One of the most valuable brands in the world, Amazon, has launched two lines of smart glasses with Alexa: Echo Frames (3rd Gen) and Carrera Smart Glasses. In this article, we will be discussing these smart glasses, their prices in Nepal, specifications, and more!
Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen) Overview:
Design
The Echo Frames are the third iteration of Amazon's proprietary smart glasses. These smart glasses come in five different shapes: Round, Rectangle, Cat Eye, Square, and Modern Rectangle. All of these variants are available with prescription lenses as well as blue light filtering options. On the other hand, round, square, and modern rectangle variants get a polarised sun lens option.Similarly, the cat eye variant gets a gradient sun lens option. Whereas, the rectangle variant does not get any sun lens option. In terms of material, these glasses go with either Mazzucchelli Italian acetate or high-quality acetate. They feature a German-engineered spring hinge and adjustable silicone temple tips with a titanium core. Additionally, they measure a maximum of 57 x 16 x 147 mm in dimensions and weigh a maximum of 38.70 grams.
Furthermore, the Amazon Echo Frames has an IPX4 splash and sweat resistance. It features a micro-speaker in each temple with improved driver and acoustic architecture. They take a dipole port design approach for enhanced directionality. Similarly, they also feature 2 beamforming microphones in each temple. Additionally, these smart glasses have a hall sensor, ambient light sensor, and accelerometer as well.
Playback and Features
The third-gen Echo Frames are capable of providing 6 hours of continuous media playback or talk time at 80% volume. This number jumps up to 14 hours when using moderately.These smart glasses can be charged by placing them upright on the charging stand, that's included in the box. The charging stand needs to be connected with a USB Type-C cable and is capable of delivering 5W of power from the power adapter, which needs to be purchased separately. The smart glasses take 2 hours and 30 minutes to fully charge. You can also fold these glasses when not in use to automatically turn them off.
Most interestingly, Echo Frames give you access to Alexa, which is one of the smartest voice assistants in the market. With help of her, the functionality of these smart glasses shoots through the roof. You can create shopping lists, schedule tasks, set a reminder, and so much more. They are compatible with Android 9.0+ and iOS 14, through the Alexa app. These glasses come with Bluetooth v5.2 with multi-point pairing, a hands-free profile, an advanced audio distribution profile, and audio/video remote control profile features.
Carrera Smart Glasses Overview:
Design
The Carrera Smart Glasses is a collaboration between sunglasses and sports eyewear designer and producer,
Carrera. Design-wise, these smart glasses take a much cooler approach. They are available in two variants: Sprinter and Cruiser, the former of which measures 58 x 16 x 147 mm. Whereas the latter one measures 60 x 13 x 147 mm. These glasses weigh a maximum of 46.30 grams.
The material of choice for the Carrera smart glasses is Mazzucchelli Italian Acetate. The Sprinter variant offers a polarised sun lens along with a blue light filtering option. Whereas the Cruiser variant offers a gradient sun lens and no blue light filtering option. These smart glasses feature an anti-reflective coating and boast UV400 protection. However, they do not offer prescription lenses. The rest of the hardware and design choices are the same as the Echo Frames.
Playback and Features
The Carrera Smart Glasses offer the same amount of playback period and the same features as the Echo Frames. Meaning, it offers a maximum of 14 hours of battery life on moderate use along with the same charging method and time. This extends further to the availability and usability of Alexa with the glasses, connectivity, sensors, and compatibility with your devices.
Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen) and Carrera Smart Glasses Specifications
Category | Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen) | Carrera Smart Glasses |
Variants | Round, Rectangle, Square, Cat Eye, and Modern Rectangle | Sprinter and Cruiser |
Frame Material | Mazzucchelli Italian acetate (Round, Cat Eye)High-quality acetate (Rectangle, Square, Modern Rectangle) | Mazzucchelli Italian acetate |
Temple Material | Soft-touch silicone with titanium core |
Sun Lens | Polarised (Round, Square, and Modern Rectangle)Gradient (Cat Eye)Unavailable (Rectangle) | Polarised (Sprinter)Gradient (Cruiser) |
Prescription lens | Available in all variants | Unavailable |
Blue Light Filtering | Available in all variants | Available in Sprinter only |
Dimensions | Up to 57 x 16 x 147 mm (Modern Rectangle) | Up to 60 x 16 x 147 mm (Cruiser) |
Weight | Up to 38.70 grams (Modern Rectangle) | Up to 46.30 grams (Cruiser) |
Battery Life | 6 hours of continuous media playback or talk time, 14 hours of moderate use (at 80% volume) |
Charge Time | 2.5 hours on charge stand, 5W power adapter, USB-A to USB-C |
Speakers and Microphone | 2x micro speakers + 4x beamforming microphones |
Sensors | Hall sensor, Ambient light sensor, and accelerometer |
Resistance | IPX4 rated |
Compatibility | Android 9.0+ / iOS 14+ |
Connectivity | Data connection through mobile app, Bluetooth v5.2 (Multipoint pairing, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP) |
Voice Assistant | Alexa |
Companion App | Alexa App (Android | iOS) |
Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen) and Carrera Smart Glasses Price in Nepal and Availability
Both lines of these smart glasses are available to preorder on the Amazon website, as of now. The price for Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen) starts at USD 269.99. These smart glasses making their way here in Nepal is unlikely. However, if they arrive here, we expect the Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen) and Carrera Smart Glasses price in Nepal to be NPR 43,000 and NPR 61,900 respectively.
Amazon Smart Glasses | Price in USA (Official) | Price in Nepal (Expected) |
Echo Frames (3rd Gen) | USD 269.99 | NPR 43,000 |
Echo Frames (Sun Lens) | USD 329.99 | NPR 52,500 |
Carrera Smart Glasses | USD 389.99 | NPR 61,900 |