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Even Realities G1: 30-second review
The Even Realities Even G1 glasses offer next-generation features in simple and stylish frames with a prescription option. The basic concept is extremely straightforward: simple AR glasses with a mono heads-up display and a limited series of widgets that add functionality. Basic use involves you tilting your head up slightly to reveal the main dashboard, which by default shows the time, date, weather, and any quick notes you’ve taken. This is your first taste of the potential of these glasses, but a restriction in the customisations at the moment at least limits the potential.
In general use, many of the basic features can be used via the two touchpads on the arms—one on the left activates the Even AI feature, and the one on the right gives access to quick notes.
If you want to use other features such as Translate, Navigate, Teleprompter, or Transcribe, then you’ll need to use the Realities app, which is available for both ios and Android systems but does mean that you need to reach for your phone, breaking from the hope that these would offer mainly hands free operation.
Getting started with the G1 glasses is extremely quick and easy. Once I signed up for the app, Bluetooth connected my phone to the glasses. All I then had to do was pop them on, tilt my head up 20°, and the heads-up display appeared. The style of the glasses is stylish and minimalistic; there are no cameras, speakers or lights, unlike the Ray-Ban Meta options. These glasses, over the Ray-Bans, offer the green terminal-style heads-up display that seemingly floats in space in front of you. Although I wear glasses, the text was easy to read, and thankfully, there is a little scope for position and brightness within the settings.
After a few minutes of use, I did find myself delving into the settings and adjusted the activation angle from 20° (which required looking up at the ceiling) to around 5°, which meant a small tilt was enough to activate the dashboard.
It didn’t take long to get used to the glasses and their functionality. Basic options let you quickly record notes, check the time, and access Even AI.
I found a quick note very useful, and a firmware update during the test added the ability to scroll through longer notes using the touchpad. The Even AI feature, however, seemed a little sporadic, possibly due to the US design, or it had issues understanding my English accent. Its answers were also generally US-centric when asked about UK-based information, the common response was to refer to the BBC for information.
That said, for measurements and data requests, it was accurate. As I observed during testing, software updates continue to enhance usability.
I had hoped the glasses would be pretty much hands-free, however, many features rely on the app to activate advanced options, so the need to look at and interact with your phone was far more common than with some of the rival options, however, this is one of the few eyewear examples with a heads-up display of this type.
In testing, I was impressed with the Translate feature. It translated French into English at a decent pace, and there seemed to be a good amount of language options. Through the translation, while there is a slight delay, a Pro upgrade is available on a subscription, although it’s relatively expensive given the base cost of the glasses.
One standout feature was Navigate, which overlays directions directly onto the glasses, letting you follow instructions without referring to your phone, at least once you’ve set the initial destination from within the app. It’s very slick and works incredibly well.
At the end of the test, I found a lot to like about the Even Realities Even G1 glasses, even if there was far more phone interaction than I was expecting, and some of the features and customisations seemed a little limited. It all seemed like a glimpse of the future, rather than being, however, though there are quirks, ongoing firmware updates are making a difference, so these do have major potential as long as the development continues. That potential is all due to the heads-up display, which is graphically simple. Not quite the best smart glasses we’ve tested, but still incredibly impressive.
Even Realities G1: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? $599 / £594
- When is it out? Now
- Where can you get it? Widely available
The Even Realities Even G1 glasses are available from $599 (or around £594) for the base model over at the Even Realities official site. Prescription lenses cost an additional $150, and clip-on sunglasses will set you back another $100.
There’s also the option to subscribe to the Pro translation feature, which starts at $4.99 per month. One aspect I really liked is that there are two styles: the Even G1B, reviewed here, and the rounder Even G1A. You’ve also got a choice of colours—grey (as reviewed), green, and brown—so you can customise them to your liking.
Even Realities G1: Specs
Lens width: 50 mm
Bridge width: 19 mm
Temple length: 139.2 mm
Lens height: 37.1 mm
Hinge to hinge: 134 mm
Bluetooth: BLE 5.2
Charging method: Wireless charging
Water and dust resistance: Against splash and light rain
Features: QuickNote, Translate, Navigate, Teleprompt, Even AI, Notification and Dashboard
Even Realities G1: Design
When the Even G1S arrive, they come in their chargeable case, which is of excellent quality and finished in matte grey. The glasses fold neatly inside, and it’s worth noting that when you place them back in the case, you need to ensure the right-hand arm is folded in first before the left, to ensure charging contact is made.
