Amazon Echo Frames v2 review

Our Verdict

The Echo Frames are a clever way to use Alexa, but the audio needs to better.

For

Comfortable to wear
Hands-gratuitous Alexa

Against

Weak audio
Plasticky design

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Repeat Frames are a clever way to use Alexa, but the sound needs to better.

Pros

+
Comfortable to wear
+
Hands-free Alexa

Cons

-
Weak audio
-
Plasticky design

When I first tried on the Amazon Echo Frames, my beginning thought was, "why exercise nosotros need Alexa in a pair of glasses?" Amazon's assistant is already in smart thermostats, cars, even talking fish — to limited success. But, every bit I wore the $249 Repeat Frames while walking my domestic dog, working in front of my computer, and while I was out and about, I came to appreciate being able to practice a number of things hands-free.

Simply while these specs further Amazon's appetite to take its voice assistant everywhere, they could use a little more than focus. Read on for our full Amazon Echo Frames review to see why these glasses fall a bit curt of their potential.

Amazon Echo Frames review: Price and availability

The second-generation Echo Frames cost $249, and are now available for anyone who wants to purchase them. You can buy them in black, tortoiseshell, or blueish. The Echo Frames 2nd gen had a release date of November 2020.

Update (October. 2021): Amazon has updated the Frames with several new features:

Amazon Echo Frames review: Pattern

The 2nd-generation Echo Frames expect improve than Google Glass and some other smart spectacles, but have a Warby Parker vibe — my married woman said I looked like a 1960s-era rocket scientist. The Frames are at present available not just in blackness, but tortoiseshell and blueish, too.

Amazon Echo Frames v2 review — (Paradigm credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Each arm of the spectacles is a fleck thick, to adjust the speakers and other circuitry, but the function that hooks around your ears is thin.

On the right arm is a power push button which also lets you plow the mic on the glasses on and off. Merely backside it is a rocker switch that controls the book of the speakers. Behind this is a pocket-sized magnetic contact expanse where the charger attaches.

The exterior of the right arm is touch on-sensitive, and allows you to take and reject phone calls via swipe and tap. Information technology was fairly easy to utilize, but I wish there were a ridge or some sort of physical indicator to know when your finger was in the touch-sensitive area.

Overall, I plant the Echo Frames, which counterbalance 1.09 ounces, comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. They were much more than comfy than the Vuzix Blades, and even the Focals by Due north.

They do come with a overnice protective case, besides as a cleaning textile. The Echo Frames come with articulate plastic lenses, simply you can get them fitted with prescription lenses.

Amazon Echo Frames review: Audio

The Echo Frames have four tiny speakers (2 on each side) that use beamforming to direct audio to your ears. It'due south similar to what Bose does with the Bose Frames, simply not every bit good.

Sound from the Repeat Frames was mediocre. After streaming some jazz tunes via TuneIn as well every bit rock, hip-hop, musicals from Spotify and podcasts from iTunes, the biggest thing I found lacking was bass, which deprived most tunes of their punch.

Bruce Springsteen'due south Born to Run was extremely tinny; it felt like I was listening to a showtime-generation Echo Dot.

Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run was extremely tinny; it felt like I was listening to a first-generation Echo Dot. I could make out all of Lin-Manuel Miranda'due south lyrics in the Hamilton soundtrack, simply vocals were compressed, and there was no lower range to back them upwardly. The bass lines in Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion's WAP were not nearly every bit wet as I'd like.

If you listen to music that doesn't get too far in either farthermost, yous'll have a mostly pleasant feel. Midrange tones were pretty adept, and the stereo speakers gave the impression of distinct instruments.

I found setting the volume to around 60 percent was platonic, not merely for myself, but besides for my married woman, sitting nearly 15 feet away in our attic-turned-function. Anything louder, and she could hear what was coming out of the speakers. It's as irritating equally if y'all were sitting in the same room every bit a kid playing a game on their parent's iPhone.

Considering of the Repeat Frames' open pattern, those around you lot are much more likely to hear what y'all're listening to, especially if y'all're playing something at a college book. That wasn't the instance with the Bose Frames.

