Even Realities just flipped the smart glasses playbook with its G2 Display Smart Glasses, deliberately stripping out the cameras and speakers that competitors like Meta see as essential. The $599 glasses promise to eliminate "the anxiety of being recorded" while delivering AI insights through a unique floating display system that the company claims feels more natural than traditional screens.
Even Realities just made the boldest bet in smart glasses by going backwards. While companies like Meta pack more cameras and sensors into their Ray-Ban collaboration, Even Realities deliberately stripped them out of its new G2 Display Smart Glasses. The move represents a fascinating gamble that privacy concerns outweigh the AI capabilities that cameras enable. The Swiss company claims this approach "removes the anxiety of being recorded, overheard or distracted by unwanted sounds," according to product specifications released today. Instead of cameras, the G2 relies on four strategically placed microphones and what Even Realities calls a "floating spatial display" that combines micro-LED projectors with gradient waveguides and digitally surfaced lenses. The technical setup creates multiple display layers designed to mimic natural human vision - AI prompts appear on the front layer while navigation and notes surface in the back. "The result is an experience that feels less like looking at a screen and more like seeing naturally enhanced reality," the company claims. But this privacy-first approach puts Even Realities at odds with the industry's camera-centric direction. Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses have gained traction precisely because their cameras enable real-time AI analysis of the wearer's surroundings. Even Realities counters with its AI-powered "Conversate" tool that provides contextual prompts and summaries during conversations using only audio input. The G2 ecosystem extends beyond the glasses themselves. Users navigate content through Even Realities' new R1 smart ring, which doubles as a health tracker. The ring-glasses combination represents a different vision for wearable computing - one that prioritizes discretion over comprehensive sensing. At $599, the G2 undercuts Meta's Ray-Ban glasses by $100 while offering features the Facebook parent doesn't match, including IP67 water resistance and promised two-day battery life. The company offers prescription lens options and two frame styles, though availability remains limited compared to Meta's broader retail presence. Even Realities' approach echoes growing privacy fatigue among consumers increasingly wary of always-on recording devices. The company's previous G1 model for its discrete green monochrome display, suggesting the privacy angle resonates with early adopters. The timing is crucial as smart glasses inch toward mainstream adoption. While major players focus on AI-powered computer vision, Even Realities bets that consumers want augmented information without surveillance concerns. The strategy mirrors broader tech industry tensions between capability and privacy that have shaped everything from smartphone permissions to smart home devices. Whether stripping out cameras proves prescient or limiting depends largely on consumer priorities. If privacy concerns outweigh AI convenience, Even Realities' minimalist approach could capture market share from more feature-packed competitors. But if users demand the visual AI capabilities that cameras enable, the company's bet could leave it behind as the market evolves.
