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Their built-in speakers let you listen to music without blocking out your surroundings.
If you’re the type of person who is constantly listening to music or podcasts, you probably have multiple pairs of headphones. Maybe you have a pair of noise-canceling cans to wear during the day, a pair of wireless earbuds to travel with, and some sports headphones to take to the gym. But if you don’t have a pair of Bluetooth sunglasses yet, you’re missing out on one of the most convenient ways to listen to music on the go.
In case you’re unfamiliar, Bluetooth sunglasses are eyewear with built-in audio. They have tiny embedded speakers that fire audio into your ears, and they pair to your smartphone over a wireless Bluetooth connection. Some pairs even have a microphone for phone calls. They’re a new way to consume music and podcasts without disturbing those around you or isolating you from the outside world, either.
The first time our editors tried a pair of Bluetooth sunglasses, our jaws dropped at how futuristic-feeling they are. It truly seems magical how the music comes out so clearly but discreetly. We spent the past couple of weeks investigating this emerging product category to bring you the best Bluetooth sunglasses that’ll let you listen to audio anytime and anywhere.
HOW WE CHOSE
To separate the best from the rest, we spent several hours evaluating 20 different pairs of Bluetooth sunglasses. We compared their feature sets, technical specs, battery life, plus, we read dozens of reviews from other publications and from owners themselves. We also tested a few pairs to scrutinize their comfort, sound quality, microphone quality, design, ease of use, and how fast they could pair to a smartphone.
Of course, you could just wear your regular sunglasses and wireless earbuds together, instead of shelling out the money for a pair of Bluetooth headphones. However, we think this new product category is both exciting and convenient. Not only that, Bluetooth sunglasses don’t isolate you from the outside world like regular earbuds, so they’re better suited for users who want to hear their surroundings.
Shop our favorite pairs of Bluetooth sunglasses below, so you can experience music in a whole new way.
BEST OVERALL
If you’re shopping for a pair of sunglasses with integrated speakers, you can’t go wrong with a pair of Bose Frames. Bose’s line of Bluetooth sunglasses offers the best balance between price, battery life, comfort, and style.
The Bose Frames Alto sunglasses come in two different sizes with either 53- or 54-millimeter rectangular lenses that block up to 99% of UVA/UVB rays. During our tests, we found that the glasses look good on a wide range of face sizes. The dark gray uniform tint of the included lenses is strong enough that people can’t see through them, but we do recommend spending a little extra on some polarized lenses, which will better protect your eyes against the sun’s rays.
The sound quality of the Alto glasses is incredibly strong, but the more expensive Soprano and Tenor glasses from Bose do have a slight edge in sound and microphone quality. Regardless, we think you’ll be quite impressed at how good the Alto sound. The audio is clear, the glasses are easy to set up, they come with a convenient carrying case, and offer 3.5 hours of battery life.
BEST ROUND PAIR
The Bose Frame Rondo sunglasses are almost identical to the aforementioned Bose Frame Alto — they come in the same matte black design, have gold-plated steel hinges, and are equipped with the same speaker array.
The main difference is that the Rondo sunglasses are rounder and narrower because they have 49.5-millimeter rounded lenses. We recommend checking out Bose’s comprehensive Frames Style Guide which will help you determine which pair will best suit your face shape. The Rondo have interchangeable replacement lenses that come in blue or rose gold, the latter being polarized.
THE POLARIZED PAIR
If money is no object, you can’t go wrong with the Bose Frames Tenor. This pair of Bluetooth glasses come with polarized lenses, which help reduce glare and provide additional clarity while protecting your eyes from the sun. The Bose Frames Tenor offer an improved sound performance that’s richer, louder, and more detailed over its predecessor, the Bose Frames Alto.
This pair delivers a battery life of up to 5.5 hours instead of the 3.5 hours on the previous models. Along with that, it’s equipped with a newer microphone to improve the quality of your phone calls. Its glossy body is sweat-, weather-, scratch-, and shatter-resistant.
Besides the improved audio quality and battery life, we also think that the Tenor glasses provide a more comfortable and secure fit. Bose also includes multiple sizes of nose pads to ensure they won’t slide down your face.
A MODERN CAT-EYE PAIR
The Bose Frames Soprano are Bose’s designer-inspired frames catered toward folks who enjoy the look of oversized sunglasses. These flaunt an attractive high-gloss black finish with stainless steel hinges and polarized lenses. Like other Bose glasses, they feature interchangeable lenses that you can easily swap between to complete your look. The included lenses are black and polarized, but there are colored lenses available for purchase as well.
Like the Tenor glasses, the Soprano glasses feature larger 16mm drivers for a louder and more bass-heavy sound than the Alto and Rondo glasses. This pair is moisture- and shatter-resistant, and you can expect 5.5 hours of battery life from them.
BEST BATTERY LIFE
Bose’s sports-focused Frames Tempo sunglasses deliver the best battery life for a pair of Bluetooth glasses yet. You can expect a whopping 8 hours of use before they need to recharge. The extra oomph in battery will definitely come in handy if you plan to wear the glasses on long runs or bike rides. Since they are water- and sweat-resistant, you won’t have to worry about getting caught in the rain with them, either.
The Tempo glasses are equipped with duo microphones for clear phone calls and larger speaker drivers for louder sound and better bass. They recharge much faster than other models (in just an hour) over USB-C. Bose’s sport sunglasses come with mirrored black polarized lenses, but they can be swapped for blue or orange lenses, too.
It’s worth mentioning that the temples on these sunglasses are quite large. They’re almost the size of a single-ear Bluetooth earpiece. Fortunately, the glasses weigh less than 2 ounces, and they will grip your head securely. Bose also includes three different-sized nosepieces to ensure a snug fit. We’re confident if you wear them during exercise, they’ll stay on your face.
