Solos AirGo 3 (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review

Name: Solos AirGo 3
Item: Solos AirGo 3
Rating: 7.5
Author: Prans

Product Information:

Official Store: https://solosglasses.com/collections/argon-collection/products/argon-8-smartglasses-airgo3-4

Solos is no stranger to audio-based smart glasses and has powered its new models with ChatGPT features. Let’s take a closer look at what they offer in this review of the Solos AirGo 3.

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The smart glasses market is expanding with options that range from the likes of the XREAL Air 2 portable gaming screens to more futuristic ones like the INMO Air 2. Within that market are audio-based smart glasses that forgo HUD in favour of voice and touch controls for sleeker eyewear design. Solos has been involved in this particular segment of the market and the company has recently launched its latest line, the AirGo 3. In this review, we’ll take a look at the Argon 8 smart glasses model within the AirGo 3 line.

Solos AirGo 3 Argon 8 contents and specs

The Solos AirGo 3 Argon 8 currently starts at €232 and comes with the following items:

Solos AirGo3 Argon 8 smart glasses
Charging cable
Hard carry case
Cleaning cloth
User manual

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It’s worth noting that you can also buy prescription glasses as well as choose the type of lenses (blue light filter/photochromic) directly from the Solos store. While these come at an extra cost, they are great options for bespectacled people like myself who’d need prescription lenses to use smart eyewear of any type.

Specs of the glasses can be found below:

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Hardware impressions of the Solos AirGo 3 Argon 8

As with the first generation of Solos AirGo smart glasses, the AirGo 3 models are also inconspicuous, normal-looking glasses. This time around, Solos has frames of different models to accommodate for more individual preferences. I am myself more fond of rounded glasses and was perfectly content with the Argon 8 model’s design.

They can easily be used as your daily glasses and it’s indeed how I have been using them since receiving the Argon 8. They work perfectly fine for daily use and won’t attract unwanted attention as other smart glasses such as the XREAL Air 2 or even the chunkier INMO Air 2 would.

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That said, some comfort aspects could have been improved with the Argon 8 model. In my case, I found the ends of each arm to press on the back of my skull. This got quite uncomfortable throughout the day and I was even considering whether to switch back to my old glasses.One way that Solos could have addressed this issue is with a more flexible, spring-loaded hinge connection between the arms and the frames. This would allow the arms to extend further to accommodate more head sizes.

Luckily, I found a way to bypass this issue. The very ends of the glasses can actually be bent with some pressure and I did this so that they aren’t in contact with the back of my skull. Keep this in mind in case you come across a similar issue as once this was done, I found the glasses to be way more comfortable and usable as a daily driver.

With the AirGo 3, Solos brings back its swappable SmartHinge system. This allows you to swap the arms/frames easily. If you have a separate arm, you can charge it and keep it as a spare that can be swapped when your current one runs out of battery. Battery is pretty decent already as it can last up to 10 hours for music streaming or up to 7 hours for phone calls. This lets you easily go through a whole day and charge the battery at night or early morning before heading out.

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Open-ear earphones with a glasses form factor

Like their former generations, the Solos AirGo 3 essentially work like open-ear earphones that are crammed in the form factor of regular glasses. You can pair the glasses via Bluetooth to any audio source and the speakers will direct the sound to your ears. It also allows you to take calls and call up your phone’s virtual assistant. Controls are performed solely via the touch panel on the right temple. While I prefer physical buttons for accuracy, the touch controls are rather accurate on the AirGo 3, although the “virtual button” at the right-most side can be troublesome to activate.

Being open-ear in design, the audio quality will not be on par with over-ear headphones but as open-ear pieces, the soundscape is pretty decent and the volume can get pretty loud as well. These glasses have been my substitute for my earphones while at the gym and I can hear my playlists and podcasts just fine over the regular chatter of fellow gym-goers. Of course, individual experiences will vary but this is just to exemplify that the Solos AirGo 3 can get decently loud to be serviceable in busy environments.

