With the development of technology, domestic and foreign manufacturers have launched their own C-end smart glasses, and these devices have also added a new field to the industry: augmented reality wearable devices.
As far as the functions of each product are concerned, there is no breakthrough obvious device, but throughout the market performance, different consumers have also made their own choices for each product, which are based on each person's needs and preferences.
Case in point: Facebook's "Ray-Ban Stories," the first star product in the field, received a lot of attention as soon as it came out. As mentioned above, this product has no breakthrough in functionality, but it still shows a unique charm in important links, which is also the basis for Zuckerberg to dare to start a grand campaign before the product is released.
However, although each family is vigorously promoting its own smart glasses. However, users are easily confused when purchasing, and the reason for this phenomenon is actually very simple: everyone is not familiar with the characteristics of the device, so it is impossible to compare.
Recently, foreign media have made a condensed version of the comparison, the device mainly selected three european and American hot products: Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories ($299), Amazon's Echo Frames ($249.99), Snap's Spectacles 3 ($380).
Ray-Ban Stories
Echo Frames
Shows 3
From the perspective of evaluation, the main point of buying electronic products is to find out their own needs and points of interest, as well as the difficulty of using the equipment, and the focus of foreign media comparison will also be on these aspects.
1. Photo function
Yes, the most important thing in this comparison is the camera function, because its importance to the current AR smart glasses is unparalleled, which can also be seen in the advertisements of various companies.
Specifically, Amazon's Echo Frames were eliminated in the first round because it didn't have a camera at all. In the other two devices, Snap's Spectacles 3 can take pictures at a resolution of 1728 x 1728 pixels, shoot video at 1,216 x 1,216 pixels and 60 frames per second. As the most famous and affordable Facebook Ray-Ban Stories, it can take pictures at a resolution of 2592 x 1,944 and capture video at 1,184 x 1,184 pixels, at 30 frames per second.
Judging by user feedback, Snap Spectacles' photos and videos are of very good quality. In addition, the official also added a function to the Spectacles 3: after processing video clips through the Snapchat app, you can add 3D AR-style effects to them. In the Facebook View app, users can choose to add Instagram-style effects, but there are no immersive or 3D effects yet.
Conclusion: If you take your device's camera performance very seriously, don't hesitate, because the advantages of the Snap Spectacles 3 are very obvious.
2. Audio function
As another important feature of smart glasses, audio is also a top priority, because almost all of the products currently released do not provide a real AR experience, so audio has become a common choice for operation and feedback. In this session, echo Frames, who lost in the first round, won across the board.
First of all, Snap's Spectacles 3 can indeed record audio while recording video, but it has no other role than that, which is a bit of a pity. Meanwhile, Amazon's Echo Frames and Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories offer efficient voice control modes that allow users to issue verbal commands to trigger various functions.
It is worth mentioning that Echo Frames performed very well in this session because it has a full-fledged virtual assistant (Alexa) that can execute a long list of commands triggered by sound. In contrast, Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories really can only use verbal commands to take photos or videos. In addition, both Echo Frames and Stories allow users to answer calls, listen to music, and podcasts through their devices, making both excellent earbud replacements.
Summary: In this link, Amazon's Echo Frames won overwhelmingly, and of course Facebook Stories is not bad, but it is not as good as the former.
3. Software features
In this link, Spectacles 3 and Stories both won, which is more or less related to the software development background of both manufacturers, so the result is not unexpected. As a global e-commerce giant, although Amazon has built a top-level online shopping system, it does have some way to go when it comes to physical devices and software applications.
And between Spectacles and Stories, Snapchat is clearly superior. Since Snap has been fully polishing this product for six years, many software and hardware run-ins and debugging are very mature, and the user experience is also in common sense.
Specifically, in addition to the regular smart glasses function, users can also use realistic 3D effects, as well as the famous Snap filters and virtual stickers, which can greatly improve the viewing of pictures and videos. Of course, Facebook View's functionality is not bad, at least the official attitude is to try to catch up with Snap Spectacles, and it also has this strength.
Summary: Snap Spectacles 3 wins perfectly.
4. Design
In fact, the comparison of this link is difficult, because everyone's aesthetics are different. However, if you look at the wear, the Ray-Ban Stories jointly created by Facebook and Ray-Ban will undoubtedly win, after all, the latter's position in the field of traditional glasses is not blown out.
In addition, the second place is definitely Amazon Echo Frames. However, this result is not how good (nor bad) its design is, nor because of the quality of its manufacturing, but because its frame design is suitable for multiple face shapes and can be integrated with many fashion styles.
As the sole loser of this link, the Spectacles 3's frame is small and not suitable for users with large faces. What's more, its design is avant-garde, and it's better suited for wearing on the catwalk or for those looking for novelty. For more ordinary users, it takes a certain amount of courage to wear it to walk on the road.
Summary: It varies from person to person, and there is no winner.
5. Practicality
Strictly speaking, the comparison of this link should also be based on the needs and usage habits of each person.
If you live abroad and attach great importance to online shopping, then Echo Frames is almost a winner without suspense; if you need a pair of smart glasses that are beautiful and can provide photography, video and audio functions, then Ray-Ban Stories is the best choice; and for those who pay attention to new technologies and like to appear frequently on social platforms, the powerful features of Snap Spectacles 3 will make you more different.
In addition, if it rains frequently in the user's city, the Echo Frames will definitely bring better protection, because only it has IPX4-rated waterproofing, which can avoid the erosion of the device from sweat and raindrops. Compared with the other two devices, the waterproof measures are almost zero.
Summary: Varies from person to person, choose as needed.
6. Brand effect
From a conventional point of view, the strong brand effect of Facebook itself and Ray-Ban will undoubtedly defeat the other two opponents. However, the former's style in terms of user privacy has been criticized, and on smart glasses, which are deeply rooted in life, users will inevitably have doubts and anxieties.
At the same time, Amazon's dominance in the e-commerce field is unquestionable (except for China), and the quality and fame of the Echo series of products are also increasing, its brand effect is to some extent more than Facebook and Ray-Ban, and there is no scandal in terms of privacy protection, and even many giants in the technology industry will choose Amazon's cloud services.
In addition, although Snap does not have a huge user base like Amazon, it also has no privacy protection problems, and users' love for it can be seen from the installed capacity.
Summary: If you don't care about privacy issues at the moment, then Ray-Ban Stories is undoubtedly the best choice, at least until Apple releases similar products, its competitiveness is the highest. In the comparison between Spectacles and Echo Frames, the latter is indeed very practical. Of course, this is if you are abroad.
7. Our views
Smart glasses are still a new thing, and their birth and development are inseparable from the development of 5G and related ecological content. For now, in fact, the three devices selected this time are already the top products in the industry. For users who want to embrace smart devices, the full version of AR wearables in the next few years will surely bring greater surprises.
In addition, although foreign media did not choose domestic equipment in this comparison, we will select several products later to make a horizontal comparison of the Chinese version, and the one that wins at that time may be the "key" for you to open the door to the new era.