A single button under the arm takes care of power and play controls. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The original Frames were pretty good about not leaking that much sound. Unless someone was standing pretty close to you, as long as you weren't cranking the volume all the way up, people couldn't even tell you were listening to something. With these new models, you'll get more sound leakage, particularly from the Tempo, and in quieter environments people will hear whatever audio you're playing if you have the volume high. But the majority of people will use these outdoors and sound disperses better outside, so you're probably not going to bother anyone. The lenses are also interchangeable and can easily be popped out for a different color, although choices are currently limited to a mirrored silver for the Alto and a rose gold set for the Rondo.

While neat however, even this doesn’t really show the true joy of using the device. A very robotic voice telling you it’s “220 meters to the green” is handy, but not especially fun.The Bose Rondo’s arms are 154mm long while the front of the glasses comes in at 142mm. The Alto are quite a bit bigger at 162mm arm length and 148mm across the front.

Along with the glasses you get a carry case, which doesn’t feel particularly high-end considering how much the glasses cost. It also doesn’t charge up the product in a similar way to how wireless earbuds like Apple AirPods or Samsung Galaxy Buds work.

The sunglasses can last for three and a half hours according to Bose, and we found that to be accurate in our testing. Often we found them to last a little longer, but around four hours is the maximum we were able to get over our testing period.

Don’t expect incredible battery life from the Bose Frames, and this is one of the reasons that it’s such a shame the company hasn’t seen fit to include a charging case. Sensors are hidden in the frames that can detect your head position and interactions such as taps to the side of the glasses. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian One of the apps is a golfing one. It points you to the green and tells you the distance to the tee or which club to use. We found that so impressive it almost felt like we were cheating. Bose Bluetooth® sunglasses offer a unique listening experience without the need for traditional over-ear headphones or wireless earbuds. These cutting-edge accessories redefine the way you experience sound, seamlessly integrating your audio into stylish eyewear. The open-ear design, coupled with high-quality speakers, delivers exceptional sound while allowing you to stay aware of your surroundings. Enjoy the freedom of wireless audio, perfect for both making phone calls and listening to music on-the-go, with headphone sunglasses.

They’re both IPX2 water-resistance rated which, for a product meant for outdoor use, is lower than we’d like. They’ll be able to take a few drops of rain, but you’ll likely need to keep them out of a downpour. Then again, wearing sunglasses in the rain is a whole new world of looking like a fool. There’s also no great way of monitoring the battery life on the glasses. When you turn them on and off, you’ll be greeted with the battery amount in audio form, but it doesn’t offer a way to monitor how much charge is left over visually from the glasses themselves. Clearly this is a massive advantage for cyclists or pedestrians, but it also means you’re subjected to the noise of the world around you. For anyone who always walks around with earbuds in, as I do, this can be quite overwhelming when you first start out. These are the kind of innovations Bose clearly had in mind when it decided to combine designer quality sunglasses with audio capabilities. In the case of these beauties, the relevant electronics and speakers are worked into the temple part of the frame, ensuring that sound emitted is within close enough range of the listener’s ears. The concept, simply called “Bose Frames”, has hit the market with an initial pair of models. There’s the “Alto”, which takes its aesthetic influences from the signature Wayfarer style of brands like Ray-Ban, as well as the ‘Rondo”, which offers a more rounded frame style. It’s the first model variant, the Alto, that’ll be testing here in this review. Integrated technology and functionality is identical across both models, as is the RRP. However, there’s a noticeable size difference between the two. The Alto, with its key frame measurements of 51mm/18mm/162mm, is the larger of the two versions. The slightly smaller Rondo’s measurements come in at 49.5mm/15.5mm/154mm. Designed with your active lifestyle in mind, our audio sunglasses provide a comfortable, lightweight fit for all-day wear. They feel like a natural extension of yourself, staying in place no matter your activity level. Whether you're out for a run or relaxing in the sun, these speaker sunglasses are designed to move with you. Featuring UVA/UVB protection and polarized lenses, these sunglasses not only deliver exceptional audio but also shield your eyes from the sun's harmful rays. They're not just accessories; they're an essential part of your active lifestyle.

But between the two of them, the Bose Frames really demonstrate that augmented reality can go beyond vision, and we hope to see more apps take advantage of this. It should be easy to find compatible AR apps when more are added, as the Bose Connect app highlights them almost instantly. Battery life So the Frames will never be the only set of headphones you need, and they could do with a battery in the case, volume controls and a few more styles, not to mention prescription lenses and some killer Bose AR apps.The glasses sound amazingly good for what they are. Two small speakers sit in the frame just in front of your ears. The music is directed straight to your ear through small speaker grilles, while cancelling sound is projected out into the world. The result is a sound leakage of about 1%, according to Bose. Once you ditch the idea that ‘augmented reality’ must equate to ‘augmented vision’ you start to understand the Frames’ potential – and it really is the AR features that make the Frames an impressive piece of hardware. The USB cable comes in a small microfibre bag lose in the case with the Frames, which makes getting them out a bit clumsy The smart bit of the Frames is support for the firm’s audio augmented reality platform, Bose AR, which is also available on the Bose’s popular QC35 II headphones, and on the upcoming Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.