Huawei has rounded its bumper product event of today (December 23, 2021) out with the introduction of new smart glasses. These accessories are, like their predecessors, equipped with speakers and mics for hands-free use and entertainment. Then again, this new generation also has something of a health-tracking component.
Huawei’s latest smart glasses are the first to lose the Gentle Monster designer co-branding seen in both generations of their predecessors. However, they may make up for that with a design that means their speaker-packing ear-hooks are interchangeable with detachable lens-pieces.
There are 6 choices of the latter in terms of style, dubbed “Boston“, “Welliington” and “avatar” by their maker, in addition to 3 “retro” options. The business ends of the glasses are equipped with new 128mm “ultra-thin large-amplitude” speakers for music, content and other functions.
Huawei asserts that their construction ensures the audio emitted stays directed at the user’s ear, for their ease of use and privacy. A complete set of Smart Glasses is rated for IPX4 ingress-protection and has a new charging system that allows them to charge from a choice of 2 points using their magnetic system. Their battery is rated for up to 16 hours of use per charge.
Dual mics enable hands-free voice-assistant controls and calls, rated for enhanced protection from wind noise and for vocal clarity. Huawei thus touts its new Smart Glasses as a great new way to get alerts and real-time audio notifications on weather, travel or some apps such as WeChat.
Then again, it might be best if the prospective user is already in the HarmonyOS ecosystem, as this software is also what runs the new glasses. Accordingly, its first-party apps also pertain to version 2.0 of this UI, and the voice assistant present is Huawei’s Cela.
Therefore, these new glasses are of the type in which their ‘smart’ attributes does not extend to anything becoming actually visible or interactive via the lenses. On the other hand, Huawei has baked something extra into these new variants. It is based on sensors placed within the spectacles to assess head position, in relation to that of the cervical spine.
This data enables the glasses to emit coaching on posture and neck health in real time. Huawei has priced these new accessories at 1,699 yuan (~US$267) in China, although that goes up to 1,899 yuan (~$298) for a pair with dark lenses.