Bose recently added three new electronic sunglasses to its Frames series with the Soprano, Tempo and Tenor. So, how do these compare against each other in addition to the older Alto and Rondo versions?
You can find out in this comparison guide between the five hybrid headphones/sunglasses devices.
Quick Summary
The Bose Frames Soprano, Tempo and Tenor come with better sound output thanks to a wafer-thin acoustic package and volume-optimized equalizer.
You will also get better voice clarity with the three new models due to the dual-beam-forming array and new digital signal processing.
Last but not least, the battery life has been increased for the newer hybrid headphones/sunglasses devices.
The older Bose Frames Alto and Rondo does have an advantage in that both include Bose AR, which are sensors that detect head and body movements to control audio playback.
Overall, we definitely recommend getting the Soprano, Tempo and Tenor over the Alto and Rondo.
The Tempo is made for those who are planning to use the sunglasses for exercising as it offers the longest battery life in addition to having the best water protection.
The Soprano and Tenor are more suitable for causal listening.
Alto vs. Rondo vs. Soprano vs. Tempo vs. Tenor Comparison Chart
You can check out Seeking Tech’s comparison table between all five Bose products below.
| Bose Frames Alto | Bose Frames Rondo | Bose Frames Soprano | Bose Frames Tempo | Bose Frames Tenor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What’s in the Box | Bose Frames Alto Carry case Charging cable Cloth bag | Bose Frames Rondo Carry case Charging cable Cloth bag | Bose Frames Soprano Polarized lenses Carry case Charging cable Cleaning cloth | Bose Frames Tempo Polarized lenses Ballistic-nylon case USB-C charging cable 3 nose pad options Cleaning cloth | Bose Frames Tenor Polarized lenses Carry case Charging cable Cleaning cloth |
| Weight | 45 g | 45 g | 50 g | 50 g | 50 g |
| Dimensions | Alto S/M: Lens Width: 53 mm Distance Between Lenses: 20 mm Temple Length: 135 mm Alto M/L: Lens Width: 54 mm Distance Between Lenses: 21 mm Temple Length: 136 mm | Lens Width: 51 mm Distance Between Lenses: 22 mm Temple Length: 135 mm | Lens Width: 55 mm Distance Between Lenses: 17 mm Temple Length: 136 mm | Lens Width: 65 mm Distance Between Lenses: 17 mm Temple Length: 136 mm | Lens Width: 55 mm Distance Between Lenses: 18 mm Temple Length: 136 mm |
| Bose Open Ear Audio? | Yes | Yes | Improved | Improved | Improved |
| Speakers | Unknown | Unknown | 16 mm | 22 mm | 16 mm |
| Bluetooth Range | 30 feet (or 9 m) | 30 feet (or 9 m) | 30 feet (or 9 m) | 30 feet (or 9 m) | 30 feet (or 9 m) |
| Bluetooth Pairing | Connect one device at the time Try to connect to most recent connected device first Keep track of the last 8 devices that were connected | Connect one device at the time Try to connect to most recent connected device first Keep track of the last 8 devices that were connected | Connect one device at the time Try to connect to most recent connected device first Keep track of the last 8 devices that were connected | Connect one device at the time Try to connect to most recent connected device first Keep track of the last 8 devices that were connected | Connect one device at the time Try to connect to most recent connected device first Keep track of the last 8 devices that were connected |
| Wi-Fi/WiDi Support? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Microphone | 1 | 1 | Dual-beam-forming array | Dual-beam-forming array | Dual-beam-forming array |
| Phone Calls Support? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio Connection Options | Bluetooth A2DP Bluetooth HFP | Bluetooth A2DP Bluetooth HFP | Bluetooth A2DP Bluetooth HFP | Bluetooth A2DP Bluetooth HFP | Bluetooth A2DP Bluetooth HFP |
| Volume-Optimized EQ? | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Main App | Bose Connect | Bose Connect | Bose Music | Bose Music | Bose Music |
| Other Apps | Apple Music Google Maps Spotify Skype Waze And More | Apple Music Google Maps Spotify Skype Waze And More | Apple Music Google Maps Spotify Skype Waze And More | Apple Music Google Maps Spotify Skype Waze And More | Apple Music Google Maps Spotify Skype Waze And More |
| Voice Assistance | None | None | Siri (for iOS) Google Assistant (for Android) | Siri (for iOS) Google Assistant (for Android) | Siri (for iOS) Google Assistant (for Android) |
| Polarized Lens? | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Prescription Lens Replacement? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| UVA/ UVB Protection | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| Bose AR Support? | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Water Resistance | IPX2 | IPX2 | IPX2 | IPX4 | IPX2 |
| Music Playback Battery Life | Up to 3.5 hours | Up to 3.5 hours | Up to 5.5 hours | Up to 8 hours | Up to 5.5 hours |
| Battery Charging Time | Up to 2 hours | Up to 2 hours | Up to 1 hour | Up to 1 hour | Up to 1 hour |
| Pricing | Check price on Amazon.(#CommissionsEarned) | Check price on Amazon.(#CommissionsEarned) | Check price on Amazon.(#CommissionsEarned) | Check price on Amazon.(#CommissionsEarned) | Check price on Amazon.(#CommissionsEarned) |
What’s in the Box
In addition to the sunglasses, each product comes with a carrying case and charging cable (the Tempo uses a USB-C cable).
The Alto and Rond comes with a cloth bag.
The newer Soprano, Tempo and Tenor models come with polarized lenses and a cleaning cloth.
The Tempo also includes three nose pad options.
