Manually Regulate Tint, Jam Out to Tunes

As I jogged along the trail, I could hear the sound of gravel beneath my feet and Maynard James Keenan singing clearly in my ear. If my friends (ahead or behind) shouted at me, I’d still hear their voices through my chugging metal playlist. But when we stopped and I asked, they couldn’t hear my music unless they focused and leaned in.

That was pretty cool. But it wasn’t even the coolest feature of these techy shades from Chamelo. As the brand’s founder explained to me at the Summer 2024 Outdoor Retailer show, the Music Shield sunglasses take transition lenses to the next level. Unlike traditional photochromic sunglasses, I adjust the tint on the Music Shields manually and instantaneously with the touch of a finger.

Those two features together in a single set of eyewear caught my attention. It’s why GearJunkie presented Chamelo with a Best in Show award at OR — we’d never seen anything quite like it.

But I had questions. As nifty as the technology of these futuristic shades looked, I wondered how effective its design would be in reality. What happens if it runs out of battery? Is it possible for the lens tint to malfunction? And would the lens actually offer enough variance in tint shade to actually be a useful feature?

At the tradeshow, I walked away with a pair of the Chamelo Music Shield sunglasses ($250) to test, bent on finding answers. I used them on hikes, runs, and bikes over the subsequent weeks. I even loaned them to my partner to get her impressions. We both agreed the design isn’t perfect yet. But the Music Shield sunglasses from Chamelo could represent a leap in sunglasses tech — especially if it gets better from here.

In short: The Chamelo Eyewear Music Shield sunglasses allow the wearer to manually adjust the lens tint instantly at any moment. Two small Bluetooth speakers on the undersides of the arms play music while keeping you plugged in to the world around you. The technology still has some room for improvement — I’d love more range of tint and full waterproofing. But for anyone who doesn’t like the transition lag of photochromic lenses and wants a safe, comfortable way to enjoy audio during high activity, the Music Shield could be an awesome option.

If you’re shopping for sunglasses, check out GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Cycling Sunglasses and the Best Sunglasses for the Outdoors.

Chamelo Music Shield Sunglasses Review

I’ve never used transition sunglasses and rarely swap out lenses on athletic eyewear. My eyes are pretty sensitive, and darker lenses are usually easier on them. So unless it’s a really flat, low-light day, I’m wearing higher-tint shades.

Wearing the Music Shields, though, I was more prone to tinkering with different tints. It was so easy to run my finger across the slider and change it that I had no reason not to. I found myself adjusting the tint relatively frequently. Most of the time, though, I left it at its darkest setting.

Photochromic lenses rely on ultraviolet light to activate tiny particles of silver halide within them. The transition from clear to tinted lens takes about 30 seconds, and transitioning back from tinted to clear can take as long as 5 minutes.

In contrast, the Music Shield is electrochromic. It runs electricity into the lens on demand instead of relying on UV light. That activates the transition function in less than 0.1 seconds — 1,800 times faster than a photochromic lens, according to Chamelo.

It is pretty wild running your finger across the slider and watching the shades change from light to dark almost instantly. Without fail, when someone else sees it happen, the reaction is almost verbatim the same: “Woah! That’s cool.”

Music to Your Ears

When it comes to music on the trail, I generally don’t. Earbuds tend to fall out of my ears. And anyway, I like to be able to hear what’s happening around me. It’s a safety thing, too.

At the same time, I firmly believe that hiking, biking, skiing, or otherwise using a public trail with loud portable speakers blaring music should be a punishable offense. At the very least, it should be ridiculed. I know no one wants to listen to my heavy metal playlists out in nature. So, I keep it to myself.

What’s the solution, then? Well, these Music Shield sunglasses offer a respectable middle ground. Two 16mm speakers sit on the undersides of the arms and sit just above your ears. They don’t physically block out external sound. But they also aren’t audible to other people unless they’re right next to you. That’s great for trail running and cycling when you need to be aware of your surroundings.

