Customer Ratings & Reviews

To start off, I personally have known about Bose offering audio sunglasses for a couple of years now, but the most hands-on I’ve gotten with them were on the demo units available to test drive inside of a Best Buy store. Now that I’ve gotten a pair of my own to have a real-world experience with everyday use, I’m ready to discuss what I like and what I don’t like about this Bose product. I picked out the Tenor variant to review, and I know Bose announced and released 3 new models of their wearable line, along with the Soprano and Tempo. I went with the Tenor because I liked it’s typical rectangular design you’d find on sunglasses sold anywhere. This is important to me because I don’t like wearing sunglasses that are too “flashy” and noticeable. These are very discreet looking and almost no one will really know you’re actually wearing a pair of Bose audio sunglasses until they get close enough to you to see the logo on the temples (and given today’s current events, they’re probably violating social distancing guidelines at that point, hehe). Inside the box you get the pair of sunglasses inside a black case that is held magnetically when closed. The box also includes a magnetic USB cable for charging the wearable, a cleaning cloth for the lenses, and quick start & safety/regulatory documentation. The lenses already come installed on the frames, but if you’ll be rocking them with prescription lenses (polarized or not), it is really easy to remove and replace the existing lenses. After unboxing, I plugged in the USB cable to an available port on my PC and allowed the glasses to fully charge, which surprisingly didn’t take that long (I’d say, 30-40 minutes roughly?). To turn on the glasses, you press the button on the bottom of the right temple. You’ll hear the Bose intro sound go off after a few seconds, especially if you’re already wearing them. It’ll then ask you to pair it via Bluetooth to a smartphone/tablet device for setup, in which once you’ve done so, it’ll then recommend you download and install the free Bose Music app. Once installed, you’ll need a Bose account to register the product and continue setup, which includes renaming the glasses to a funky name of your choosing. Once setup is complete, the app will give you a quick tutorial of the frame’s controls, which also includes the touch-sensitive volume rocker on the right temple that is controlled using swipe gestures (towards the front for up, away for down). It’ll also let you know how to play, pause, fast forward, and rewind music using the buttons, as well as activating voice controls like Siri or Google Assistant. I know there have been many reviewers mention how great the audio quality is on these, and I can’t deny that fact with the exception that the balance between the low (bass), mid, and high (treble) frequencies isn’t harmonious. I personally like to listen to a lot of bass-heavy music, specifically electronic music, so hearing that genre with these at first felt a bit off because the tone of the music did not sound complete. I personally found that cupping my ears with my hands or wearing a set of earmuffs amplified the sound greatly enough to enjoy, but that would obviously cancel out the benefit of wearing audio sunglasses in the first place. I also discovered that listening to a more reasonable volume (50-60%) rather than all the way up was actually BETTER for how well the music sounded. It also ensures your music stays discreet to yourself and that others around you don’t hear what you’re listening to. One last thing I wanted to mention is a cool feature that ensures longer battery life when you forget to power off the sunglasses after use. I’ve done this myself with every pair of glasses I’ve worn, but when I take them off I tend to flip them upside down when laying them on a table. It turns out Bose included a feature that turns the power off for you for doing just that! This feature might come across as a pet peeve for some users who are just taking them off for a few seconds to clean or to fix their face/hair, but once you get used to how the motion functions and tailor your habits along with it, you’re going to find that the battery life on these will be fantastic. My personal use within the last week has my battery lasting about 3.5-4 hours on average at a time. For more context, I’ve only had to plug them in to charge twice in the last week. The only negative I have about these sunglasses is that while they are rated to be water-resistant, its not as good as you think, and seeing other owners experience issues with their sunglasses in wet/rainy weather or similar conditions means I’m avoiding wearing these glasses anywhere near water at all costs, and that includes the beach and swimming pools. It’s a bit disappointing given how far we’ve come at making many tech gadgets incredibly water-resistant (and other wearables like smartwatches) but Bose has yet to figure out a way to make these more resistant to wet conditions. I’m hoping they figure out a way to do so, even if it means releasing an “Active” line of audio sunglasses similar to how Samsung did with past smartphone releases. (Notice how I didn’t say “waterproof” because that is not the correct terminology compared to “water-resistant”, this Bose product is NOT waterproof by any means.) In closing, these Bose audio sunglasses are really cool and I’ve found myself wearing them more often when out and about in public during sunny, hot weather but while I would like for them to replace my primary pair of shades, they will only be suitable in certain conditions where they will not be exposed to water or other liquids that can potentially damage them to the point where they are no longer audio sunglasses, but just sunglasses. I highly recommend Bose look to improve the water resistance and maybe find a solution for improving the bass quality of the speakers as well. I’m obviously biased with the latter recommendation due to the genre of music I mainly listen to, but for the average music listener you’ll be fascinated by the sound quality Bose is known and loved for and will also enjoy a more natural way of listening to music privately when out and about.

