Brilliant Labs Unveils Halo AI Smart Glasses with Privacy Focus and Custom Apps
Brilliant Labs, the startup known for its open-source Frame smart glasses, has launched its next-generation wearable: Halo. Designed as a wayfarer-style alternative to the panto-shaped Frame, Halo packs AI-powered features, a camera, microphone, and bone-conduction speakers into a lightweight 40-gram frame.
One of the standout features is the color OLED display, which projects content into the wearer’s peripheral vision rather than overlaying it directly onto the lens. While this approach keeps the glasses slim, it may not be as seamless as competing models that use in-lens prisms. Still, the 14-hour battery life and prescription lens compatibility through SmartBuyGlasses make Halo a practical option for daily wear.
At the heart of Halo is Noa, Brilliant’s AI agent, which promises natural, real-time interactions by processing audio and visual inputs from the environment. The company claims Noa can understand context and respond intelligently, almost like conversing with a human.
Adding to the AI capabilities is Narrative, an agentic memory system that records and stores personal interactions. It can supposedly recall names, conversations, and events years or even decades later, building a private knowledge base from the wearer’s daily experiences.
Privacy concerns are inevitable with always-on recording, but Brilliant assures users that Noa acts as a VPN, keeping interactions encrypted by default. Users can disable the microphone, camera, or the entire system via voice commands. However, skeptics may question how secure such a database truly is, especially given the risk of de-anonymization.
Another bold claim is Halo’s ability to generate custom apps from natural language prompts. Users can reportedly describe what they need, and Noa will build a functional application in seconds—no coding required.
Pre-orders for Halo are now open, with shipments expected in late November 2025. Priced at $299, the glasses will be available in limited quantities, so early interest is encouraged. Prescription lenses will be sold separately through SmartBuyGlasses.
With AI integration, privacy safeguards, and on-the-fly app creation, Halo aims to push smart glasses beyond gimmicks into practical, everyday use. Whether it lives up to the hype remains to be seen.