I can ride, hike, run, or ski in the Music Shields if they’re at full volume. But at that level, you start to drown out external sound, and, at least to me, it somewhat defeats the purpose. If you’re working out in your driveway, it doesn’t matter. If you need situational awareness, it does. Play it by ear.

The sound quality was nice and full. It wasn’t tinny or cheap-sounding like some small external speakers I’ve used before. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality — whether I was listening to podcasts or music.

Charging & Battery Power

Unfortunately, the Music Shield sunglasses do not have a standard USB-C or other charging port. They use a custom pogo pin cable or the Chamelo Dusk wireless charging case. The brand claims the Music Shield charges to 80% in 30 minutes (from zero). Without a battery indicator function, it’s impossible to know for sure, but they did charge quickly when I let them die.

And I had to let them die. The brand claims a full charge will offer 100 hours of battery life (using only the tint change function) or 6.5 hours of listening time.

I was able to get the battery to fade after a few days of use. But they took longer than I had expected to actually kick the bucket.

To my pleasant surprise, they still worked as sunglasses. When the Chamelo Music Shields are dead (or simply turned off), the baseline tint is still adequate for being outside. I’d call it a mid-tint lens.

I wouldn’t wear it on a late ski season, bluebird skin into the alpine high country. But for almost all else, it would be fine.

Fit, Feel, Style

The Music Shield sunglasses are heavier than other windshield-style glasses I have. At 1.7 ounces (48 g), they’re slightly heavier than all of the sunglasses on GearJunkie’s Best Cycling Sunglasses guide. But I wouldn’t call them heavy by any means. And they fit well. The rubber nose piece is comfortable and holds them in place even when I get sweaty.

However, they are kind of bulky (though not excessively noticeable). I consider this a style problem for the future. For now, I think they look as good as any athletic eyewear being put out by much bigger brands — if a little chunky.

Room for Improvement

When I’d been playing around with the lens tint function for a few days, a couple of things jumped out at me. First, it wouldn’t always stay locked on the tint level I wanted. More than once, I was unable to use the darkest setting. I’d run my finger to the darkest end of the slider, but when I released it, the shades would lighten up a half-step. This may have been a function of low battery because it stopped when I charged them to full again.

Similarly, there was one ride when the glasses started flickering between tints. I turned them off and on again, and it stopped, but I could see that being an annoying glitch if it happened regularly. That was the only time I experienced it, though.

I would also note that the tint range is not huge. It certainly makes a difference if you compare the far ends of the spectrum, but I rarely, if ever, found myself trying to select a level in between. If Chamelo could expand the tint range on these shades, it would vastly improve their functionality.

Finally, they are not waterproof. I sometimes end up in the water when I don’t mean to, and the last thing I need is another water-damage-prone electronic on my person to keep track of. These are not river or boat sunglasses. These are for landlubbers.

The Final Word: Chamelo Music Shield Sunglasses

The Chamelo Music Shields worked great as sunglasses. They are comfortable on your face, fit well, stay on during exercise, and block UV even when they’re dead or off. When they’re turned on, you can manually and instantaneously select the level of tint and throw on your favorite tunes.

Does music and eyewear have to be wrapped up into a single product? No. But the fact you aren’t wearing earbuds, and don’t have to pollute nature with your portable speaker music, is a big benefit in my eyes. Especially for sports where it’s crucial to hear the world around you, that is an attractive feature.

These sunglasses offer impressive tech, with a few trade-offs: they’re a little heavy, they require charging, and they have idiosyncrasies like any tech-based product (i.e., you may need to turn them off and turn them back on sometimes).

At $250, they’re on par with some of the windshield sunglasses being put out by bigger brands. They’re a little bit of an oddity and a conversation starter. But they’re a unique and innovative piece of gear. Should Chamelo continue improving upon its design and technology, it could make some waves in the eyewear industry.