When Even Realities introduced its G2 smart glasses, there were some fair criticisms of its interface limits and performance. However, I had the opportunity to try them on at IFA 2026 — and they've found new purpose at a time when the backlash against Meta's camera-equipped glasses is fiercer than ever.
Much of the allure is familiar. They're light enough (36g, or just under 1.3oz) and thin enough to be almost indistinguishable from regular glasses, to the point where I had to double-check that our demonstrator wasn't just wearing conventional eyewear. And the two-day battery life when paired with an Android phone or iPhone is a relief when many smart glasses need to be charged at least daily. In some ways, these are the true cutting edge of technology.
They're also extremely useful in certain cases. The floating monochrome green interface is simple, but offers excellent navigation paired with your phone. Teleprompting works well for public speaking. To me, the G2's killer app is live translation. It rapidly and accurately translated Mandarin to English, even when the other person was speaking quickly. It's bordering on Star Trek sophistication when both sides have the glasses.
There are still problems. The AI is known to be inconsistent, and in my case was sensitive to network conditions (it experienced a "server failure" in my hands-on). And while the G2 embraces open source as well as its own app store, the selection still tends to be simple apps like a spin on Nokia's classic Snake. I also found myself accidentally swiping the touch controls, and spending $249 on the optional ring (which is clever, and doubles as a health-tracking smart ring) shouldn't be necessary to address that.
It used to be that the cameras on Meta Glasses (the Ray-Ban branding is gone on entry models) were the main selling point: you could record first-person videos and have AI identify the world around you. The devices are still popular.
There's been a revolt against them in recent months, though, culminating in English and Welsh courts banning the glasses from courtrooms. People are genuinely worried that Meta Glasses wearers are capturing video without consent, and I can't blame them. It's all too easy for a creep to start filming, and the recording light is both easy to hide and difficult to notice in some conditions.
That makes the Even Realities G2 suddenly far more appealing. The lack of cameras is now a feature: people will relax knowing you can't record unwanted footage. And as stylish as Meta Glasses have become, they still scream "tech enthusiast" in a way the G2 doesn't.
They're not as useful as the Meta Ray-Ban Display, but they're also much less expensive at $599 versus $799. That's a worthwhile tradeoff if you like the G2's functionality and don't want to be a societal outcast. I know they're what I'd pick to be an inconspicuous tourist, and Meta should be very concerned that the likely sequel (G3?) will further erode its advantages.
