Halliday smart glasses: Ambitious idea, frustrating execution

Halliday’s Wayfarer-style smart glasses, born from a $3.3M Kickstarter campaign with 8,000+ backers, are now moving from crowdbackers to retail. Priced at $499 (early backer price was $399), the glasses bundle a tiny 3.6mm microLED display, a magnetic control ring, on-arm speakers, and a so-called “proactive” AI assistant — but real-world testing reveals several usability problems.

The product aims for subtlety: no outward-facing camera, a near-invisible display tucked close to the eye, and a lightweight frame. In practice, reviewers found the hardware to feel plasticky and slightly oversized, the nose pads the only real way to adjust fit, and the temple-mounted USB-C port’s rubber gasket awkward to access.

Key concerns raised by hands-on reviews:

• Tiny display: The 3.6mm microLED projects a monochrome view equivalent to a ~3.5″ screen, but being behind prescription lenses makes quick glances awkward and long text uncomfortable to read.
• Proactive AI: Marketed as an always-listening assistant, it behaves like a continuous chatbot — often replying to filler words and producing inaccurate or irrelevant responses.
• Audio & microphones: Built-in speakers are livable but low-quality for music; the microphone records thin, crunchy audio, hurting voice features like memos and transcripts.
• Charging & accessories: No charging case — the glasses charge via a recessed USB-C port and the ring charges with a magnetic dongle, adding extra everyday friction.

Software and real-world use showed more friction: the control ring requires memorizing a small, non-intuitive gesture set; the reactive AI sometimes returned out-of-date or incorrect facts; and transcription requires keeping the app pane open while it processes.

Price & competition: retail is $499 with a free control ring for early buyers (the ring will retail at $69 later). Alternatives include Brilliant Labs’ Halo (~$299, limited quantities), Rokid’s upcoming waveguide-equipped glasses (Kickstarter ~ $549), Even Realities G1 (roughly $750 including lenses), and Meta’s Ray-Ban Display (~$799) which offer fuller-color waveguide displays and a more established feature set.

Bottom line: Halliday’s glasses bring interesting trade-offs — prioritizing invisibility and low weight over more capable displays and polished software. For some users the discreet microLED + AI approach will be compelling; for many others, the compromises (readability, AI reliability, audio quality, and charging hassles) will be dealbreakers.

Read the full hands-on review for more details and examples.

Discussion: Would you trade a more discreet form factor for a less usable display and imperfect AI — or would you wait for waveguide-based smart glasses? Let us know your thoughts below.