A colleague of ours got waved out of the line at the Zurich Airport security lane — not because anything beeped, but because the officer had never seen a pair of glasses with a battery in the arm and wanted a closer look. Two minutes, a few questions, back in the queue. That is roughly the realistic expectation: no drama, occasional curiosity, and a request to cooperate.
Short answer: AI glasses like the Even G2 are treated at screening as personal wearable electronics — similar to a smartwatch. Staff can ask you to remove them, place them in the tray separately, or take a closer look, and you should comply. How strictly that is enforced depends on the airport and the individual officer on duty, and we cannot make a legal claim about any specific country's or checkpoint's rules. What we can say about the hardware itself: both the glasses and the charging case contain a small lithium battery, and the widely applied airline practice is to carry electronics with lithium batteries in your hand luggage, not in checked baggage.
Checkpoint 1: the X-ray tray
At most checkpoints, ordinary glasses stay on your face. A pair with visible circuitry and a battery in the arm is a different case — the X-ray image shows electronics, and that occasionally prompts a second look. Expect to be asked to remove them and place them in the tray on their own, next to your phone and laptop. That is not harassment; it is routine handling of a device the officer may not see very often.
Checkpoint 2: metal detectors and body scanners
The Even G2 frame is mostly lightweight, low-metal material. Setting off a walk-through detector on the glasses alone is unlikely, but we cannot guarantee that for every scanner and every setting. If you are asked to remove them before walking through, do so without arguing — the officer on duty makes that call, not us.
The battery question: carry-on or checked?
Quick recap of the facts: the Even G2 has a 192 mAh battery in the temple (manufacturer figure from Even), good for roughly two days of typical use. The charging case delivers around seven full recharges per Even's own figures, which means it carries a noticeably larger lithium battery of its own. Both parts fall into the same category as a power bank, a wireless-earbud case, or a smartwatch charging puck. The widely applied airline practice is to keep lithium-battery electronics in carry-on rather than checked luggage, because cargo holds are held to different fire-safety protocols. Check your specific airline's policy before departure — we are not quoting any one carrier's rule as universal, but "battery electronics travel with you" is the safe default on nearly every route.
| Checkpoint | What is typical | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| X-ray tray | Remove and place separately if asked | Possible |
| Metal detector / scanner | Usually unremarkable, low-metal frame | Usually fine |
| Charging case in carry-on | Standard airline practice for lithium batteries | Recommended |
| Glasses/case in checked bag | Runs against common lithium-battery guidance | Better avoided |
| Customs declaration | Personal electronics usually need no special form | Ask if unsure |
| Airplane mode | Cloud features pause, phone-side features continue | Partially |
General, widely applied industry practice for personal electronics with lithium batteries — not legal or customs advice. Your airline, the specific airport, and the local customs authority always have the final say.
Customs and border control
We stay deliberately non-committal here: personal-use electronics like a pair of glasses typically do not require a separate customs declaration, whether at an airport or a land border into Germany, France, Italy or Austria. For newly purchased, higher-value devices, import duties can in principle apply depending on the country and the value — that is a question for the relevant customs authority, not for us. If in doubt, keep the receipt and ask at the border rather than assume.
In the air and after
In airplane mode, phone-side features keep working — downloaded teleprompter scripts, notes, and notifications already on the device. What pauses is anything that needs an internet connection, above all live translation, which Even describes as cloud-based. If translation matters for your trip, plan around moments with WiFi or mobile data — our translation feature overview goes deeper on that.
Quick checklist before you fly
- Pack the glasses and charging case in your carry-on, not checked baggage.
- Be ready to remove them at the tray if asked, the same as a smartwatch.
- Follow security staff instructions without arguing — the airport sets the procedure, not us.
- Check your own airline's battery policy before departure.
- Apply the same caution at land borders as you would at an airport.
- Charge fully before a long trip; gate WiFi is not a given.
So: buy, skip, or test first?
Buy with confidence if you are fine with occasionally taking the glasses off at screening — no different from an AirPods case or a smartwatch. Think twice if you need a guarantee of uninterrupted wear through every checkpoint; neither we nor the manufacturer can promise that, because the officer on duty makes the call. Test first at our Zurich showroom, where you can get a feel for the size and case in your bag before a big trip, or compare models beforehand in the AI glasses database.
Disclosure: AI-Eyewear is the authorised Swiss reseller of Even Realities. For binding rules on screening, baggage and customs, always defer to your airline, the airport authority, or the customs office — not this article.