Chamelo glasses, or a pair that also takes pictures?

1. What Chamelo glasses are

Chamelo makes sunglasses with electronically controlled lenses. Instead of a fixed tint, the lens changes darkness when you tell it to: a slider or a tap on the temple, and on some models an app. Chamelo calls the technology Eclipse lenses and states on its product pages that the tint changes in under 0.1 seconds. Several models also carry open-ear speakers and microphones, so they double as Bluetooth sunglasses for music and calls.

That is a genuinely different product from ours. OXIVUE glasses are camera glasses: an 8 MP camera in the frame corner, open-ear audio, microphones and an app for translation and an assistant. Our lenses are fixed sun, clear, or photochromic, which darkens on its own in sunlight. So the honest question is not which brand is better, but which feature you are actually shopping for: tint you control, or a camera you wear.

2. Chamelo’s line-up and prices

These are the main Chamelo sunglasses and the figures Chamelo publishes for them on its own site, checked on October 7, 2026. Visual light transmittance (VLT) is how much light the lens lets through: the lower the number, the darker the lens.

Chamelo also sells golf and racket-sport versions, ski goggles and team editions; we have left those out. Prices and models change, so check chamelo.com before you decide. None of the eyewear descriptions in its online catalogue mentions a camera.

3. Chamelo vs OXIVUE side by side

The table puts two representative Chamelo models next to the two OXIVUE frames we would suggest to someone looking at Chamelo. Chamelo figures are from its site on October 7, 2026.

Prices checked 2026-10-07; checkout price may change. Neither brand puts a display in the lens. We do not publish UV or polarization figures for OXIVUE lenses; Chamelo states 100% UV protection on the models we checked and polarization on some.

Reading the table row by row: on audio, Chamelo publishes 4 hours for the Dusk Classic and 6 hours for the Music Shield Gen 2, against 7 hours of listening on both OXIVUE frames. On water, the M08 has no published rating, so a Chamelo with IPX4 is the safer choice for sweaty runs and light rain unless you step up to the IP65 M02C. On warranty, Chamelo states 1 year from shipping and we offer 2 years on frames. On price, both OXIVUE frames cost less at checkout than any Chamelo sunglasses on its store when we checked. And on everything a camera makes possible, from a photo of the view to a clip of a moment you did not want to miss, Chamelo’s descriptions are silent.

4. Electrochromic vs photochromic: the honest difference

This is the part a Chamelo shopper should weigh most, because it is where Chamelo is ahead.

• Control.Chamelo’s electrochromic lens goes as dark or as light as you choose, when you choose. Our photochromic lens is not user-controlled: it darkens when ultraviolet light reaches it and clears again out of the sun. You cannot override it with a button. Chamelo also sells models with automatic tint adjustment, such as Falcon, so choosing Chamelo does not mean giving up a lens that adjusts by itself.
• In the car. A windscreen blocks most of the UV that triggers a photochromic lens, so ours stays fairly light behind glass. An electrochromic lens does not depend on UV, so a Chamelo frame can be darkened behind glass too.
• Power.An electrochromic lens needs a battery to change; Chamelo publishes its tint battery separately from audio battery. A photochromic lens needs no power at all, so it keeps working when the frame’s battery is flat.
• Speed. Chamelo states its lenses change in under 0.1 seconds. A photochromic lens changes gradually as the light changes, not instantly.

If tint you control is the whole point, buy a Chamelo. If you would rather pay less and get a camera and translation in the frame, read on. Our photochromic smart glasses guide explains how the lens behaves in more detail.

5. M08 Photochromic ($99 at checkout): the closest alternative

The M08 is our nearest answer to a Chamelo. Choose the Photochromic lens and you get a frame that is light indoors and darker in the sun without touching anything, plus a camera and a translation app, which none of the Chamelo eyewear descriptions mentions, alongside the open-ear audio several Chamelo models also have:

• An 8 MP camera set flush in the frame corner. A touch on the temple starts a photo or a short clip; nothing records unless you start it. Ask before you record people, and follow local law on recording.
• Open-ear audio rated for 7 hours of listening and 4 hours of calls, with microphones for calls and voice prompts.
• The HeyCyan app for translation in 40+ languages, an assistant and your photos. Translated audio is heard only by you; the other person reads the reply on your phone, and it pauses after each sentence.

It weighs about 42 gin an Italian TR90 frame. The trade-offs are real: no published water rating, no prescription option, and a tint you cannot set yourself. It is listed at $149 and costs $99 at checkout as a single pair, about half the $199 starting price of the sunglasses on Chamelo’s own store.

6. M02C ($109 at checkout): weather and visual AI

If you liked Chamelo’s IPX4 rating because you train or walk in the rain, look at the M02C. It is rated IP65: dust-tight and protected against water jets, though not for swimming or immersion. It uses a Sony IMX219 8 MP sensor with dual stabilisation, weighs about 41 g and charges magnetically.

It is also the only OXIVUE frame with “Hey Cyan” visual AI, which can describe what you are looking at. Audio is the same 7 hours of listening and 4 hours of calls, and it comes in the same sun, photochromic and clear lens choices. It is listed at $159 and costs $109 at checkout.

7. Which one to buy

• Buy a Chamelo if you want to set the tint yourself, including in the car, if you need single-vision prescription lenses (Aura Rx), or if you want a trial period with returns for a refund, which OXIVUE does not offer.
• Buy the M08 Photochromic if a lens that adjusts by itself is enough and you would rather spend less and get a camera, open-ear audio and translation in the same frame.
• Buy the M02C if you are outdoors in bad weather or want the visual AI, and you still want a camera and audio.
• Buy neither if you need a display in your view: neither brand has one.

One more thing to weigh before you switch: what you would give up. Moving from a Chamelo to an OXIVUE frame means losing tint you set yourself, losing the prescription option, and accepting a stricter purchase policy, since we do not take back glasses because they turned out not to suit you. In return you pay less, gain a camera and translation, and get a longer warranty. If any of the things you would lose matter more to you than what you would gain, the Chamelo is the right purchase, and we would rather you knew that before ordering.

For audio-first frames from other brands, see Bluetooth sunglasses and smart audio glasses. Every OXIVUE model is on the comparison page.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days; international orders take 9–14 business days after shipment, and prices outside the US exclude import taxes, which the recipient pays on delivery. No refunds except transit damage (replaced or refunded); faults are repaired or replaced under the 2-year warranty; change of mind and unmet expectations are not refundable. None of our frames take prescription lenses. Details are on the return policy and shipping policy pages.

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