Amazon Echo Frames (3rd Gen) Review

For better or worse, I focus better when I have music, white noise, podcasts, or even mindless TV playing in the background. Often, my favorite in-ear or over-ear headphones can fix my audio issues or—one of the perks of working remotely—even blast sound from my favorite speakers. However, spending nine hours a day in front of a screen takes a toll on my eyes, often resulting in a desperate Renpho eye massage. Even though my prescription Warby Parker glasses have built-in blue light filters, I still end up getting headaches or just feeling claustrophobic due to the extra pressure from the arms and the headband of my in-ear or over-ear headphones. For all of these reasons, I was eager to try Amazon’s Blu-ray third-generation Echo Frames.

Amazon’s Echo Frames use open-back technology with built-in speakers and connect via Bluetooth, almost like open-back earbuds while protecting my eyes so I don’t have to sacrifice more blue light exposure for lack of audio or vice versa.

Amazon’s Echo Frames use open-back technology with built-in speakers and connect via Bluetooth, almost like open-back earbuds while protecting my eyes so I don’t have to sacrifice more blue light exposure for lack of audio or vice versa. Thanks to Bluetooth multipoint, once paired with my laptop and phone, it switches seamlessly when I have to quickly join a Slack party or meeting without having to fumble around pausing music, or when I’m using the speakers. – Playing music awkwardly loud.

Practical, functional, and incredibly stylish, these glasses have become a must-have for my home office over the past two weeks and have surprised me in so many ways.

design

Smart style matching function

It may be a fool’s errand, but style—or lack thereof—is one reason I’ve been hesitant to incorporate tech wearables into my everyday accessories. The third-generation Echo frames look more or less like a pair of Warby Parker glasses I picked up myself—especially the brown cat-eye model I received for testing. While a little big for my face, they definitely take me back to the “trendy” oversized glasses aesthetic circa 2008, which I don’t mind. Speakers embedded in the arms result in thicker-than-normal earphones, but you’d never know they were “smart” glasses unless you were told.

Sophisticated, sleek, and stylish, you’d never know the third-generation Echo Frames were “smart” glasses unless you were told.

The third-generation Echo frames are surprisingly light to wear and create almost no pressure, which I can’t always say about my prescription glasses. This slightly looser fit actually makes for a less comfortable feel, but by no means less secure.

audio quality

Impressive, but not quite an in-ear replacement

Unlike Meta-Rayban smart glasses, the Echo Frames’ intelligence is focused solely on audio, which is both a good and a bad thing. I could clearly hear every note of Reneé Rapp’s “Snow Angel” without the song sounding too compressed. Additionally, Rapp’s high notes and lush riffs are as powerful as ever, especially when played indoors. Out there, I did have to increase the volume significantly to achieve the same dynamics, but the increased volume didn’t affect the audio quality or press the notes together.

While there’s no noise cancellation at all, I did have to take my glasses off to actually hear someone speaking to me, especially at 50% volume or higher. Yet, for the most part, I understand my surroundings, and I enjoy them—especially as a young woman in New York City.

While the third-generation Echo frames are great for casual commuting or working from home, I’m not sure they’re suitable for crowded office spaces or plane travel.

A sleeker alternative to bone conduction headphones

Since the speakers don’t actually fit in the ears, the glasses feel more like open-back headphones than my in-ear AirPods Pro, but they don’t produce as much bass as the Bose Open Ultra headphones I recently reviewed. Similar to open-back or bone conduction headphones, I do find sound leakage to be an issue. When I turned the volume up to 60%, my friends reported that they could clearly hear me jamming to Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York.” So while great for casual commuting or working from home, I’m not sure they’d be suitable for crowded office spaces or plane travel.

Microphone quality

Sound seamless

The new model’s microphone is one of its most impressive features, and since I had a lot of people on a group call, I sounded exceptionally clear with no hints at all.

I did have to turn up the volume to hear better while outside, but the caller could still hear me clearly but asked for clarification a few times. The caveat is that the microphone has to compete with New York City’s sirens, traffic, and commute conversations.

Alexa Connect

Hey Alexa, play “I Can See You” (I Can Hear You)

Of course, Echo Frames wouldn’t be an Amazon product without Alexa integration. While helpful, especially by asking Alexa on another device to “find my smart glasses” to enable neat location detection features, create a “VIP list” for hands-free calling, or ask to play music, I don’t have Seeing Alexa is a make-or-break feature for Frames. Additionally, Alexa only works as a live concierge when you are connected to the internet and the Alexa app via your smartphone or tablet.

Battery life and charging

room for improvement

Wireless charging is a benefit in theory, but when it comes to powering the Gen-3 Echo Frame, it’s a pain in the ass in practice. To put the glasses into charging mode, you have to fold the arms together perfectly and place the glasses bridge on top of the charging base bridge with the lenses facing up. This doesn’t sound too complicated, but the base won’t charge the glasses unless it’s in the exact right position, and even after wearing them for weeks, it still took me several tries to get it right.

Battery life may also be improved. On average, I’ll do about two hours of active listening at 70% battery, then get a 20% battery notification notification from Alexa, after which I know I only have about 10-15 minutes of listening time left. However, the frame’s battery can be retained in standby mode, which is triggered by folding the glasses into the carrying case.

A simple solution I’d like to see in Amazon’s next product is a rechargeable carrying case, but with a less fickle charging stand.

judgment

For those not ready for a virtual future, smart glasses are dumb enough

With AR/VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro making waves, and companies like Brilliant Labs harnessing the power of AI to create more compact AR experiences, the Echo Frame isn’t pushing any boundaries. However, I found this refreshing. These glasses offer a simple solution to a simple problem I often have, and they work great. While I didn’t have the option to add my prescription, you do have that option, and they triple as your primary glasses, blue light protection, and open-back headphones.

Overall, the glasses offer great audio, a design worthy of any chic eyewear store, and a two-in-one solution to my daily work-from-home woes. While I don’t think talking to Alexa is a standout feature, I will acknowledge its novelty while still accepting Frames for what they are: smart glasses that are silly enough for those who aren’t ready for a fully virtual future.