Even Realities G2

Last year's Even Realities G1 was one of the first pairs of waveguide smart glasses I tested. Although expensive and generally unrefined, I could see the technology's potential. The follow-up, the Even Realities G2, is significantly more reliable and features a promising app store and an optional smart ring accessory. Priced at $599, it's just as pricey as the G1 and shares many of the same frustrations, including a less-than-helpful AI assistant. On its own, the G2 makes enough improvements to be useful in certain situations, as long as you go into it aware of its limitations. Still, it's difficult to recommend to anyone who isn't an early adopter, which remains true for waveguide smart glasses as a whole. By comparison, prism-based glasses like the $399 Viture Luma aren't designed for on-the-go use, but they excel as personal, large-screen displays for your computer, tablet, or phone—making them a far more compelling choice for most people and earning our Editors' Choice award.Design: Stylish Frames That Hide the TechThe G2 is one of the lightest and thinnest pairs of smart glasses I've seen, trimming down the G1's already svelte profile. It’s available with rectangular or round lenses and in gray, brown, or dark green frames. The frames are incredibly narrow, and the temples are skinny metal arms that hardly seem capable of hiding the wiring built into them. In fact, aside from two indicators, the G2 is indistinguishable from a stylish pair of non-smart glasses.The G1 looks very much like regular glasses(Credit: Will Greenwald)The first indicator is the pair of waveguides on the lenses. The waveguides reflect light with a slight blue-purple sheen, and at some angles, the bright green of the displays can be seen from the outside when they're active. This is a common problem with many waveguide displays.Another indicator is that the G2, like the G1, has many controls and electronics built into rectangular, chunky capsules at the ends of the skinny-armed, metal temples. Their builds are the opposite of most other smart glasses I’ve tested, where the temples are thicker near the hinges and slimmer near the ear hooks. I didn't find the glasses too uncomfortable, but the temples' ends squeezed my head rather than resting behind my ears.The G2's chunky capsules are unique in the smart glasses space(Credit: Will Greenwald)The G1 lacked an IP rating, but the G2 is rated IP65, which means it’s dustproof and water-resistant. You should be able to wear it in the…