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While the AirGo 3 can be paired to virtually any audio source via Bluetooth, its full potential is unleashed when paired to a smartphone and the companion Solos AirGo app. Through the app, the glasses can monitor your head’s posture, remind you to drink water occasionally and track your workout. These can be quite handy and I hope that future iterations of the Solos smart glasses include more health tracking features such as heart rate and temperature monitors as they would make compelling cases to replace your fitness tracker.

Solos AirGo 3: audio smart glasses powered by ChatGPT

The most intriguing feature of the AirGo 3 is the ChatGPT integration in the Solos AirGo app. When the glasses are paired to the app, you can press and hold the “virtual button” to ask questions to the ChatGPT-powered SolosChat feature. Once you have asked your question, you can release the virtual button and you will hear ChatGPT’s response read back to you. In a similar way, you can use the translation feature from a number of languages and this can be quite handy when travelling abroad.

ChatGPT has gained tremendous popularity in the last year and having them accessible directly from your glasses is really handy. You can ask general questions, assistance to write letters or codes and quickly hear an answer back. You can also view and share the response from the Solos AirGo app itself. Generative AI feels right at home on audio-based smart glasses and feels like the natural evolution of such devices. It can also have some pretty nifty gaming applications such as asking for recommendations, making lore enquiries or find out about walkthroughs. The ChatGPT-powered glasses provide quick answers for such queries and being able to literally wear such a powerful tool sometimes feels unreal.

What I found handy with SolosChat is that you are not only restricted to voice input to ask questions/translate but you can also type in prompts. This is useful in cases where your voice prompt is not registered properly. This was unfortunately quite common in my experience with SolosChat and indicates that there is room for improvements.

Further improvements could also be made to the Solos AirGo app. Most prominently, you need to manually toggle the SolosChat on/off to use it. And to use other features such as the Coach to track your workout or even to check for device updates, you need to toggle the SolosChat feature off. This is not very convenient and can be cumbersome as you need to turn back to your phone and aren’t able to fully use the smart glasses handsfree.

My greatest gripe with the app is that the SolosChat feature, which includes ChatGPT/OpenAI capabilities such as voice search, translation and texting are locked behind a subscription model. These glasses aren’t exactly the cheapest around and the price goes up depending on the type of lenses you fit them with. And if you want to use its standout feature, SoloChat, then you’re looking at a monthly subscription of $10. Solos is generous enough to provide 3 months of free access to this service but the AirGo 3 would be more compelling if it came with all of its features without any additional cost.

With the 3 months of free trial, you can still decide if the SolosChat feature is worth the monthly $10 for you or not. In the latter case, you can still make use of its fitness tracking features and use it as a decent pair of open-ear earbuds neatly concealed in the form factor of regular glasses. I do hope that Solos can manage to provide the SolosChat feature for free in the future as it does offer a good use case for a personal, wearable AI device.

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Verdict

What We Liked ...

Sleek, inconspicuous smart glasses
Feature-rich, ChatGPT-powered companion app
Decent audio quality for open-ear design
Offers option to fit prescription lenses

What We Didn't Like ...

Virtual button can be a hit-or-miss
Arms of the glasses can exert some pressure
SolosChat feature requires paid subscription
SolosChat doesn’t always catch spoken commands

7.5

out of 10

Overall

With its ChatGPT-powered companion app, the Solos AirGo 3 indicates the natural evolution of audio-based smart glasses.

always wondered how good are such audio devices when it comes to privacy.
like if someone is sitting next to you do they hear the audio?

Tac 21
Dec 4, 2023

paid sub? no thanks

I prefer the look AND set up of the meta raybans... which have been pretty slick in the audio AND have a camera

I don't bother with voice assistant since that's were battery drain and privacy concern starts

NeroAngelo said:
always wondered how good are such audio devices when it comes to privacy.
like if someone is sitting next to you do they hear the audio?

if its quiet and its loud then yes sounds bleed out

audio calls are always quiet though

Reactions: NeroAngelo

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