It also doesn’t charge up the product in a similar way to how wireless earbuds like Apple AirPods or Samsung Galaxy Buds work. However, if you’re intrigued by the functionality of the Bose Alto and don’t have too high expectations regarding audio reproduction, the convenience and comfort offered by these hands-free audio sunglasses will certainly hit all the right notes.

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. The Frames’ slim, rectangular box gives way to an over-sized sunglasses case layered in beaded vinyl with a Bose logo on the front. That inspired more potential use cases for the Frames: A musical trek in Oregon’s emerald Gorge (without bothering my fellow hikers), pulling weeds on a Sunday afternoon, or just relaxing in the backyard with an icy drink. It’s unlikely you’ll ever be listening to music for four hours straight with these, but it’s conceivable that you would listen that much over a full day, and you then don’t have an easy way to charge them back up without the specialist cable. The plastic used in the construction has a somewhat flimsy quality, feeling brittle and too light in density.

The midrange response is full and blooming full of body, and the spatial separation between left and right channels is eerily wide. Along with the glasses you get a carry case, which doesn’t feel particularly high-end considering how much the glasses cost. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both. That would have been a handy addition, but instead the glasses are charged via a proprietary cable that connects to a part inside the right arm of the product.

On the underside of the right frame arm there’s a small golden button that’s used to switch the device on. The Bose Connect app is free on both Android and iOS platforms and contains settings for the Frames such as adjusting the standby timer, turning voice prompts on or off, and updating the firmware. Pulling the glasses from the case reveals translucent, matte-plastic frames (Bose really missed the boat not going with “Shades”) decked out in flourishes of gold-colored metal. My first charge attempt must have been misaligned, however, resulting in dead Frames, so you’ll need to take care.The one-microphone system has been replaced by a dual-beaming-forming mic array that "shields what you're saying from wind, noise and other nearby conversations. For anyone who always walks around with earbuds in, as I do, this can be quite overwhelming when you first start out. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian View image in fullscreen The Bose Frames look like a regular set of sunglasses, with nylon frames and user-replaceable lenses, but hides sensors and speakers in the arms. Instead of having to look at a screen, you could be walking around the world as you normally would and have a guide speak to you. The Bose Frames were unveiled in early 2019, and we don’t currently expect to see any new designs or generations of the sunglasses any time soon.

The hardware and software upgrades are also supposed to help virtual assistants like Siri and Google Assistant understand you better. They're a little harder to use in noisy environments because your ears are open to the world, but I could mostly hear people well and they said they could hear me clearly with little background noise leaking in. The item may be missing the original packaging or protective wrapping, or may be in the original packaging but not sealed.It’s unlikely you’ll be listening to these in too many loud locations, but when your ears are free to hear roadworks, vehicles, and even other people’s voices, it can make listening to any sort of audio too difficult to work with.

A pretty swanky protective case is included along with a cleaning cloth that's also a storage pouch for the proprietary charging cable -- don't lose the cable or you can't charge your glasses.

There’s simply no comparison with bone conduction or similar other non-earbud personal audio technologies. Featuring a selection of limited-edition colours, these replacement lenses are easy to interchange for a look that’s all your own. they're not far off -- they sound better than any audio sunglasses I've tried previously, with just enough bass to avoid sounding tinny.