Removing the glasses from the case and getting started is straightforward enough. Once the app is downloaded and you connect via Bluetooth, you can run through options for the glasses, including setting the angle at which you have to look up before the dashboard activates.
The display is mono with the text and any graphics appearing in green in exactly the style you’d expect for glasses worn in countless Sci-Fi programs and films. It’s instantly impressive, and as you delve into the options and features, you can’t help but feel impressed, even if those features and options are limited.
The heads-up display utilises a widget system, and there is some flexibility over what the dashboard displays; however, the widget options at present are a little limited, although it does seem the system is opening up.
The design and build quality of the glasses is exceptionally high, with the matte grey finish of the review sample finishing off the lightweight, robust design nicely. The arms also feel good and solid, with a slightly rubberised finish that ensures they grip well. At the ends of each arm are the touch-sensitive pads that let you access features like Quick Note and Even AI.
Looking at the front of the glasses, you can just see the two projection screens that display the heads-up display. While not overly apparent from all angles, it is possible to see a slight reflection of the displayed text if you try hard enough.
Even Realities G1: Features
The Even Realities Even G1 are an interesting approach to AR glasses, offering a heads-up display that floats in front of you as you look through the lenses. They’re designed for day-to-day use, and as such, you can order them with standard prescription lenses, which will appeal to many.
There are several key features here that will interest business users, such as the ability to leave quick 30-second notes, which can be recalled by tapping the side of the glasses. Partway through the test, a firmware update enabled scrolling through longer notes—a previously frustrating limitation. This update showed that Even Realities is actively developing and responding to user feedback.
AI is fully integrated with Even Reality’s own Even AI. At the time of review, this worked reasonably well. It’s not as advanced as other language models, and there are clear limitations, especially in the UK. Some questions I asked were misunderstood or returned obscure answers, and the system is clearly US-centric, even though I entered all my location and preferences as UK-based.
Other features are accessed through the companion app, and reaching for your phone is a constant with the use of these glasses, and while there are some interactive options that I’ll come to in a moment, the main focus seems to be displaying notifications, such as the time and temperature on that heads up display. The more interactive features include Translate, which enables almost real-time conversation translation. In testing, I used the free version to translate French to English. The translation took a few seconds to process, but it was accurate and only rarely misinterpreted anything. There is a Pro version for faster live translation, which might be worth it for business users.
Another major feature is the Teleprompt function, which allows you to load a script and read it directly from the heads-up display. This would be ideal for content creation, but I found that it made me appear slightly cross-eyed when I looked back through the recorded footage. However, after switching from a full script to using a bullet-pointed list, the feature became far more usable. For public speaking, this could be very effective, especially as the glasses don’t look unusual from a distance.
As the test progressed, the main feature that I found useful was the notification function. Messages, such as those from WhatsApp, appear directly in your line of sight, so you don’t need to check your phone. This was a genuinely useful, although to answer you, you do need to grab your phone to reply.
Although designed to be largely hands-free, the glasses still rely heavily on the app and the two touch bars on each arm. These offer a good level of physical interaction, but aren’t always as responsive as you might expect.
Even Realities G1: Performance
Having looked at several VR and AR glasses recently, the first thing that stood out with the Even G1 glasses was their simplicity. The glasses and their charging case are both well designed, and nothing feels overcomplicated. Setup—downloading the app to my iPhone 15 Pro, signing up, and pairing via Bluetooth—was fast and easy. I was up and running within 5 to 10 minutes, only briefly consulting the manual for a couple of features.
I started with the base functions and dashboard. Tilting my head to around 20° activated the heads-up display, which appeared a few centimetres in front of my face in a green terminal-style font. This styling immediately appealed. Using the right-hand arm’s touchpad, I held my finger to record a note. After a short processing delay, the note appeared on the dashboard, summarised neatly by Even AI. Initially, the inability to scroll through long notes was a major drawback, but a firmware update addressed this and vastly improved usability. The other point here is that my finger had to stay pinned to the side of the glasses as I was recording the note, which just felt odd, surely a tap to start and a tap to stop would have been more intuitive.
Holding your finger on the left-hand touchpad activates Even AI. This adaptation of AI felt limited—again, very US-centric, for the direct access option where you can ask it questions. Hopefully, this will improve over time. Interestingly, Even Realities appear to be opening access to third-party AI, which raises the possibility of integration with leading models in the future, though that remains speculative. While I had some issues with the accuracy of Even AI there’s no doubt that in other way it works well, especially with the formatting of the Quick Notes, although again there is a lack of customisation over formatting. Again as with Quick Notes you need to keep your finger pinned to the side of the glasses as you’re asking AI a question.
