the essence. In these moments, having real-time voice suggestions and the power to seize first-person POV video utterly hands-free is a game-changer.That mentioned, the expertise nonetheless lacks the user-friendly polish that Apple and Fitbit have mastered to win over mainstream customers. This Meta-Garmin partnership feels formidable and promising, but it surely additionally reinforces how area of interest the product stays. Right now it appears principally geared in direction of severe athletes and tech lovers who worth cutting-edge innovation over seamless usability.Still, the Vanguard offers us a transparent glimpse into the way forward for wearable tech as AI continues to weave a tighter internet between units, and we begin to see a synchronized ecosystem of linked gear that operates seamlessly inside our every day lives.