Brilliant Labs’ Halo is a real, display-equipped pair of AI glasses, currently listed at $399. It combines a color microOLED display, bone-conduction audio and an AI-capable processor with the company’s Noa assistant and developer-focused software. That makes it more ambitious than audio-only smart glasses, but its most compelling claims—private AI, persistent memory and natural-language app creation—are not the same as independently verified performance. Halo is a promising challenger, not a proven competition-blower.
What are Brilliant Labs Halo glasses?
Halo is Brilliant Labs’ successor to its Frame smart glasses. The frames are designed to look like conventional eyewear, but add a small, eye-directed color display, microphones, bone-conduction speakers and sensors. The company positions Halo as an AI assistant and an open developer platform as well as a pair of smart glasses.
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It is not established as a full mixed-reality headset. The published specifications do not provide enough information about the display’s field of view, brightness, eye box or refresh rate to judge it as an expansive augmented-reality screen. Think of Halo as glasses with a compact heads-up display, not a replacement for a phone screen or an AR headset.
Halo specifications and current price
| Feature | Documented detail |
|---|---|
| Display | Color microOLED display; original BGR coverage described a 0.2-inch display module. Field of view, brightness and refresh rate are not stated in the cited product information. BGR; Brilliant Labs |
| Audio | Two bone-conduction speakers and two microphones. Brilliant Labs |
| Processor | Alif B1 with Cortex-M55 CPU and NPU. The presence of an NPU does not establish that all Noa functions run on the glasses. Brilliant Labs |
| Sensors | Low-power optical sensor, six-axis IMU and tap detection. Brilliant Labs |
| Connectivity and software | Bluetooth 5.3, ZephyrOS, Lua interface, cross-platform mobile app and a cloud-based AI agent. Brilliant Labs |
| Battery | Up to 14 hours, according to Brilliant Labs’ estimated normal-use claim; this is not an independent endurance measurement. Brilliant Labs |
| Weight | Just over 40 grams. Brilliant Labs |
| Fit and lenses | Documented IPD range of 58–72 mm; prescription and sunglass options are offered. The display optic is listed as supporting approximately +2 to –6 diopters. Confirm the exact prescription configuration with the seller. Brilliant Labs |
| Current listed price | $399 USD on Brilliant Labs’ product page, checked August 18, 2026. The page says shipments began in early August; stock and delivery estimates can change. Brilliant Labs |
| Original preorder price | $299, as reported in the August 1, 2025 launch coverage; this is a historical price, not the current listing. BGR |
Brilliant Labs says taxes are not collected at checkout, so import taxes or duties may be payable on delivery. Its product page also lists a $49 restocking fee for non-defect returns. Review the current purchase terms before ordering. Brilliant Labs
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What Noa and Halo’s AI features promise
Brilliant Labs markets Halo around Noa, a conversational assistant that can respond to questions about what the wearer sees and hears, provide context-aware assistance and translate. The company also describes Narrative Memory, a longer-term memory feature, and Miniapps: small experiences that users can create through natural-language interaction and potentially share or remix.
The terminology has shifted: the 2025 BGR article called the natural-language creation concept “Vibe Mode,” while the current product page calls the experiences “Miniapps.” They appear to refer to the same general idea of creating small AI-powered tools, rather than two clearly separate headline features. BGR; Brilliant Labs
These are announced capabilities, not a substitute for independent testing. The available product information does not establish which foundation models power Noa, which tasks work offline, how much computation happens on the glasses versus a paired phone or the cloud, or how reliably the system recognizes objects and translates speech in noisy conditions. It also does not clearly specify what content appears on the display or whether Miniapps run locally.
What Halo’s display does—and what is still unknown
The color microOLED is the clearest distinction between Halo and audio-first smart glasses. BGR described a 0.2-inch display module that projects content toward the wearer’s eye. That tells buyers the display is compact; it does not establish how readable or useful it is in everyday conditions.
Brilliant Labs’ cited product information does not settle practical questions such as outdoor legibility, field of view, eye-box adjustment, refresh rate or whether presentation is monocular or binocular. The prescription range is documented, but that alone does not establish comfort or clarity for every wearer. If the display is a primary reason to buy, those unknowns make hands-on evaluation particularly important.
How open source is Halo?
Brilliant Labs describes Halo’s hardware and software as open source and says design files and code are available through its site. That can matter to developers who want to inspect or modify parts of a wearable rather than accept a closed consumer product. Brilliant Labs; Brilliant Labs
But “open source” does not mean every layer is open. Buyers should distinguish between the device’s published hardware and software components, the cloud-based Noa service, the account and privacy infrastructure, and user-created Miniapps. The claim does not by itself establish that AI models or cloud systems are inspectable, that every firmware build is independently reproducible, or that community experiences will be safe and supported indefinitely.
