# Brilliant Labs Halo Review: Open-Source AI Glasses (and What Happened to Frame)

> Brilliant Labs Halo review from published specs: open-source AI glasses with a color display, an AI-only camera, bone conduction audio, and a capped free tier. Frame is no longer sold.

- Canonical URL: https://webofmike.com/ai-life/gadgets/ai-glasses/brilliant-labs-halo-review/
- Author: Mike Moore (https://webofmike.com/about/)
- Published: 2026-11-04
- Last modified: 2026-11-04
- Tags: AI Life
- Cite as: Mike Moore, "Brilliant Labs Halo Review: Open-Source AI Glasses (and What Happened to Frame)", Web of Mike (webofmike.com), 2026-11-04. https://webofmike.com/ai-life/gadgets/ai-glasses/brilliant-labs-halo-review/


[AI Life](/ai-life/) / [Gadgets](/ai-life/gadgets/) / [AI Glasses](/ai-life/gadgets/ai-glasses/)

Brilliant Labs makes open-source AI glasses. Its first consumer pair, Frame, is no longer in the Brilliant store; the store lists only Halo now. Halo has a small color display over the right eye, a low-resolution camera the AI uses to see what you see, bone conduction speakers, and an assistant called Noa with long-term memory. The firmware and SDKs are on GitHub.

I have not owned the Brilliant Labs Halo. This review is built from the maker's published specs and independent reviews, linked below. For more picks, see the [AI Glasses hub](/ai-life/gadgets/ai-glasses/).

{{< bfcm url="https://brilliant.xyz/products/halo" store="Brilliant Labs" >}}

## Key specs

| | Brilliant Labs Halo |
| --- | --- |
| Display | 0.2 inch color micro OLED, right eye |
| Camera | 640 x 480, for AI context only, not photos or video |
| Audio | Two mics, two bone conduction speakers |
| Battery | Rated up to 14 hours |
| Weight | Just over 40 g |
| Fit | IPD 58 to 72 mm; display focus +2 to -6 diopters |
| Software | Noa assistant, miniapps, open-source firmware |
| Frame (discontinued) | 640 x 400 display, 720p camera, 39 g |

Sources: [Brilliant Labs Halo](https://brilliant.xyz/products/halo), [VentureBeat](https://venturebeat.com/business/brilliant-labs-launches-halo-glasses-a-new-generation-of-privacy-first-smartglasses), [Talaya](https://heytalaya.com/2026/10/brilliant-labs-halo-frame/), [Pocket-lint on Frame](https://www.pocket-lint.com/brilliant-labs-frame-ai-glasses-review/).

## What reviewers like

- Open source. If you like to tinker, the design files and code are public and you can build miniapps.
- Privacy by design. Brilliant says images are processed on device and discarded, and the camera cannot take photos or video.
- Light, with a claimed battery far beyond Frame's. Pocket-lint got about six hours of regular use from Frame.

## What to watch for

- The free Noa tier has daily caps, and the memory feature that sells it is the capped part. Paid tiers are a monthly cost.
- It is new. Halo launched in late October 2026, and the Noa app was still marked coming soon in Brilliant's docs when Talaya checked.
- Frame's hardware felt rough to Pocket-lint: loose hinges and an over-sensitive tap sensor. Halo is a redesign, but there are few long-term reviews yet.

## Who should buy it

Buy Halo if you are a developer or an early adopter who wants open hardware and an assistant that sees what you see. Skip it if you want a polished consumer product today, or real photos and video.

## How Halo works

Halo pairs with your phone over Bluetooth 5.3 and runs Noa, Brilliant's assistant. You wake it with a button under the left arm, per Talaya. The camera gives Noa visual context, so you can ask about what is in front of you, and Brilliant says images are processed on device, discarded and never stored. Noa keeps a long-term memory of your conversations, which is the headline feature. Miniapps let you build small tools by describing them in plain language and share them on Brilliant's app store.

The display is a 0.2 inch color panel that sits on top of the frame. Talaya reports you slide it sideways, tilt it to line up with your eye, then turn its lens to focus. It covers a +2 to -6 diopter range, and Brilliant sells prescription lenses through SmartBuyGlasses. Brilliant recommends checking your IPD with its Eye Measure app before buying, because the fit covers 58 to 72 mm and not everyone.

## What happened to Frame

Frame was announced in February 2024, per TechCrunch via Talaya, and is no longer in Brilliant's store. Pocket-lint's review describes it as a glimpse of what is coming: light at 39 grams, with a clear display and ChatGPT and Perplexity access, but loose hinges, an over-sensitive tap sensor, and about six hours of regular-use battery. Frame's code and docs are still online if you own one.

## The cost beyond the glasses

The free Noa tier has daily caps. Dirty Static reports a cap of 25 conversations a day and a small daily allowance of memory conversations, with Noa Plus and Noa Pro as monthly plans. If you plan to lean on memory all day, the free tier will run out.

## Alternatives

- **Even Realities G2.** Brighter display in both eyes, no camera, more polished.
- **Ray-Ban Meta.** Real photos and video and a far bigger app ecosystem, no display.

## Our take

**AI Score note:** research-based, not hands-on. Interesting and open, but too new to call. Watch for long-term reviews. This is my editorial read of published reviews, not a rating.

Prices move a lot in November. Check today's price before you buy: [See the Brilliant Labs Halo at Brilliant Labs](https://brilliant.xyz/products/halo).

## Compare

See [AI glasses vs a pocket recorder](/ai-life/gadgets/ai-glasses/ai-glasses-vs-pocket-recorder/), or browse the [Black Friday AI gadget guide](/ai-life/deals/black-friday/).