Guy Reviews Romance and More
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bluetooth Headset in form of glasses, not really that smart
Reviewed in the United States ๐บ๐ธ on 19 December 2022
While it's advertised as "smart glasses", the Razer Anzu is basically a Bluetooth headset in the form of glasses, nothing more, and they were on the market for a while under various brand names. I chose the square/large version as I have a very wide face and I don't think the round version would fit my face shape very well.
The unboxing is very nice. Razer had learned a few tricks from Apple, though I wasn't sure why the polarized "sunglasses" lenses were in a separate box, nor were there any instructions that I can see on how to swap them easily. The normal "clear" lenses are blue-light blocking.
The unboxing was quite nice, as Razer includes the glasses, AND an eyeglass case. Though the eyeglass case branding was so subtle I missed it altogether. The cable was hidden inside the eyeglass case stored in a flap, not in the box.
Trying the eyeglasses on, the hinges are spring-loaded, which is nice, as the frame is not adjustable. It's basically a very generic looking eyeglasses, with very thick temple arms, and that's the idea. The speakers are built into the arms, and they are NOT bone conduction. Instead, these are actually "downward firing" speakers that are very directional and generally, only you (and MAYBE people next to you) can hear anything.
Opening the glasses turns on the device automatically, and you can then download the app and pair to the device. The app is optional, but recommended. The device will pair as a regular Bluetooth headset.
There really isn't much in the controls. There's some equalizer settings, there's the low-latency mode, and that's about it.
You don't really control the volume on the eyeglasses itself. The controls here are really for stuff like pause/resume, forward, rewind, bring up assistant, and things like that. And it's pretty simple, and the app even has a "training program" where it will tell you if your command was recognized.
Sound quality is actually pretty good. Don't expect it to work in a crowded cafe, but it works great when alone in a library or in your own room. And battery life is actually quite decent.
I actually own a very similar product, JLabs, Jframes, which are two Bluetooth modules you can clip onto eyeglasses that employ a very similar design at a very similar price, but you obviously bring your own glasses, and even the charger cable is very similar. They operate similary, except the Jlabs version has no app and audio quality is a bit lacking.
After a couple days with it, I find the glasses a bit "heavy", as it keeps slipping down my nose and I have to constantly push it back up. Other than that, it works fine and I really have no complaints. And I did make calls with it, It works surprisingly well.
All in all, it is a good value at the current much lower price. At the original $200 price it's way too expensive, but at $70 or below, it's a very interesting way to add Bluetooth in an almost secret agent way to your life.
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