Amazon Echo Frames Review: Phone calls

Phone calls made using the Echo Frames were pretty adept. I simply asked Alexa to dial up one of my contacts; Amazon'southward assistant first asked me which of my contact'south phone numbers I'd similar to dial, and so she (it) made the connectedness.

My wife could hear me conspicuously, even though I was outdoors on a windy mean solar day. (She did note that she could hear current of air noises, though.) I could hear her well, though I did accept to turn up the volume a bit.

Amazon Repeat Frames: What you can — and can't — exercise with Alexa

The Repeat Frames aren't the commencement smart glasses to take Alexa congenital in, so it's a little surprising that Amazon hasn't learned from those other devices to make its assistant more mobile-friendly.

When y'all summon Alexa, a small bluish LED illuminates on the inside of the glasses, above your correct center. It's subtle plenty to not be distracting, but vivid enough to let you know Amazon'due south voice assistant is listening.

I constitute Alexa responsive, and specially liked that the Frames have Amazon's ESP engineering science, which means that the Echo Frames — and not all the other Echo speakers scattered through my house — responded to my voice.

You lot can use Alexa in the Echo Frames every bit y'all would with any of Amazon'south other smart speakers, such as asking for news and weather, playing music, and controlling smart dwelling devices.

Don't desire to use Alexa? iPhone owners can summon Siri, and Android smartphone users can call up Google Banana by pressing and holding the touchpad.

Spoken turn-by-turn directions could exist more seamless, just would crave Amazon to invest in its own mapping service. (Why it hasn't slapped 360 cameras on all its delivery vehicles yet is beyond me.)

While Alexa tin find things such equally local gas stations and pizza places, it doesn't have a native mapping service, so it falls back to either Siri and Apple Maps if paired with an iPhone or Google Banana and Google Maps when paired with an Android smartphone.

If you're using it with an iPhone, you accept to tap "Showtime Navigation" on your phone to get things going, an extra step.

Using the Echo Frames for navigation may seem extraneous if you're driving in your car, simply they come in handy if you're walking or biking effectually somewhere unfamiliar, and don't want to keep pulling out your telephone for directions.

Amazon Echo Frames: Bombardment life

Amazon says that with intermittent utilize and the volume set to 60 percent, the Repeat Frames will last up to 14 hours. If you lot're using them to telephone call someone, you should get two hours of talk time. If you're playing music constantly at 80 percent volume, they should last up to four hours. I found the latter to be pretty authentic. Depending on how much y'all like to heed to tunes and make telephone calls, you could get through a whole day without having to recharge the specs.

The Echo Frames accuse up to threescore per centum in almost 20-30 minutes, and fully charged later nearly 75 minutes. They come with a proprietary USB cable that magnetically attaches to the right arm.

Update (October. 21): Amazon has updated the Frames with a new sleep mode. They will now automatically turn on when you lot put them on, and become into a low power mode once yous have them off and turn them upside down.

Amazon Echo Frames review: Verdict

While y'all can find Amazon's assistant in almost whatsoever smart device, it'due south not ever clear what purpose Alexa serves in those gadgets.

In many means, the Repeat Frames are trying to accomplish the same role as a smartwatch; they let you access most functions of your telephone without having to pull it out of your pocket. To that end, they're adequately successful. You tin can listen to music, make telephone calls, and search and observe things without disrupting any else it is you're doing.

Withal, the Echo Frames need to sound a lot meliorate earlier I'd beat out $250. If your main purpose for picking upwardly a pair of smart spectacles is listening to music, the Bose Frames are the pair to go. But, if the idea of Alexa on your confront is intriguing, so the Echo Frames are worth a look.

Michael A. Prospero is the deputy editor at Tom's Guide overseeing the home, smart home, drones, and fitness/wearables categories, as well as all buying guides and other evergreen content. When he'south not testing out the latest running sentry, skiing or training for a marathon, he'south probably using the latest sous vide automobile or some other cooking gadget.