amazing sunglasses ! love having no earbuds in my ear .

Looks great when compared to initial model. Loved it.

This is a very good gadget to have in your pocket.

Omg we love them!!! I will be buy another one soon!!

Okay, I'll be the first to say I have a fat face, I'm pushing 3 hundy, so I needa loose a hundred, but my wife!? She's 118 pounds of skinny af. Those glasses look awesome, I wish they fit awesome. They're so tight after five minutes I couldn't stand wearing them. What a shame, I know bose only wants tiny gremlin models wearing their stuff, but come on, people is fat in Merica. They need to produce a bigger size. For context, I already own the previous version, the Alto. Those were tight on me, but bearable. These are miniscule. Returning tomorrow morning, what a shame, I waited weeks for these.

This was a cool idea and the glasses look cool. However they aren't loud and any back ground noise effectively will kill the sound so you can't hear them. Took them back after a week. Couldnt see when I would use them with their limitations.

I returned them. Sound wasnt terrible its different i liked it but the frames are so goofy looking. Im talking about the over ear part i get that you need to store hardware but look at air pods they are tiny. This just seems to be to much.

I know its made for safety to not plug you're ears but the overall volume is not sufficient. I use them to drive a the city bus because we can't plug our ears but its just not loud enough over the engine.

If you want to see my unboxing, go here https://youtu.be/_BWKqO7ySjc I do quite a bit of outdoor sports and activities and always rock my Oakley sunglasses when doing so. Like many others, I usually rock my AirPods while kayaking, riding my mountain bike or walking my dog because I enjoy having music playing while just doing these fun activities. Even with the AirPods transparency mode, I still struggle to truly hear the things that are happening around me and it's sometimes not safe. Well I decided to give these a try and man they are good. You can hear everything that is happening around you, but you can enjoy your music at the same time. It's obviously not as loud as some headphones that go in your ear, but I don't think they are designed to be this way. This is almost like going on a trip and having some background music to enjoy along the way. I honestly did not think I was going to use them as much but I already use them as my to go sunglasses even when I am just driving in my car because they style is fitting. 5/5 for me. SOUND - it's a decent sound for such a tiny speaker that lives inside a pair of sunglasses. It's ridiculous the tech inside this pair. COMFORTABILITY - surprisingly, they are comfortable even with the speakers on the sides. BATTERY - I had them out with me on Labor Day weekend and listened to music while kayaking for most of the day and the sunglasses didn't quit. BUILT QUALITY - this is huge for me. They feel strong and top quality. When kayaking, I got some splashes of water in my face and never was worried about these things being damaged. They are not water proof or splash proof out of the box, but I did use them while kayaking and no issues for me.

