When the weather is glorious and you have a decent tune playing in your ears you can feel on top of the world, even when you are walking to somewhere hideous like the DVLA, the Viper sunglasses from Zungle cut out the cumbersome combination of headphones and sunglasses or earphones with their dangling wires by turning the sunglasses themselves in headphones. The Viper uses bone conduction and Bluetooth to allow you to listen to your music wirelessly but at the same time keeps you connected to the world around you. We received the Viper in the Matte Black with Bonfire lenses however it is also available in Matte Grey with Ocean Blue lenses; you can get a second set of lenses (eight available in total) at a discounted price at the point of purchase. The Bonfire lenses offer 100% UV400 protection, they are polarised with a hard surface coating and pass the drop ball test and are FDA, CE, RoHS certified.
The bone conductivity isn’t as scary as it sounds, it simply means the the Vibra speakers sit close to your ears but not in or over your ears, it sends the vibrations through the bone of your temple and that’s how you receive the sound, this type of system has its downsides in that the quality is nowhere near as good as wire headphones or even regular wireless connection. The benefit of this type of conductivity is that you can still hear the world around you, making it a good choice for cycling, running and wandering about in busy areas. These glasses are also sweat and weather resistant with an IPX4 rating meaning you don’t have to worry about working up a sweat or a change in the weather. You can use the Viper to access your phone’s Siri or your Google Assistant, the Bluetooth 5.0 connection provides stress-free pairing voice prompts and stable connection up to 10 metres. The glasses are lightweight (50g) and comfortable to wear, the temples are understandably thicker than usual, but it doesn’t detract too much from the style, the built-in battery provides four hours of playtime with 100 hours’ standby time with charging time taking less than one hour (special cable included). If sound quality is your priority than the Viper is best given a swerve, however if you are looking for an attractive pair of sunglasses (and can get past those chunky temples) with the added bonus of enjoying some tunes, hands-free calls and voice assistant they might be perfect for you. RRP £151.99
3.5 out of 5
Pros
Excellent optics
Continue to safely hear the world around you
Interchangeable lenses
Easy to use
Lightweight
Comfortable
Hands-free calls and voice assistant
Cons
Short battery life
Only charges via its own special cable
No case included
Sound quality inferior to regular wireless and wired headphones
Temples thicker than traditional glasses
- Log in to post comments