CES 2023 showcased a cornucopia of wearable tech, transforming what we already wear into spectacular tech wizardry. This includes pearl earrings that can play music and hearing aids disguised as earbuds, but nothing could have prepared me for the badassery of the AirGo3 smart glasses.
I tried on my fair share of audio-emanating smart glasses at CES 2023, including a Paula Abdul-pushed pair. What did I think of it? Well, Paula was great. The flimsy, uninspiring glasses on the other hand? Not so great.
Feeling a little jaded, I sauntered over to Solos' CES 2023 booth, expecting to find another unoriginal pair of smart glasses, but I was wrong. I put the new AirGo3's on and I was blown away by its spatial audio feature.
AirGo3 smart glasses
Many products claim to deliver spatial audio, but they don't quite hit the nail on the head. For example, in early September, Apple announced that it would allow users to tap into their TrueDepth camera tech to take advantage of a new AirPods feature called personalized spatial audio. In theory, it sounded cool, but I didn't detect much of a difference when I turned it on.
As such, when the Solos representatives at CES 2023 claimed that the new AirGo3 smart glasses have 360-degree spatial audio, I was skeptical. However, once I put them on and the rep turned on the music, I said, "Whoa!" The AirGo3 smart glasses truly capture the essence of a surround-sound experience. The best way I can describe it is that I felt that someone was holding a blaring boombox and running around me in circles.
How does it work? It uses open-ear directional stereo speakers that "create sound outputs like light beams," Solos said, that aim at your ears to reduce sound leakage.
The sound quality is top tier, too. In fact, it's worth noting that Solos claims that the AirGo3 smart glasses deliver the highest sound level output (compared to other smart glasses on the market).
But wait, it gets better! The battery life is up to 10 hours, so these glasses should last all day on a charge.
As a cherry on top, they're stylish AF. Meta has a pair of smart glasses out right now called Ray-Ban Stories, and while we raved about them in our review, I wouldn't go as far as saying that I like the available options. I prefer the AirGo3 smart glasses on me. Whether you prefer a glitzy sports vibe or a nerdy, hipster look, AirGo3 has something for everyone.
You can work out with these, too. It has a waterproof rating of IP67, protecting the smart glasses from sweat, rain, and spills. As such, you can go jogging in a drizzle or ride your bike in the rain — and the AirGo3 smart glasses will be just fine.
When I met co-founder Kenneth Fan at the Solos CES 2023 booth, I told him that the AirGo3's sound 100x better than the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses I tried on last year, and I wasn't blowing smoke up his caboose. However, what's different about Meta's smart glasses is that, in addition to playing music and taking calls, they can record videos and take pictures, too. Perhaps Fan's commitment to making the AirGo3's a dedicated, top-of-the-line audio device (as opposed to a multimedia gadget) gives Solos' smart glasses an edge with its sound quality.
It's worth noting that the CES judges agree with my enthusiasm. The AirGo3 smart glasses are a CES 2023 Innovation Award Honoree.
I can't wait to get a sample to test out the Solos AirGo3 smart glasses again. Who knows? Perhaps I may have a different opinion after trying them on in a quieter setting.