Wow, these new Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses are super cool! The new technology is awesome! My wife calls them my James Bond sunglasses, haha! These will be great for a variety of activities. I am especially excited at how well they work while biking. I don't like to use ear buds while biking, as then I can't hear traffic or other people coming up from behind. However, these Bose Sunglasses have an open-ear design, so there is nothing inserted in your ear. You can hear the music playing, but can still hear any loud noises around you, or if someone wants to talk to you, it is easy to turn down the volume with one hand and then you can hear without having to take off the glasses. It's also cool because I can hear the music and even crank up the volume, but people around me can barely hear it at all, even at full volume. At lower volumes, people around you can't hear them at all. These will work great for biking, walking, a day at the beach and lots of other activities. I think it could also work for a day at a ballpark, watching the game, while listening to another game on my phone through the sunglasses. The sunglasses are very easy to set up and use. There is really no set up other than downloading the Bose App. You then open the App and it allows you to set up a Bose account, finds your sunglasses and easily pairs them to your phone via Bluetooth and you are ready to go! The App also contains the instructions for the controls. Basically, you have one button that turns them on/off, allows you to answer and hang up a phone call, and start or pause the music or skip forward or backwards to other tracks. You can also just swipe your finger forward or backward on your right temple piece to turn the volume up and down. As I said, very cool technology! It takes about one hour to fully charge the sunglasses, which gives you 5.5 hours of use, and you can get up to 2.5 hours of use from a quick 30 minute charge. The sunglasses tell you the amount of battery left whenever you turn them on, or you can see the exact battery percent left on the App. I have the Tenor model. I think they are good looking sunglasses. They are black and to me they look a lot like the Ray Ban Wayfarers, but maybe a little more square. Obviously, the ear pieces are thicker than normal sunglasses, as that is where the speakers are, but they did a good job of making them look like a regular stylish, modern pair of sunglasses. They fit snug to my head, which makes them great for activities, but they are not too tight to cause any discomfort. More importantly than the look though, is the sound. I think they sound great. I am impressed with how good such small speakers inside the ear pieces of a pair of sunglasses can sound! Obviously, you aren't going to get a big bass punch like you would from a set of over-the-ear cans, but I find the sound very comparable to a good set of ear buds, even though you have nothing in your ear. I use an iPhone, and I can also use the equalizer on the phone to make adjustments to the sound for different kinds of music, spoken word, etc. These sunglasses are also typical of everything I have owned from Bose. They are very well-designed and well-made with top of the line materials. Even the case they came in is a very nice hard shell case with a magnetic closure and soft inside material. You also get a charging cord that plugs into any USB charging block and a Bose glass cleaner cloth. I am very happy with these Bose Frames Sunglasses! I highly recommend them!

They are not bad. The sound isn’t very loud unfortunately. On the iPhone when someone calls you, the call doesn’t automatically go to the glasses. You have to select the glasses in the audio button.

Great Glasses, Only Problem With Me is That They Are Not Loud Enough =(! Some Songs Are Decent Volume But Most Are Pretty Low Considering Your Outside Noise... Pretty Cool Shades Though.

Not very loud but what can younexpext out of small speakers that fit into sunglasses. They are pretty cool an work as hands free at least. Little to expensive

Once i i wear the glasses temple arms are too short, very disappointed, returned after purchase!!!

I thought the idea of speakers built into a pair of sunglasses was silly at first, but after using the Bose Tenors, I’ve changed my tune. ;) Let’s get right into what you probably what to know about: sound quality. The sound is extremely crisp and clear - exactly what you would expect out of a Bose product. They provide plenty of highs and mids but they won’t have much on the low end, but that is about what to expect out of speakers that are this small and do not fit directly into the ear canal. I think they do a good job for speakers that have to be built into the temples of sunglasses. The nice thing about the concept of speaker-sunglasses is that they’re naturally transparent in regards to hearing outside noises. The sound coming out of the speakers is balanced with what the sounds around you. It’s quite nice. Bose did a wonderful job with the controls on the Tenors. There is a single button that powers them on and off and also provides a way to skip tracks both forward and backward. Bose employed a rather neat interface to control the volume - you’ll swipe forward and backwards on the right hand temple to do so. And what I also found is that the amount of volume increased or decreased can be regulated by the length of the swipe. ex. the longer the swipe the more change in volume. Conversely, a short swipe will change the volume only by a small amount. Very neat. One last neat feature is that when you take off the glasses and flip them upside down, they automatically turn off after 2 seconds. This is a very cool function but an improvement that I would like to see is to have an option for the duration before they shut off that you could specify within the Bose app. 2 seconds is a pretty short amount of time but thankfully, this is something that I am sure Bose could add via an update to the app/glasses. There is also motion detection built into the glasses which powers off the glasses after 10 minutes of inactivity. Again, would love to see an option to specify the duration. The Tenors have audio alerts that can tell you such things as connection status as well as battery level and you can also see the battery level in the Bose app. They may be heavier than most sunglasses, for obvious reasons, but I don’t find them uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time. The Tenors also have some stylish looks. The Tenors in particular have a modern, boxy shape that works well for my head that is a bit larger than average. Give the Tenors a shot. They surprised me and they very well surprise you as well.

