EssilorLuxottica, known for its collaboration with Meta on Ray-Ban smart glasses, has unveiled the Nuance Audio Plus, an advanced version of its Audio glasses which doubles as a subtle over-the-counter hearing aid. This latest iteration features significant enhancements in audio performance, including improved sound amplification and voice clarity, extended battery life reaching up to 10 hours, and additional on-device controls.
Aesthetic Options and Pricing
The Nuance Audio Plus is now on sale in the United States, offering three frame styles—Square, Pathos, and Upturn—available in five distinct colours: shiny black, shiny burgundy, deep blue, amber, and olive green. Prices start at $829, with costs potentially increasing if prescription lenses are added. The original Nuance Audio glasses remain in the market, beginning at $699.
Enhanced Audio Features
A key upgrade in the Nuance Audio Plus is its enhanced audio capabilities, designed to improve speech clarity even in noisy settings. Users can utilise a complementary mobile app to select between two operational modes. The “Frontal” mode focuses on amplifying the voice of nearby individuals during direct conversations, whereas the “All-Around” mode amplifies ambient sounds. The app also provides four pre-set amplification levels and allows users to control background noise with three settings for noise reduction.
Convenient On-Frame Controls
To reduce dependence on smartphones, the Nuance Audio Plus includes more on-frame controls, such as a specific power slider and distinct volume controls. The glasses offer a sleep mode feature for battery conservation; folding the temple arms puts the glasses into sleep mode, while unfolding them reactivates the device. Additionally, the Nuance Audio Plus facilitates answering calls directly when paired with an iPhone, though this function is not compatible with Android devices.
Reporting based on coverage first published by theverge.com.