I reviewed the Even Realities Even G2 smartglasses, and forgot all about my smartwatch

I’ve been using the Even Realities Even G2 smartglasses for the last few weeks, and before we go any further, the first thing to know is that it’s doing things differently from Meta and its partnership with Ray-Ban.

Don’t think of the Even G2 as a Ray-Ban Meta alternative. Instead, I’ve found it’s best to think of them as an alternative to a smartwatch instead. Does that concept work? I found out.

8/10

Sunglasses?

Optional clip-on sunglasses

Durability

IP65

Connective Technology

Bluetooth 5.4

Speakers

N/A

The Even Realities Even G2 smartglasses swap out a camera and speakers for a gorgeous Micro-LED display in the lenses, turning them into a fantastic, face-worn smartwatch alternative.

Pros & Cons

• Micro-LED display is sharp and bright
• Notifications, reminders, and AI assistant are helpful
• Genuine all-day wear comfort
• Long-lasting battery
• High quality prescription lens option
• Doesn’t have a camera

• Awkward control system
• No speakers
• Extended AI features lack wide appeal
• Even R1 smart ring is flawed

Price, specs, and availability

The Even Realities Even G2 can be purchased directly from Even Realities, and they come in one of two different frame designs. The Even G2 A, which you can see in our photos, and the rectangular Even G2 B. Both cost $599.

Add prescription lenses and the price will increase accordingly, based on your requirements. The Even Realities R1 smart ring, which works with the Even G2 and isn’t a standalone product, costs an additional $249.

Other smart glasses with a display include the Meta Ray-Ban Display, the RayNeo X3 Pro, and the Halliday Glasses. Other popular models without a display include the Ray-Ban Meta.

Even Realities G2 design

Smartglasses you can wear all day

Even Realities Even G2 are not really a Ray-Ban Meta competitor, and if you want to have fun taking photos and listening to music with your smartglassses, the G2 won’t be for you, because they have neither a camera nor speakers.

The design reflects this different intent. The G2’s are styled like normal spectacles and are made from high-quality materials, so they’re ready to be worn both indoors and out, and don’t look like sunglasses.

The frame is magnesium alloy, which has a lovely texture to it, and the arms are made from titanium. It feels strong and expensive, but also lightweight and well-crafted. The G2’s are very different from the all-plastic construction of the Ray-Ban Meta.

I’m wearing the Even G2 A frames in the photos. it wasn’t my first choice, and the Even G2 B frames are closer to what I normally wear. However, they’re surprisingly neutral in their shape, and I haven’t felt self-conscious wearing them.

No one has noticed they’re not “normal” glasses either. I’ve had to explain they’re smartglasses when someone has said I’ve changed my eyewear. Interestingly, I’ve also had to explain there’s no camera to a few people when they asked if I was recording them. The Ray-Ban Meta’s poor reputation affects all smartglasses.

I have worn the Even G2 all day with no major comfort issues. It takes a little while to get the nose pads correctly spaced, but weight distribution is excellent, and the oversize arm tips (where controls live) never cause comfort problems either.

Although the Even G2 aren’t primarily sunglasses, I’ve used the clip-on shades accessory a lot, and once you get the hang of stretching it out, putting it on and taking it off takes a moment, and you don’t need to remove the glasses to do it.

The Even G2 are the closest I’ve come to wearing smartglasses that could realistically take the place of my normal non-smart glasses. A lot of this is down to not having to incorporate a camera or speakers, avoiding additional weight and complexity. I think they look great, the design is interesting but not too bold, and the build quality and materials are top-notch.

Even Realities G2 display

A futuristic treat in front of your eyes

The main reason to consider the Even Realities Even G2 is the display inside the lenses, and despite having experienced it for a few weeks now, the coolness of seeing it overlay the world right in front of my eyes has not gotten old at all.

It uses waveguide optics and Micro-LED displays, has a 640 x 350 pixel resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 1,200 nit brightness. The display is bright green, and you see it centrally in your vision.

The Even G2’s display looks fantastic. Text is crisp and sharp, and it’s visible indoors and out, even in bright sunlight. You may have to look into the shadows to see it really clearly in sunlight, but it’s perfectly usable even in these harsh environments.

You can raise your head to wake the screen, and the angle is adjustable in the app, or use the control panels on the ends of the arms, which are set behind your ears.

It’s a bit awkward and not as natural or as intuitive as swiping the body of the arm on the Ray-Ban Meta. The touch panel regularly recognizes a tap and not a swipe, so you enter a feature rather than scroll past it. Getting it out of this loop is infuriatingly difficult.

