When we launched Echo Frames, our first pair of smart glasses with Alexa, it fit naturally with our vision for ambient technology on the go—technology that allows customers to stay connected but blends seamlessly into their lifestyle when not in use. With the early generations, we focused on building experiences that enabled customers to take Alexa with them throughout their day. Customers loved how simple and quick it was to ask Alexa to listen to music or a podcast, call a loved one, or control connected devices in the home, without taking out their phone. But they also told us they wanted more variety when it came to frame styles and a longer lasting battery so they can use their smart glasses throughout the day.
So, when it came to developing the new generation of Echo Frames, we worked backwards from what customers wanted—putting an emphasis on aesthetics and making the technical improvements they requested. The result is all-new smart glasses with Alexa—available in the next-generation Echo Frames and new styles from Carrera—a combination of high-end fashion with Alexa artificial intelligence (AI). Featuring seven stylish new options, including two designs by Carrera Eyewear of Safilo Group—Modern Rectangle, Rectangle, Round, Square, Cat Eye, Carrera Cruiser, and Carrera Sprinter—these smart glasses are designed to make customers feel like they’re wearing a traditional pair of eyewear while benefiting from the convenience of Alexa on the go.
These smart glasses come with multiple lens options, including sunglass lenses with UV400 protection, prescription-ready, or blue light lenses, and are IPX4 water resistant and scratch resistant. Each pair gets up to six hours of continuous media playback on a full battery charge—up to 40% more continuous audio playback and 80% more continuous talk time than the previous generation. And, these smart glasses are packed with convenient features, like starting a playlist with a double-press of a button and multipoint pairing.
“Choosing the right eyewear is about so much more than just finding a pair of glasses to help with vision correction—it’s a reflection of your unique personality and style,” said Jean Wang, director of smart eyewear at Amazon. “With smart eyewear, it's important for customers to feel and look great with the world’s best personal AI that instantly connects, entertains, and helps you be even more productive. That’s why we’ve completely redesigned our Echo Frames and added two styles by Carrera, providing customers with more options at the intersection of fashion and technology.”
“Safilo has always looked to the future with an innovative approach, and this is why we are very proud to collaborate with Amazon on this innovative project, offering our Italian design and the unique style of Carrera Eyewear,” said Angelo Trocchia, CEO of Safilo Group. “Furthermore, we are proud to combine our well-established traditional wholesale distribution model – which encompasses eyecare retailers, chains, department stores, specialized retailers, and boutiques – with Amazon’s incredible online distribution.”
Fashion and function
To design the new Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses in a variety of shapes and sizes, our team had to solve a number of design and engineering challenges, including moving the circuitry from the front frames to the temples, while simultaneously designing the temples to be 15% slimmer than the previous generation. We prioritized high-quality materials synonymous with those used in the designer eyewear industry, such as premium and handcrafted acetate options, German-engineered spring hinges for added comfort and a secure fit, and adjustable temple tips made from soft-touch silicone with a lightweight titanium core, so they are easy to adjust and comfortable behind the ear.
Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses have been completely reconfigured for an enhanced audio experience. All styles include a new custom-built speaker driver and redesigned open-ear audio architecture that delivers three times the bass with improved audio quality and balance, compared to the previous generation. The upgraded system is built to direct sound to your ears, without covering them, while also minimizing what others around you can hear. Custom-built speech processing technology also improves Alexa wake word performance, with 10-times better recognition in loud or windy conditions than the previous generation. Each pair can also achieve double the volume for clearer calls in outdoor and noisy environments.
Premium features that simplify daily life
In addition to the Alexa features customers already know and love, like listening to music, adding items to shopping or to-do lists, turning on or off lights, or asking Alexa for information while on the go, we loaded Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses with even more features to simplify our customers’ lives:
- Connect simultaneously to multiple devices: Seamlessly pair and switch between two audio sources connected to your smart glasses, without toggling the settings. That means, you can take a video call on your laptop and simply switch to listening to music on your phone when walking out the door.
- Start a playlist with a press of a button: With this new audio entertainment feature, you won’t need to fumble around with your phone or say anything to begin playing music—simply double-press the back action button to start a recommended playlist.
- Filter notifications: VIP Filter allows you to hear the notifications that are most important to you, without taking out your phone. The feature also recognizes when you are listening to audio and delivers a low distraction chime without disrupting your flow.
- Easily locate misplaced glasses: Alexa can help you locate lost or misplaced smart glasses. Once set up, simply say, “Alexa, find my smart glasses,” to another Echo device or in the Alexa app, and you will hear the glasses’ last-known location.
Privacy, sustainability, and accessibility
Like all Alexa devices, Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses are designed to protect your privacy. You can mute microphones with the double-press of a button, and you have full control over your voice recordings. You can view, hear, or delete them at any time.
Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses have the Climate Pledge Friendly badge certified by the Carbon Trust. Device packaging is 100% recyclable, and the charging stand is made with 35% recycled materials. Plus, Amazon’s renewable energy projects will produce the clean energy equivalent to the electricity used by every customer’s Echo device by 2025. On the product detail pages for Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses, customers will also find a Product Sustainability Fact Sheet containing additional information about device life cycle carbon emissions and sustainability impact.
And it’s important to us that everyone can use our devices easily. We’ve included several accessibility features to extend your Alexa experience on Echo Frames and Carrera Smart Glasses, including enabling closed captioning services on your Alexa app for use with your smart glasses and synching your smartphone’s screen reader with your glasses.
Pricing and availability
Echo Frames start at $269.99 and Carrera Smart Glasses with Alexa are $389.99. Customers can sign up on the details page to be notified when pre-orders begin.
To find the right size frame for your face, use the smart glasses Find Your Fit guide. You can also virtually try on the collection online or through the Amazon mobile shopping app.
After you purchase and receive your smart glasses, you can add prescription lenses online with Boomerang, visit your preferred optician, or find a nearby eye care provider with our new Store Finder feature. Nearly 3,000 locations are listed on Store Finder, including MyEyeDr., Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA) member practices, Visionworks, Cohen’s Fashion Optical, Eyeglass World, and America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses.
Learn more about adding prescription lenses to your frames on the Brand Store Prescription Page.
