When I first heard that Owndays the spectacles shop was going to be involved in the Huawei Eyewear 2 smart audio glasses earlier this year, I was pretty excited.
After all, this would be a pair of glasses you would actually wear, since you could fit lenses that you need to correct any eyesight issues. Plus, the titanium frame at the front does make this a practical pair of spectacles, not just a geeky novelty.
Putting on a pair of the Owndays x Huawei Eyewear 2 confirms what I have expected. The fit is great and I’d say they are as comfortable as any pair of regular glasses since they weigh a light 30g or so.
These glasses, to be clear, play back music streamed from your phone and… that’s it. No, they don’t have any smart head-up display nor do they record any video, like other connected glasses.
So, how do the Huawei Eyewear 2 work? Essentially, they pack small Bluetooth speakers into the sides of the frame to stream music from your phone. You can also make calls with the integrated microphone.
Also on the sides, touch sensors let you control the volume without looking for your phone, potentially making this a cool device to have, say, while sitting in a quiet cafe.
I say quiet because the glasses don’t have noise cancellation that keeps out the din around you. If you’re sitting in a noisy place or commuting on a train, I’d be much happier to use a pair of true wireless earbuds.
The glasses are great for when you don’t want to bring another piece of gear with you, say, during a walk in the park, or when going to the gym for a quick workout.
Of course, it helps to have decent water resistance – the Huawei glasses have a rating of IP54, which means they should be fine even if you’re caught in a drizzle.
What surprises me is that the sound leakage isn’t too bad. Listening to songs or podcasts on a medium audio setting, you won’t be disturbing others around you that much.
In a crowded train, the soft music from the speakers might get some people glancing around looking for the audio source, though.
Good news is, the music I played back on Tidal on my phone streamed flawlessly, with nearly no drop-offs. And I’d say the audio quality is okay, if you keep your expectations reasonable.
Vocals are clear and undistorted, for starters. Since the audio is not stuck in your ears, there is a feeling of openness and air in each track I play.
The quality is still nowhere near my pair of Sennheiser True Wireless 4 earbuds, which convey detail and resolution in tracks effortlessly, though that’s not a fair comparison.
What the Huawei glasses will do well with are breezy, unfussy pop tunes like Ariana Grande’s Twilight Zone. Just know that something a bit more complex like Beck’s The Information will sound like the various instruments are somewhat jumbled up and lack separation.
What about phone calls? They can sound a little “echoey” at times though the other parties I speak to say they do hear me loud and clear. I’d prefer a pair of earbuds instead of these glasses for long or important calls with clients or bosses.
For battery life, Huawei says the glasses will last up to 11 hours for music playback and nine hours for calls. Crucially, the power can be only standby for 94 hours, which means you don’t have to plug the glasses in every day if you don’t play music with them all the time.
To juice up the battery, you slide on an adapter that hooks up to a USB power source. It takes about 50 minutes to get a full charge on.
The Huawei Eyewear 2 glasses cost S$438 at Owndays shops in Singapore. Note that the price doesn’t include any special lenses you might wish to add on.
So, while the glasses do not seem outrageously expensive, you do have to consider the additional cost, especially if you are going for more expensive lenses.
You’d have to say the glasses work as advertised and would appeal to a niche group of users who want to leave their earbuds at home at times.
More than a novelty, the Owndays x Huawei Eyewear 2 are worth checking out if you’re looking for a new set of glasses and want music streaming for kicks. No, they are not real replacements for your earbuds but are surprisingly fun to put on.