It all reminds me of trying to wrangle touch controls on some over-ear headphones. You can’t see what you’re doing, the panel is small, the response isn’t instantaneous, and it doesn’t always do what you ask.

Credit: Even Realities

Using the Even Realities R1 smart ring is the alternative, and I’ll come back to that later in the review.

Leaving aside the controls, I have never had any issue seeing or reading the information on the Even G2’s screens. It’s sized correctly, the font is supremely legible, and the green color avoids any clash with the outside world.

It appears in your upper peripheral vision, so it’s not intrusive and doesn’t obscure the world around you. I do find it distracting when I’m driving, though. It’s not like an automotive heads-up display, and it’s far too tempting to read text, which involves refocusing away from the road ahead.

Beyond functionality, having a display in front of your eyes feels futuristic, and it really appeals to the sci-fi nerd in me. What’s more, no one looking at you can tell the screen is lit up. It makes the operation private and doesn’t put people off when they’re talking to you.

Even Realities G2 app and notifications

A heads-up display on your face

The app’s minimalist design makes it clear and easy to navigate, and it’s where you can start different features if you don’t want to use the controls on the glasses.

There are a handful of customization features, including a way to change the layout of the Dashboard, which is the main page shown by the G2’s display.

By default, it shows the time on the left and a news feed on the right. The right-hand Widget panel can be rearranged to show your calendar, AI prompts, or some basic fitness information.

Notifications from your phone are collected on a different display, and can’t permanently be shown as a widget. Instead, there’s a bell icon to show you how many are waiting.

I find notifications very useful, as the card gives enough information to know if you need to get your phone or not. There is no way to interact or reply to notifications. Elsewhere in the app is a brightness adjustment, a silent mode switch, and a host of customization options.

The app also contains an app store for the Even G2 glasses. There are a variety of somewhat useful-sounding apps — everything from an OpenClaw client to a chess game — but I can’t get it to install anything. It’s frustrating to see a potentially useful feature hobbled by technical problems.

Even Realities G2 AI features

Some helpful, others not so much

There are two big AI features on the Even Realities G2. The first is a simple assistant, where you can ask it similar questions to Gemini or ChatGPT, and read the response on the display.

In my tests, the answers it provided are accurate and useful, and the microphones have picked up my voice in most environments, too. However, unlike listening to responses from other AI assistants, you have to read the response on the display.

It takes time, and it’s hard to carry on doing things at the same time, especially if you’re asking a question about an activity in progress. You also still have to speak out loud, so it’s not an incognito system. The assistant has also activated when I haven’t asked it to, resulting in some bizarre searches and answers.

The other big feature is Conversate. It uses microphones to record conversations and meetings, and the AI to keep track of pertinent points and supply on-the-go information relevant to what’s being said.

It’s a very odd feature. I’ve used Conversate during several meetings and group discussions, and the display shows a running commentary, almost like subtitles, and periodically highlights certain phrases or keywords it calls Concepts.

You can then select these Concepts and the AI provides an overview. For example, during a meeting with a physician, the Concepts listed the medications discussed and what they are used for.

It sounds helpful, but in reality, the subtitles are distracting, and the Concepts need reading to get anything from them. Both of these things pull you out of the real-life conversation, and it’s hard to get much value from them.

Looking at the Concepts, the meeting notes and summaries in the app, and the suggested action points, in the app afterward is far more helpful. However, it’s not really any more useful than a standalone AI notetaker like the Mobvoi TicNote.

Outside the two main AI features, I found the Quick List reminders made better use of the Even G2’s abilities, especially when you replace the News feed widget with the reminder list. Adding a note using your voice is fast, accurate, and natural, and the list is always right there on the display.

You can also ask the Even AI to do things like show your notifications, although you then have to scroll through them using the control pad, but it’s quicker and easier than navigating the menus to find them manually. Other AI-related features include a teleprompter mode, navigation using Even’s own maps, and translations.

Even Realities G2 battery life and charging

More than enough for general use

The Even Realities G2 glasses have a 192mAh battery, which the company says will last for two days on a single charge. This is a conservative estimate if you don’t use AI features like Conversate, and aren’t wearing them constantly all day.

They are charged using the hardshell case, which has a 2,000mAh battery inside. It can charge the glasses seven times over before needing a charge itself. It’s charged using a USB-C cable.

I haven’t worn the Even G2 all day, every day, simply because when I’m working at my desk, I don’t really need the functionality. They get used when I leave the house, and for up to around five hours on a heavy day.

