To make the G2's new UI and menu easier to use, Even Realities went so far as to make a whole new companion ring (the R1) that features a tiny built-in touchpad.
To make the G2's new UI and menu easier to use, Even Realities went so far as to make a whole new companion ring (the R1) that features a tiny built-in touchpad. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
A lot of people think the original Google Glass failed because of subpar tech. But the larger issue was that they were so ugly that people simply didn't want to wear them. And when it's a device that sits on your face, that's kind of important. Thankfully, that's a lesson Even Realities seemingly took to heart when it made the G1, which combined the stylishness of proper eyewear with built-in waveguide displays. Now the company is back with its second-gen smart glasses — the G2 — which offer even better optics, an updated UI and a companion ring (the R1) to their expanded list of features.
While the design of the Even G2 hasn't changed a ton from its predecessor, that's not a bad thing as there wasn't much to fix. Compared to every other pair of smart glasses on sale today, these look the most like normal eyewear. Meanwhile, thanks to a titanium and magnesium alloy design and the company's very intentional decision not to include onboard cameras or speakers, the new model only weighs 36 grams, so they're also super comfortable. You even get two styles to choose from (panto or rectangular) along with a few different finishes (gray, brown and green), so chances are there's a combination that will work with your wardrobe. The Even G2 also features an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, so you don't need to worry about wearing them in adverse conditions.
The G2's battery life can last up to two days, while its case has juice for up to seven additional charges. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
The G2’s optics are based on the company's new Even HAO 2.0 (Holistic Adaptive Optics) that use custom-designed dual waveguides to produce a green heads-up display. It’s not only brighter and sharper than before but also features a wider field of view. Now admittedly, that's not quite as impressive as the single RGB display in something like the Ray-Ban Meta Display. But considering that the Even G2 is way less chunky and sports significantly longer battery life (up to two days plus seven full recharges from its included case), that feels like a worthy trade-off to deliver increased usability.
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However, the biggest upgrade for the G2 is an expanded roster of smart features. In addition to showing notifications, turn-by-turn directions and the teleprompter functionality available on the previous model, Even has developed a much more robust UI that lets you read the news, track stock prices and create lists using your voice. There is now an onboard AI assistant and LLM that can translate speech on the fly or pick out key words during a conversation to give more background and context about unfamiliar terms. This means the glasses can handle a lot of tasks you'd normally need your phone for, which is great if you're walking around, or similarly indisposed, and would rather keep your hands free.
In addition to basic health and fitness tracking, the R1 ring also has a tiny built-in touchpad (denoted by the four dots) to make it easier to navigate the G2's new UI and menus. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
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