Returned item but was out of the 15 day window for credit. Was given a gift card. The volume isn't the best with noise.

DISCLAIMER: This item was received free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  I've had my Bose Frames Tenor Audio Sunglasses for a few days now and I haven't fully decided how I feel about them. While they are stylish, comfortable and provide good audio as well as protection from the sun, they are a bit heavy, clumsy and block a decent percentage of my overall sight. Also, I'm just not sure how I will use them.  The glasses come in a slick box that also contains a case, a cleaning cloth, a USB charging cable and an instruction pamphlet. The instructions are pretty bare bones, but there isn’t much to instruct. Connecting to my phone was very easy and straightforward. The glasses only have one button that does everything. One tap powers the glasses on, hold it down for a few seconds to pair via Bluetooth, tap to pause, tap twice to skip a song, tap thrice to go back a song. Simply taking the glasses off and setting them upside down for two seconds turns them off. Sliding your finger on the right arm, back to front, increases volume. Sliding your finger the other way lowers the volume.   My only critique on the electronics aspect of the glasses is that I am constantly hitting the button inadvertently. It's located in a spot that I naturally grab when putting them on or adjusting, so I'm continually turning on the power or putting them in pairing mode. So far they seem to have a pretty good battery life. I've been using them for nearly a week and have yet to charge them. I'm also surprised at how good they sound. For not going onto or into the ear, the audio is crisp and clear. Also, the audio doesn’t seem to carry much out into the surrounding environment. They can be heard by people close to you, but not as loudly as I would have expected. What didn’t surprise me was the lack of bass and the limit on volume, which I did not find to be an issue for what the product is.  As far as functioning as sunglasses, I have a bit of a love/hate thing going on. First, I was happy that they fit. I have a big head and they are a little tight to put on, but they do not cause any discomfort whatsoever. I would prefer them to be scaled up 2 to 5 % in size, as I feel they look a little small on me, but that's how everything made “one size fits all” is for me. The glasses are very nice looking and stylish. I think the lenses do a good job with filtering sunlight and apparently it's pretty easy to swap them out for prescriptions, if necessary. I struggle with the glasses in two ways. One being how they sit on my nose and the second is how much of my field of view they block. They don’t so much sit on my nose as they continually slide down it whenever I move my head. Some of this has to do with the weight of the frames and some with where frames are supported by the nose. But again, the sliding could be due to the size (and shape) of my head and face. The thickness of not only the arms (which house all the electronics) but also the frames in general makes for a much narrower field of view than I'm used to. I would warn against wearing these while driving as the arms block a significant amount of peripheral sight. For me, the thickness of the frames causes me to move my head more to see my surroundings, which then causes the glasses to slide down my nose more often. I should note though, that I am used to wire frame sunglasses. Also, I do not wear corrective glasses, so it is safe to say that what I struggle with in regards to these glasses is a normal part of life for a lot of people.  So, how would one use this product? Initially, I would say this product is a gimmick because the glasses are much to cumbersome (and costly) to use while being active, such as exercising or working. It seems unnecessary to use these while driving since your stereo will do a better job for music, not to mention the safety ramifications of the blind spots created by the arms of the frames. But then I thought about taking my daughter for a walk in her stroller at a metro park. Or going fishing, sunbathing at the beach, hanging out on the porch on a beautiful summer day.  What I like: Good sound Great shade from sun/polarized Stylish Included case and cleaning cloth  What I don't like: The weight They constantly slide down my nose Thick arms block peripheral vision 

Quality is not that much great ( in my opinion). From a great brand, expected more. Temples in the frame are to tight for me.

Not warer anything, I was sweating outside in the sun glasses or no longer