Amazon is adding some extra flexibility to its Echo Frames smart glasses with a handful of new lens options.
Previously, the Echo Frames were only sold with clear lenses, but you'll soon be able to customize the smart specs with a choice of sunglasses lenses: classic or blue mirror. The classic lenses are available now while the blue mirror finish will launch on June 9, as will another new option: blue light-filtering lenses.
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All the new lenses come with Classic Black frames, and add an extra $20 to the standard Echo Frames’ MSRP to sell at $269. Amazon had previously made the Echo Frames prescription-ready, but this is the first time you’ll be able to customize the non-prescriptions lenses before you buy.
The classic sunglasses lenses have a pretty standard black/brown tint, while the blue mirror finish is altogether flashier — good if you’re going for a Top-Gun-meets-Silicon-Valley look. The blue light-filtering lenses take a more practical approach: they aim to reduce the amount of blue light entering your eyes from digital screens, which can cause sleep problems and fatigue if you dose yourself with too much.
Because all three options come with existing Echo Frames v2 frame, all of them will bring a familiar feature set including IPX4 water resistance and built-in speakers for playing music over Bluetooth. You also get built-in Alexa digital assistant support, so you can use the onboard mics to give commands and make queries while leaving your hands free. When paired to a phone you can use the Echo Frames as a calling headset, too.
In our Echo Frames v2 review we praised Amazon’s smart glasses for their comfort and (mostly) good looks, the latter of which could be enhanced — in the eye of the beholder, of course — with a set of these new lenses. However, sound quality from the open speakers proved lacking compared to the Bose Frames.