I haven’t worried about battery life at all, and they’ve been ready to go every time I’ve put them on, with a single recharge of the case needed over a 14-day period. Battery life is comparable to many smartwatches, and hasn’t been an issue at all.

Even Realities R1 smart ring

The weak link

If the idea of fiddling around behind your ear to control the Even Realities G2 puts you off, you can purchase the R1 smart ring to put all the controls on your finger instead.

It’s a similar concept to the Halliday smart glasses, but the R1 is higher quality and uses a touch-sensitive surface rather than a physical button.

I initially had a lot of problems with the R1, from unreliable charging to connection failures, but after several software updates, it has settled down and now at least stays connected, and the battery doesn’t instantly deplete.

The idea of using a smart ring to control the software is solid, but in reality, it can be very annoying. I’m constantly activating the display by accident and entering features when I don’t want to.

One part of this is the size of the ring itself. It’s thicker than my Oura Ring 4, so the touch panel gets activated a lot just from my fingers being together. I don’t have the dexterity to use the ring with my thumb on the same hand I wear it, and instead interact with the touch panel with my other hand, so it’s fairly noticeable I’m doing something when I’m using it.

The Even G2’s controls aren’t very intuitive either, with long presses, double presses, and swipes all getting confused when the system slows down.

The R1 smart ring looks and feels like a high-quality product, but the overall size makes it very noticeable on your finger, and the touch panel is much too easy to accidentally activate. When it is working, the actual controls aren’t very intuitive.

If you buy the R1, it activates the Even G2’s lifestyle tracking feature. It can measure heart rate, steps, blood oxygen levels, calories burned, and if you wear it overnight, sleep too.

The R1 requires a separate charger, and unfortunately, there’s nowhere to stow the ring inside the Even G2’s case. I don’t want to wear it all the time, but I could see why I’d want to try and use it in a meeting.

Having to risk losing it, or it disappearing in the depths of my bag until that time comes, means I end up just leaving the R1 at home.

Even Realities prescription lenses

If you need them, you won’t be disappointed

My Even Realities G2 have been fitted with the company’s prescription lenses, which are MR Series lenses from Mitsui Chemicals.

I have been very impressed with the clarity and sharpness, and I can’t tell much difference between them and the Zeiss lenses in my non-smart glasses. I’m very pleased it was possible to incorporate an “Add” into the lenses, making them suitable for both distance and reading.

You have to order prescription lenses at the time of purchase, due to how the Micro-LED displays have to be integrated into them. It’s not like buying Ray-Ban Meta and ordering a cheap set of non-official prescription lenses online.

While I never see any reflection or visual issues related to the integrated display, you can sometimes see reflections in the lenses caused by the edges of the frames, particularly when using them outside in sunlight.

If you need corrective lenses to see, you can order the Even Realities G2 with confidence.

Should you buy the Even Realities G2?

Yes, the Even Realities Even G2 are a great buy, especially when you think of them as a smartwatch alternative, with a cool, sci-fi heads-up display you see right in front of your eyes.

They feel very well-made, the materials and construction match high-end non-smart glasses, and the low weight and clever design make them comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

The display is fantastic, and the notifications, reminders, AI assistant, and heads-up dashboard are all surprisingly helpful in day-to-day life, plus the battery won’t let you down either.

The more extensive AI features don’t have the same everyday appeal, but they can be useful in some situations. It’s disappointing to find some features, such as the app store, suffer from glitches. It’s also a shame there are no speakers, not just for podcasts, but for taking calls too.

What about the R1 smart ring? It’s hard to recommend, despite the concept being solid. It compounds Even G2’s biggest problem, which is the unreliable, awkward, and often frustrating control system.

The Even Realities G2 are just about useful enough to justify the cost, but when you factor in the coolness of seeing a clear and sharp display in the lenses or your eyewear, it’s hard for any sci-fi-dreaming tech fan to resist.

This should be the end of the review, but I’ve got a caveat to add. I wear glasses every day to see what I’m doing. If you don’t wear glasses at all, do seriously think about whether it’s something you want to commit to, long-term. If you’re not sure, a good smartwatch may tick many of the boxes without having to put some metal and glass on your face.

8/10

Sunglasses?

Optional clip-on sunglasses

Weight

36 grams frames / 44 grams as tested

Durability

IP65

Connective Technology

Bluetooth 5.4

The Even Realities Even G2 show you don’t need a camera to make smartglasses interesting and useful, and the fantastic Micro-LED screen more than makes up for the absence of one. As a futuristic, comfortable, and often useful smartwatch alternative, the Even G2 are a great buy.