Key points:
- A Facebook account is required to set up your Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. Other than that, the social media platform seems to have little influence on the smart glasses.
- You have the ability to take pictures and videos by clicking a button on the side of the frames. You can also manage audio and phone calls by tapping or sliding along the frame arms.
- Ray-Ban Stories are a stylish and cool gadget to own, but are not a practical replacement for your daily prescription glasses.
First impressions
Packaging
Packaging for Ray-Ban Stories is what you’d expect for any Ray-Ban product: Classic, sleek and high-quality. The shrink-wrapped outer box indicates which product you ordered — I got the Round frames in Olive.
Ray-Ban Stories packaging
Once you open that box, you have another box that holds the Ray-Ban Stories case, pouch and charging cord. The inside of the case is molded to hold the frames snuggly, and doubles as a charging base for the glasses. So, rather than plugging the glasses into a charger, you plug in the case, which charges the glasses when they’re inside.
Setup
To set up your Ray-Ban Stories, you must first download the View app, which is where the photos and videos you take with the glasses are stored. In the app, you’re required to log in to a Facebook account. I wasn’t too thrilled about this, as I’m not very active on Facebook. I didn’t want every picture or update I had with the glasses to be broadcast on my Facebook page.
Ray-Ban Stories case with charging capabilities
Fortunately, logging in to Facebook once during the initial setup was the only time I saw anything related to the social media platform. They don’t pressure you to post things or send unwanted notifications, which was a welcomed surprise.
Once you’re logged in to Facebook, the app provides a helpful step-by-step guide for connecting the glasses to your phone.
PROS:
- Stylish, durable packaging
- Step-by-step setup instructions
- Minimal involvement from Facebook
CONS:
- As far as I could tell, none of the excessive packaging used was sustainably made. I would really love to see a push from Ray-Ban to have the shrinkwrap, boxes, pouches and inserts made from recycled goods. Otherwise, the excess seems wasteful.
- A Facebook account is required to use the product.
SEE RELATED: Guide to purchasing Ray-Ban prescription glasses
Lens and frame design and fit
Ray-Ban Stories frames
One of the great features of Ray-Ban Stories is that their tech features are very discreet. Though there are cameras at the top corners of the frames, they’re small enough to go unnoticed unless someone is looking for them.
The audio speakers are sneakily built into the arms of the frames, which makes it easy to listen to music without having earbuds in. On the right temple of the frames is a small button that is used to take pictures or videos. It’s all very sleek and well-hidden, which is nice for people who don’t want their tech glasses to be obvious.
They have the same design as your average pair of Ray-Ban acetate frames, which Ray-Ban enthusiasts will enjoy. I found the frames a little too thick and heavy for my taste, and felt they were awfully narrow for being a gender-neutral product.
To be fair, genetics gave me a larger-than-average head (thanks, Dad!) but I’m also a fairly small human. I can’t imagine these frames fitting comfortably on a 6-foot-4-inch man who weighs 270 pounds. Normally Ray-Ban allows you to choose your size of frames, but for Ray-Ban Stories, “standard” was the only size available.
Before purchasing Ray-Ban Stories, compare the frame dimensions with a pair of frames that fit you comfortably. Dimensions for the pair I got are 48-21-150 with a lens height of 45.4 millimeters.
Me trying on Ray-Ban Stories with clear lenses
Lenses
I opted for Transitions lenses because I wanted to be able to use the Ray-Ban Stories technology inside and out. Transitions lenses get a bad rap because in the early days, lenses took a long time to clear up, so you’d be stuck with an awkward tint on your lenses after getting back inside.
I didn’t experience that with these. In fact, I was impressed with how quickly they cleared. Now, don’t get me wrong; the change is not immediate, but it’s pretty darn quick.
I wore these on the golf course with my boyfriend. Halfway through the round, we stopped at the pro shop to get drinks and use the restroom. By the time I walked into the pro shop and got to the restrooms (approximately 45 seconds), the lenses were almost completely clear.
Though it is an additional cost to have Transitions lenses, I believe it’s worth it if you’re going to invest in Ray-Ban Stories anyway. Doing so allows you to use the perks of the glasses both indoors and outdoors.
Ray-Ban Stories when lenses are tinted for UV protection
I didn’t have my prescription added to the lenses, as my prescription isn’t very strong and I didn’t intend to wear these glasses all the time. The Ray-Ban website lists the lenses as Class 3, which means they’re fit for strong sunlight and offer UV protection, due to the Transitions ability.
When the lenses are clear, the reflective glare is … not great. It took forever to get a picture of me wearing the clear lenses because it was nearly impossible to avoid severe glare. You can see there’s still light reflecting off the lenses, though I was able to minimize it.
Perhaps if you have a prescription added, Ray-Ban will throw in an anti-reflective lens coating, but I was unable to find confirmation of this on the website.
PROS:
- Sleek, stylish frames with discrete functions
- Three frame styles with several lens and color options
- Transitions lenses make the product more versatile
CONS:
- Frame size limited to “standard” only
- Serious glare when lenses are clear
SEE RELATED: Ray-Ban Aviator, Clubmaster and Wayfarer sunglasses
Picture and video abilities
Taking pictures with Ray-Ban Stories
Ray-Ban Stories have a 5-million-pixel camera located at each corner of the frames, making a total of two cameras. This gives the images taken a panorama-like view that mimics what the eyes naturally see. To take pictures, press a small button on the right-side frame arm and hold it there for a couple seconds. You will hear the shutter of a camera, which lets you know the image has been captured.
Photo resolution is 2592x1944 pixels. This is actually higher than the resolution offered by the iPhone 12 (2532x1170 pixels).
While the image resolution is better on paper, the Ray-Ban Stories cameras don’t perform as well in low-light conditions as an iPhone camera does. On the golf course, where lighting is optimal, the pictures and videos taken look great.
However, if you look further down, you’ll see a picture I took in my office with dim lighting. The shelves in the picture were less than 10 feet from me, but it’s difficult to make out any of the signage or book titles that are on them.
Photograph taken with Ray-Ban Stories in daylight
Photograph taken with Ray-Ban Stories in low light
Video
Along with capturing images, Ray-Ban Stories allow you to record videos up to 30 seconds long. To do this, click the same button you would to take a picture, except without holding it down. You’ll hear a beep noise that indicates the video recording has started. When you’re done recording, press the button again and you’ll hear three beeps to let you know recording has stopped. If you don’t press the button to end the recording, it will automatically stop after 30 seconds.
The video quality for Ray-Ban Stories is 1184 pixels at 30 frames per second. The iPhone 12 offers 1080 pixels at 25, 30 or 60 frames per second.
