Even G2 reviewers praise its sharp display and teleprompter, but split on the R1 ring

At a glance

Best for: teleprompter and to-do list use, on a display testers found easy to read.

Skip it if: you don't wear glasses at all; Andy Boxall thinks a decent smartwatch may do much the same.

They split on: the R1 ring; Romero values it when discretion matters, while Boxall finds it hard to recommend.

Price: G2 from $599, R1 $249, US store, checked 1 November 2026.

Even G2 reviewers keep coming back to one thing: the green text in the lenses is easy to read. Andy Boxall found it readable inside and outside, even in strong sun, after a few weeks for Android Police, and Lance Ulanoff found it sharp and easy to see in daylight in TechRadar's September review. Sun divides them. After a couple of months for The Shortcut, Max Buondonno named the display the glasses' most impressive trait, yet found it virtually impossible to see against a blue sky, and 9to5Google's Andrew Romero says harsh light calls for the optional sunglass covers.[1] [2] [3] [4]

The G2 looks the part. Ulanoff said it looks more like ordinary eyewear than any smart glasses he has worn, and Boxall described frames styled like ordinary spectacles. It also moves on from the original G1: Romero found the G1's touch pads limited to taps, the G2's sensors register swipes both ways, and Buondonno reports a display 75% larger than the G1's. Discretion varies, though: almost everyone Romero spoke with asked what his glasses were.[3] [1] [2] [4]

The teleprompter has the best real-world story. Dave Edgren, a preacher who owns a pair, delivered two services from it and says he never lost eye contact. He set it to 140 words per minute to slow a habit of nearly 200, and his pre-show routine now starts with a phone restart to avoid first-use crashes. He finds the voice-following mode annoying. Ulanoff liked that the text tracks each spoken word, though a photo caught his gaze drifting up from his audience.[5] [3]

The quiet favourite is the to-do list. Romero called Quick List a productivity booster, Buondonno called a to-do list in your eyeline underrated, and Boxall singled out its reminders among the non-AI features, especially in place of the news widget. Translation gets more measured praise: Ulanoff found it works pretty well once you set the language pair, and Romero calls it good but hit or miss.[2] [1] [4] [3]

The R1 ring splits reviewers. Romero, who thinks it should be bundled, says it's your best friend if discretion matters, and Edgren calls it the unsung hero for scrolling menus and moving through a script. Boxall finds it hard to recommend despite a solid concept: it's thicker than his Oura Ring 4, easy to trigger by accident, and was prone to charging and connection failures until several updates settled it.[2] [5] [1]

Even Realities' US store lists the G2 from $599 and the R1 at $249, with single-vision prescription lenses costing from $159 extra (checked 1 November 2026). Prescription pairs can be cancelled for only 24 hours after you order, so confirm your prescription first. Boxall adds that if you don't wear glasses at all, a decent smartwatch may cover much of the same ground.[6] [7] [2] [1]