Solos takes on Meta with more affordable AirGo Vision smart glasses

The news: Solos launched AirGo Vision smart glasses, taking direct aim at competitor Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.

• AirGo Vision glasses offer visual recognition, language translation, and voice assistance powered by GPT-4.
• Unlike Meta’s glasses, AirGo Vision features a swappable frame system that lets users wear the glasses with or without the camera to increase privacy while maintaining AI features.

Cost competition: Some wearables brands have struggled with customer adoption due to high prices—like the $1,500 Google Glass smart glasses, for example.

• The AirGo Vision glasses are $149, or $349 with an optional camera-free frame, while Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses range from $299 to $379.
• That cost difference could be enough to win over smart glasses consumers that were on the fence.

Seamless wear: The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have a familiar design that matches the appearance of regular glasses and aren’t overly “techy.” Solos’ wearables, on the other hand, are bulkier and may stick out more.

• The AirGo Vision camera frames are similar to common glasses but feature two large lenses at the temples.
• This, as well as the loss of Ray-Ban’s familiar brand name, could feel too experimental for consumers to wear daily.
• Flashy designs have hindered some other brands in the market, including Snap’s Spectacles.

Our take: Solos is taking on an established product, but its lower cost and ability to appeal to privacy-focused consumers could help it attract users.

Glasses can offer a more seamless design for on-device AI than wearable pins or other form factors, leaving the market open for more glasses competitors.

(Source: Solos)

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