Android Core Labs
Android Core Labs is a weekly column dedicated to deep dives, experiments, and a focused look at the technology you use. Covers phones, tablets and everything else.
As a kid, I was always excited to see what new gadgets Q would cook up in the latest 007 James Bond movie. From Geiger counter wristwatches to folding sniper rifles, exploding pens and even X-ray goggles, there’s no shortage of cool gadgets the Bond universe has created.
Each device has its roots in the era from which it emerged, so it makes sense that the First light 007 with 5 star rating The video game that just came out in May 2026 would use smart glasses as one of its gadgets. The partnership between Even Realities and IO Interactive came at the perfect time, as I had already been using the company’s new G2 glasses for a few weeks when I found out about it.
Even the Realities G2 has dual monochrome displays (one on each lens), the most minimalist frames you’ll find on any pair of current smart glasses, and up to 2 days of battery life. To make things even cooler, the G2 is designed to pair with Even Realities R1, the company’s first smart ring, which allows you to monitor health and control gestures with glasses by simply touching the ring. It already feels like a 007 device, and that becomes even more legitimate when watching James Bond use it.
Smart glasses that can be worn all day
Most smart glasses suffer from two main problems: weight and battery life. take my beloved Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2For example. While the Ray-Ban Metas are arguably the most popular smart glasses on the market, no one buys them for their battery life. No matter what Meta glasses I use, I can’t wear them for more than a few hours, and that number drops substantially if you use the camera.
Then, you have to consider the weight. My reading glasses weigh 32g, while the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses weigh between 48g and 52g, depending on the size and style you choose. The high range Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses With a screen on the right lens, increase a whopping 69g.
Even the Realities G2 weighs just 37g, despite having a screen on each lens, a pair of batteries, and a microphone for commands. The battery lasts more than a day with my use and the charging case makes it easy to quickly recharge if needed. They’re also substantially thinner and more slender-looking than any of Meta’s glasses, and that’s all down to a very specific design constraint that Even Realities worked with.
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I spoke with Will Wang, founder and CEO of Even Realities, ahead of the launch of the G2, specifically about the company’s design ethos. “How do you define a good pair of glasses?” Wang asked me during the interview. The obvious answer is that they have to look good and be comfortable; Otherwise, I won’t want to use them.
“To make a good pair of smart glasses, we knew we had to look at the traditional glasses category and see how we evolve from there.”
In addition to those two categories, smart glasses need good enough battery life to keep you from worrying about charging them. Smartwatches went through this weak point for years until a true 24+ hour watch debuted, but the first to achieve that goal did so by including only the “necessary” functions and leaving out those that drain the battery.
Likewise, the Even Realities glasses, both G1 and G2, ship without any built-in speakers or cameras. It is the polar opposite of what companies like Meta and Google are trying to achieve with the product category “AI glasses”, and it could be the winning combination for a different group of people.
As for the camera glasses, Wang insisted they posed a privacy issue. “To me, at this stage of what society is like or how regulations are implemented, I think it’s a big ‘no,'” Wang says, noting that very little concern is paid to glasses with onboard cameras because they are not obvious enough.
“It’s really different from a virtual reality device because, you know, as a virtual reality device, everyone knows that you’re using it and you’re not using it outdoors all the time, right?” Wang noted, “You can have as many cameras as you want to capture the room for spatial tracking (in a VR headset)” without it being a visible privacy issue.
But smart glasses are different.
“You really need to respect your own privacy and that of the people around you, right?” Wang is not alone on this front either. Cruise lines and even the US Air Force. They have banned that type of glassesand Wang clearly doesn’t want Even Realities to get mixed up in those kinds of headlines.
And don’t worry, no one can see the indications on the glasses when they look at you. The waveguide optics are designed to illuminate the user. If someone brings their face close to your glasses from the outside, they can see a mirrored version of the screen, but if someone is already that close to you, you might have other things to worry about.
Apps that make you feel like a gadget
While there are no cameras or speakers on the Even Realities glasses, they do have a single microphone that can be used to interact with Even Realities’ (limited) AI assistant or selectively with Perplexity through a setting in the Even Realities app on your phone.
You can also use the microphone to translate a live conversation, something other smart glasses do, and the translation will appear directly on the lens screens of your glasses. It’s incredibly cool, and the various scale and comfort level options on the green monochrome display make reading easier and more comfortable than I’ve found with the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses.
The screens can be set to three different distance levels and also adjusted vertically to best suit your vision. The screen will light up whenever a notification arrives, if you tilt your head far enough, or if you double-tap the touch panels at the end of each temple or the Even Realities R1 smart ring on your index finger.
A smart ring that a spy would love
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This smart ring is another unique point that sets the Even Realities G2 apart from the rest and, again, makes this pair feel more like a James Bond device. One side of the R1 ring features a touchpad that you can swipe or tap to navigate the glasses’ on-screen menus. A single tap acts as a click or tap, while a double tap navigates back. Having the pad on one side ensures that left and right handed people can comfortably use it on their index finger and only interact with their thumb.
In addition to great navigation via a very discreet smart ring, Even Realities G2 supports web applications created by both Even Realities and the community. At the time of writing this article, there are hundreds of applications available for the glasses, ranging from weightlifting counters to speedometer dashboards, calculators, virtual pets, bird song identification appsand even ePub readers. Yes, you can read an entire book on it and it’s surprisingly comfortable since it’s right in your line of sight.
In essence, these glasses are a smartwatch for your face. Pairing it with the R1 ring will also track heart rate, body temperature, sleep cycles, and all the usual stuff you’d expect from something like a Oura Ring. Since I don’t like wearing watches most of the day (I only wear them when I’m working out), this concept really appeals to me.
Your next smartphone companion?
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As with everything, it’s not a perfect experience, but I can see that most of my concerns are quickly resolved through the feedback. I’d love a more customizable dashboard, as I’m not interested in regularly reading news on my glasses; It’s just too much regular information for my taste.
I would also love to be able to launch apps from the glasses a little more easily than with the current implementation. Right now, launching them from the Even Realities phone app is the quickest way (and sometimes the only way, depending on the app), which partially defeats the purpose of having apps on your glasses in the first place. Lastly, better message response capabilities are a must, especially if I replace a smartwatch with these glasses.
Put them in place and I can see myself making up a significant amount of my daily phone checking and modifying my Even Realities lenses in no time. Until then, I’ll be playing with all the new apps on the glasses in my free time and enjoying every minute of it. Even Realities G2 is available from the Even Realities website for $599 and ships in two different styles.
