Waves Are ‘Dumb’ Camera Glasses Aimed at Creators

Waves are a new brand of “all-day” camera glasses designed for content creators and are meant to be an invisible way to capture the world directly in front of the wearer. They’re not smart glasses, but instead are just a face-mounted camera because “smart glasses are cringe.”

Waves is the first product from wearable and computing company Symphonic, which is a small company (LinkedIn shows just four employees at the time of publication) that was founded in 2024. The smart glasses promise is pretty straightforward: record in stealth, livestream all day, and look good while doing it.

The company says that while the Waves glasses do have an external LED indicator light that shows others that footage is being captured, it doesn’t have to be turned on, and the user can opt not to disclose that they are recording. The camera sits in the bridge of the glasses, and while the system is on, it is constantly recording. However, footage isn’t saved unless the wearer chooses it to be.

“Preserve spontaneous, authentic moments by double-clicking the shutter. Save the past minute of what you saw without needing to hit record beforehand,” Symphonic says.

Waves supports three aspect ratios (16:9, 4:3, and 9:16) and can save up to 10-minute-long clips through its 12 megapixel sensor (which promises 10-bit color and HDR).

“We are aiming for max recording resolution at 3K in a 4:3 aspect ratio,” Waves says, indicating that it hasn’t finalized details on the Waves quite yet. “The sensor is 12MP and supports 10-bit color and HDR. We plan to offer superior image stabilization and low-light performance compared to other products in its class.”

Symphonic did not offer any further information on the sensor, but does stipulate that the promise of “all day” recording will require hot-swapping batteries. At the time of publication, Symphonic says that the Waves are currently estimated to have 90 minutes of battery life per pack, but users can hot-swappable batteries while continuing to stream and record, while the swapped battery charges in the included case. The company says that the battery “should” charge back to full before needing to swap them back again, allowing Waves to be used for a full day.

While it can record and save on device, Waves also promises to support live streaming to Twitch, Kick, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and any other platform that supports RTMP.

“Waves will allow you to stream all day to any RTMP server. This means you can go live on pretty much all major live streaming platforms, as well as your own custom server if you are a developer. Live Streaming will be capped to 1080p, and we may employ techniques like dynamic resolution over networks with low bandwidth. We are looking into supporting H.264/HEVC encoding, but may also offer solutions like MJPEG for users who require lower latency. Choice of encoding and RTMP destination will be configurable in our app on mobile and desktop,” Symphonic explains.

Symphonic says Waves captures “spatial recording” thanks to an array of microphones, but it is hoping to add support for mics from Rode and DJI, too. Feedback to the user isn’t provided with a heads-up display, a la Google Glass, but instead via haptics, which will alert the user through their temples.

“Power status and operating mode will be indicated to the user with an internal LED facing them. There are no speakers or displays. This is essential to keep weight down and preserve the look of all-day eyewear,” Symphonic says.

On the last note regarding style, Waves “Season One” will be available in three styles: Onyx Square, Onyx Round, and Y2K Silver — there will only be 500 made of that last option. Prescription lenses are part of Symphonic’s roadmap for Waves; however, it says it is still working to find a partner.

Final pricing for the Waves hasn’t been set, but the company expects them to retail for between $300 and $500, although it does admit that this estimation doesn’t take into account any changes to US tariffs and that “if tariffs do apply, the added cost will be passed down to the customer.” Currently, the company is accepting $99 pre-orders to reserve a spot on its wait list, but will launch full-price pre-orders in September. It is aiming for Q1 2026 mass production of the final product, but admits that this is “an aggressive and ambitious timeline for a new hardware product, and this may be subject to delays.”

Image credits: Waves / Symphonic