I Went On A Hot Girl Hike With Ray-Ban Stories Sunglasses & I Have Some Thoughts

The first point I should make about these glasses — I opted for the Wayfarer shiny brown pair with brown lenses — is that they need to be charged for optimal use. If the battery isn't already at 100%, it takes about 30 minutes to charge them enough for use. The glasses will inform you of the battery percentage through a voice speaker (Tony Stark style) if they're low on battery, but my mistake is that I assumed they would be fully charged after the 30 minutes. They were unfortunately only at 26%, so they died halfway through my first hike (hence me trekking through an early morning hike again the next day).

Alongside charging the sunglasses, you also have to download the “View' app, where the accessory downloads your captured photos, handles settings, and even creates a video montage of your creations. The app provides step-by-step instructions, so I would say anyone who's used any technology ever is able to wear the sunglasses easily. Once I was fully equipped with the app, I set off for my hike.

Like most hikes, the views aren’t stunning until you arrive at the top, so I refrained from taking any photos or videos until the real view set in. Instead, I called my grandma to wish her a happy birthday (and of course, see how the microphone works paired with my iPhone 14 pro). My grandma claims that the audio was clear as day on her end, and I had no issues hearing her either over some very loud LA traffic. After, I played my favorite podcast and songs on Spotify — I'm definitely not used to listening to music so clearly without having Airpods in, so I was a bit taken back by it.

Here’s the one caveat I have with the sound: if you play the audio loud enough, people around you are able to hear it as well. But you can change the volume if you just slide your finger on the right leg of the sunglasses. And when you push your hair back with the sunglasses, which most of us girlies just love to do, the sound continues but you have trouble hearing it. I would classify those pitfalls as pretty minor, but that obviously depends on the preferences of the individual user.

Unfortunately, my sunglasses died at the exact moment I made it to the top of the mountain on the first hike, so the built-in camera feature didn’t get the attention it deserved. However, the second hike lent itself some beautiful photos. And the quality was OUTSTANDING. I say that keeping in mind that these are still sunglasses, but the scenery was videoed and photographed at my eye level, which is a really cool perspective that you wouldn’t get from your phone. Just check out some photos and videos I took below to make the determination for yourself.

With the overall capabilities, I think the price point is worth the splurge — especially if you are sick of earbuds and describe yourself as a more tech-driven individual. I honestly was pleasantly surprised that the set price of the glasses are $299. While that definitely is a good chunk of money, the glasses are a technological investment similar to your computer or phone, so it’s really up to you to determine what you're willing to spend your hard earned cash on. I will say though — they look super cute with any outfit! 😎