Sports glasses are getting an AI makeover, and BleeqUp is a new entrant that's doing interesting things in this category. The brand rolled out the Ranger earlier this year, and while the glasses are aimed at cycling, they hold up just as well during any outdoor activity. They're positioned as a 4-in-1 smart sunglasses, able to record footage, deliver built-in audio, serve as a walkie-talkie, and can be used with prescription lenses.
I've had the glasses for the better part of six months now, but I only started using them in earnest for two months during outdoor workouts, and they've been pretty great. They retail for $379, undercutting Meta's offering by a considerable amount. I used the glasses predominantly with my iPhone 17 Pro, and BleeqUp has an Android app that allows you to pair the glasses with just about any phone.
Let's start with the design; the Ranger weighs just 49g, and is just as light as regular sunglasses. It isn't that much chunkier either, and I like what BleeqUp did with the design. A big barrier to entry for smart wearables is the design, and at a quick glance, you can't even tell that the Ranger is any different to regular sunglasses.
The glasses are made out of plastic, and I didn't see any issues with the build quality or fit. I got the standard orange lens, but they can be customized with Zeiss lenses as well for an additional $20, and I suggest going this route. All lenses get UV400 protection, and I don't see any visible scratches after regular use.
The Ranger has onboard controls that let you shoot images and videos, and you can easily adjust music playback. Charging is done by connecting the pogo pins to the provided cable, and the glasses have a built-in 260mAh battery that's good for an hour of shooting video or up to six hours of music playback, which is decent enough.
BleeqUp bundles a hard shell carrying case with the glasses, and more than anything, it's a good way to ensure the charging cable doesn't get lost. The glasses get 32GB of onboard storage that lets you record up to five hours of footage, and they're powered by a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 platform.
The glasses shoot 16MP stills and 1080p content at 30fps, and while image quality isn't anywhere as good as my DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, they're not designed to go up against dedicated action cameras; the goal with these glasses is to deliver all-in-one sunglasses with the ability to shoot footage, and in that context, they're quite decent.
What I like is that they get EIS, and the app automatically creates highlights based on the footage shot. On that note, connecting to the app proved to be finicky at times, and it took a few tries to get the data transferred to my phone while outdoors. Other than that, I didn't see many issues.
Coming to audio, the Ranger gets xMEMS solid-state audio drivers, which is highly interesting. I used several earbuds that have xMEMS drivers, and they do a good job delivering decent sound while taking up a fraction of the space as traditional audio drivers. The open-ear configuration combines good audio quality with the ability to filter ambient sounds.
Ultimately, the Ranger is a great choice for any outdoor activity, and the integrated design makes it a good choice if you need sunglasses with additional smarts.