For access to the advanced features and widgets, the companion app is needed. I started with the Translate Widget, using French to English with a fluent speaker. Having used several translation devices before, I was impressed by the speed and accuracy, especially considering this was the free version. The Pro version promises near-live translation with a subscription, which would be worthwhile for business use.
The Navigation feature also worked well and this is the most futuristic option to use with these glasses. Entering a destination showed directions on the display in a clear, simple overlay, although the brightness makes it a little difficult to make out the directions in brighter light. One issue, however, was that through the app, you cannot tap a map location for routing—you must enter a postcode. Once set, it displays the walking or driving distance and estimated time clearly, which I really liked, you can’t help but feel Sci-fi in use.
The Teleprompt feature is the option that I was most excited about and has the most potential, but while in use, it worked incredibly well on reviewing the footage. The drawbacks were instantly apparent. In test footage, I appeared cross-eyed and unnatural while reading. Switching to a list of talking points instead of a full script helped this significantly. For public speaking, the scrolling text and discreet display should be very effective—though practice is definitely needed before using it professionally.
Notifications were a surprising highlight. Having short message previews appear in my line of sight helped me decide whether I needed to respond immediately, or just ignore, all without reaching for my phone.
Overall, many features are impressively simple. Even AI runs in the background of several apps to reduce the need for interaction. This was especially noticeable in the Transcribe feature, which worked well for capturing content quickly and accurately.
That said, the glasses do have limitations. There’s no built-in speaker, so while audio can be recorded and played back via your phone, you can’t listen through the glasses themselves. This means you can make or take calls. Interactions via the touchpads were sometimes unreliable—I had to press multiple times to stop a recording. Even AI could also drift off-topic and misinterpret questions, suggesting something was being lost in translation.
The lack of customisation is also a major draw back and they have all the Widget potential which just doesn’t yet seem to have been fully exploited.
Still, these glasses offer something new. Compared to cheaper AR alternatives like Ray-Ban Meta, which lack a heads-up display, they have a lot going for them, although they are more of a tech enthusiast device than something for the everyday at the moment. Despite quirks, the Even G1 offers a glimpse into how AR can be successfully integrated into everyday eyewear.
Even Realities G1: Final verdict
The Even Realities Even G1 glasses are a step towards fully functional AR glasses, and for once, there isn’t the bulk or obvious signs that these are anything other than standard eyewear. Only the touchpads at the ends of the arms hint at their advanced capabilities.
The minimalist design and simple mono heads-up display work very well. Standout features included the navigation, which I began using almost daily. It worked reliably, especially in cities like London, where constantly checking a phone isn’t ideal. The other feature that I found surprisingly useful was the notification, although once again there were times when not all notifications came through from all apps.
The transcription feature also worked well, and was especially reliable in converting spoken ideas into usable notes. While I only scratched the surface of the translation functions, they performed well. The slight delay wasn’t an issue for occasional use, and the option to upgrade to near-live Pro translation adds real value, especially for business users.
Despite several excellent features, there are just as many quirks. Before a firmware update, the inability to scroll through long notes was a problem, and the touchpads don’t always respond promptly. Still, adjusting the tilt to activate the dashboard and being able to see the time and notifications without checking my phone was genuinely helpful; I just wish there was a little more customisation, and it does seem odd that we have a pair of AR glasses without the ability to answer calls or send messages.
Another odd issue that I encountered was when wearing headphones, the fact that the Even G1 glasses were utilising the Bluetooth connection meant that my Bluetooth headphones, speakers and car system kept cutting out, once I disconnected the glasses, all were fine. I can only summarise that the glasses were using all of the Bluetooth bandwidth.
Though there are a few flaws, the Even G1 glasses are more refined than many others I’ve tested. It’s a shame they can’t make or receive calls like the Ray-Ban Meta, but the heads-up display compensates somewhat. While not perfect, they’re a major step forward in AR eyewear. The open widget system and partial open-source access mean further features could be added in future.
Should I buy the Even Realities G1?
|
Value |
These are among the more expensive AR options on the market, but they balance simplicity with advanced functionality. |
3.5 |
|
Design |
Simple, minimalistic, and exceptionally high build quality help justify the cost. |
4.5 |
|
Features |
Continually evolving; think simple, straightforward, and useful. |
4 |
|
Performance |
Navigation, translation, and transcription features are strong; some quirks persist in others. |
3.5 |
|
Overall |
A well-balanced set of AR glasses with enough functionality to be genuinely useful. |
4 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
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