You can find the full breakdown of what’s included in each box below:
Alto:
- Bose Frames Alto
- Carry case
- Charging cable
- Cloth bag
Rondo:
- Bose Frames Rondo
- Carry case
- Charging cable
- Cloth bag
Soprano:
- Bose Frames Soprano
- Polarized lenses
- Carry case
- Charging cable
- Cleaning cloth
Tempo:
- Bose Frames Tempo
- Polarized lenses
- Ballistic-nylon case
- USB-C charging cable
- 3 nose pad options
- Cleaning cloth
Tenor:
- Bose Frames Tenor
- Polarized lenses
- Carry case
- Charging cable
- Cleaning cloth
Weight
The Bose Frames Alto and Bose Frames Rondo weigh approximately 45 g each.
The new Bose Frames Soprano, Bose Frames Tempo and Bose Frames Tenor weigh a little bit more at around 50 g each.
Dimensions
The Alto is available in S/M or M/L sizes.
You can find the lens width, distance between lenses and temple length for all five Bose Frames in this versus guide below:
Alto S/M:
- Lens Width: 53 mm
- Distance Between Lenses: 20 mm
- Temple Length: 135 mm
Alto M/L:
- Lens Width: 54 mm
- Distance Between Lenses: 21 mm
- Temple Length: 136 mm
Rondo:
- Lens Width: 51 mm
- Distance Between Lenses: 22 mm
- Temple Length: 135 mm
Soprano:
- Lens Width: 55 mm
- Distance Between Lenses: 17 mm
- Temple Length: 136 mm
Tempo:
- Lens Width: 65 mm
- Distance Between Lenses: 17 mm
- Temple Length: 136 mm
Tenor:
- Lens Width: 55 mm
- Distance Between Lenses: 18 mm
- Temple Length: 136 mm
Bose Open Ear Audio
All five headphones/sunglasses pairs feature Bose Open Ear Audio, a feature that lets you listen to music while being able to hear external noises.
The newer Soprano, Tempo and Tenor models use a wafer-thin acoustic package to fuller and deeper sounds when compared to the original Alto and Rondo models.
Speakers
The new sports-based Tempo uses 22 mm full-range drivers while the more causal Soprano and Tenor sunglasses are equipped with 16 mm drivers.
It is unknown what drivers the Alto and Rondo versions are using.
Bluetooth Range
The products have the same Bluetooth range of 30 feet (or 9 m).
Bluetooth Pairing
All of the sunglasses will connect to one device at the time.
When multiple options are available, they will pair with the most recent connected device first.
All of the Bose products will keep track of the last 8 devices that were connected.
Wi-Fi/WiDi Support
None of the devices in this comparison guide support Wi-Fi or WiDi.
Microphone
The older Alto and Rondo sunglasses are equipped with one microphone.
The Soprano, Tempo and Tenor are equipped with dual-beam-forming array, which provides much better voice clarity when paired with the new digital signal processing.
Phone Calls Support
The hybrid headphones/sunglasses wearable devices are capable of receiving phone calls.
You press the same multi-function button to answer and hang up.
Audio Connection Options
The Bose products support both Bluetooth A2DP and Bluetooth HFP.
Volume-Optimized EQ
The Soprano, Tempo and Tenor uses volume-optimized equalizer, a feature that make sure that your song won’t disappear in low volumes and won’t distort in high volumes.
Main App
The Bose Frames Alto and Bose Frames Rondo use Bose Connect while the Bose Frames Soprano, Bose Frames Tempo and Bose Frames Tenor use Bose Music.
Both applications are basically the same as you can personalize your settings, get new features and more.
Other Apps
The sunglasses/headphones wearables are also compatible with other apps on your smartphones, which include the following:
- Apple Music
- Google Maps
- Spotify
- Skype
- Waze
- Voice Assistance
The new Soprano, Tempo and Tenor features voice assistance as you can activate Siri (for iOS) or Google Assistant (for Android) by double tapping the right temple.
Polarized Lens
Bose also added polarized lenses to the Soprano, Tempo and Tenor. These will provide a darker but also sharper looking vision when compared to the standard sunglasses.
Prescription Lens Replacement
The lens of the sunglasses, except the Rondo model, can be replaced with prescription lens.
UVA/ UVB Protection
The Bose Frames provide 99% UVA/UVB protection.
Bose AR
The older Bose Frames Alto and Bose Frames Rondo features AR, which are motion sensors that detect and track your head orientation and body movements to control the audio playback.
Water Resistance
The Alto, Rondo, Soprano and Tenor have a water resistance of IPX2, which means the sunglasses can protect against water splashes at a 15-degree angle or less.
The Tempo has a rating of IPX4, which means that it is resistant to water splashes from all angles.
Music Playback Battery Life
When it comes to streaming music playback, the Tempo has the longest battery life out of this group, followed by the Soprano and Tenor.
The Alto and Rondo have the shortest battery life.
You can check out the battery specifications below:
- Bose Frames Alto: Up to 3.5 hours
- Bose Frames Rondo: Up to 3.5 hours
- Bose Frames Soprano: Up to 5.5 hours
- Bose Frames Tempo: Up to 8 hours
- Bose Frames Tenor: Up to 5.5 hours
Battery Charging Time
It should take around half as long for the Soprano, Temp and Tenor to recharge their batteries when compared to the Alto and Rondo.
You can take a look at the battery charging times below:
- Alto: Up to 2 hours
- Rondo: Up to 2 hours
- Soprano: Up to 1 hour
- Tempo: Up to 1 hour
- Tenor: Up to 1 hour
Resources:
- https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/frames/bose-frames-alto.html
- https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/frames/bose-frames-rondo.html#ProductTabs_tab3&v=bose_frames_rondo_black_us
- https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/frames/bose-frames-soprano.html
- https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/frames/bose-frames-tempo.html
- https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/frames/bose-frames-tenor.html