What Halo’s privacy policy says
Brilliant Labs’ privacy policy was updated December 5, 2025, and now addresses Halo, Noa and Memory. The company says Noa can process inputs locally where possible; raw audio and video for relevant features are not retained beyond immediate processing; and memories may be stored in encrypted form. It says users can view, delete or reset memories, pause or disable optional ambient Memory mode, and that it does not create permanent faceprints or voiceprints for identification. These are company statements, not an independent audit of the system. Brilliant Labs privacy policy
“Raw media is not retained” is narrower than “no data leaves the glasses.” The same policy describes voice inputs, images and recordings, environmental and bystander data, device and sensor data, usage information, connectivity logs and location data when permission is granted. It also allows cloud processing when necessary and identifies service providers involved in areas such as analytics, cloud services, advertising and payments. Depending on the feature, information sent or handled may include prompts, derived data, summaries, diagnostics or encrypted memories—not only raw recordings. Brilliant Labs privacy policy
There is also a practical distinction between using Noa on demand and enabling optional ambient Memory mode. Camera and microphone-equipped glasses can capture information about people nearby, so recording laws and workplace, school or venue rules still matter. A privacy policy cannot guarantee that bystanders will be comfortable, and the available information does not establish what happens to Halo’s cloud-dependent features if Brilliant Labs later changes or discontinues those services.
Does Halo work without a phone or internet?
Brilliant Labs lists Bluetooth 5.3, a cross-platform mobile app and a cloud-based AI agent. That indicates some features rely on a paired phone and network access, but the cited documentation does not provide a complete offline feature list. Basic display operation, local inference, phone-assisted functions and cloud Noa features should not be treated as interchangeable. Do not buy Halo on the assumption that its advertised AI works fully offline.
The available information also does not settle the account requirements or precisely what happens to each feature when Bluetooth or internet access drops. If dependable offline use is essential, ask Brilliant Labs for a feature-by-feature answer before purchasing.
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Halo versus Meta smart glasses
Halo and Meta’s Ray-Ban or Oakley smart glasses overlap as wearable cameras, microphones and AI assistants, but they are not identical product types. Halo adds a color display and emphasizes open-source development. Meta’s products have the advantage of a larger consumer ecosystem, mainstream distribution and more established companion software. The supplied coverage does not provide standardized, head-to-head testing to establish a winner for response quality, battery life, reliability or privacy.
| Decision factor | Halo | Meta smart glasses |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Color microOLED display documented; practical visibility and viewing specifications remain limited in the cited information. Brilliant Labs | The BGR comparison does not establish a comparable built-in display specification for the Meta models discussed. BGR |
| Software and ecosystem | Developer-oriented, with open-source hardware/software claims, Lua interface and Miniapps. Brilliant Labs | More established mainstream distribution and companion-software ecosystem, as characterized in the launch coverage; no standardized reliability comparison is provided. BGR |
| Privacy | Brilliant Labs publishes specific claims about processing, retention and memory controls; practical superiority is not independently established. Brilliant Labs privacy policy | No like-for-like privacy audit or data-flow comparison is established by the cited coverage. BGR |
| Price | $399 USD on Brilliant Labs’ product page checked August 18, 2026. Brilliant Labs | Not stated for a specific current model or region in the cited comparison. BGR |
Google and Samsung Android XR efforts are better treated as platform or ecosystem developments than as direct retail alternatives unless a specific product’s availability, specifications and price are confirmed. Audio-only glasses, camera glasses, display glasses and full AR headsets solve different problems; a broad “AI glasses” label can obscure those differences.
Quick Recap
Who should consider Halo—and who should wait?
Halo may suit
- Developers and early adopters interested in experimenting with wearable hardware, software and AI features.
- Buyers who specifically want a small display as well as audio interaction, and accept that its real-world usefulness is not yet established by the cited specifications.
- People curious about translation or memory assistance who are comfortable testing evolving AI features rather than relying on them for critical tasks.
- Privacy-conscious buyers who value published controls and open-source components, while recognizing that cloud processing and data handling still require scrutiny.
Waiting is wiser if
- You need a polished, extensively tested product with proven battery life, comfort, support and reliability.
- You require guaranteed offline AI or do not want a cloud-connected assistant.
- You expect full AR navigation, a large readable screen or a phone replacement.
- Your IPD falls outside the documented 58–72 mm range, or prescription fit and return terms are critical and have not been confirmed for your lenses.
- You cannot tolerate uncertainty around startup support, cloud-service continuity, generated app quality or the behavior of AI memory.
What to verify before ordering
- Fit and lenses: Confirm your IPD, prescription configuration, total lens cost and whether the lens partner or Brilliant Labs handles warranty issues.
- Connectivity: Ask which features work with no phone, no internet, or both, and whether an account is required.
- Display: Look for a return path that accounts for testing outdoor visibility and comfort; published specifications do not settle those questions.
- Privacy: Read the current policy and decide whether on-demand use or optional ambient Memory is acceptable in the places you wear glasses.
- Purchase terms: Check delivery availability, taxes or duties, return eligibility and the stated restocking fee before checkout.
- Support: Confirm warranty coverage, repair or replacement options, software-update expectations and what happens if cloud Noa features change.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
