Legato launches $999 AI hearing glasses for moderate hearing loss

Hearing tech startup Legato announced on Thursday that its flagship AI-based hearing glasses are now available for purchase. The glasses, called Legato Frames, build the company’s patented hearing-assistance technology into the arms of eyewear frames. Starting at $999, they’re designed for adults with up to moderate levels of hearing loss.

The product grows out of Legato’s goal of making hearing care more accessible by addressing the cost, comfort, and stigma associated with traditional hearing aids. Unlike those devices, which often rely on directional microphones to focus on sound from a particular direction and can struggle in noisy environments, Legato takes a different approach: its AI-powered system distinguishes voices from background noise and amplifies the voices while reducing unwanted sound. The frames have an open-ear design, but sound isn’t broadcast to people nearby — a dual-speaker system directs sound toward the wearer while canceling what escapes, cutting sound by 99% just a few inches from the ear. All processing happens on the glasses themselves, with no cameras or recording, the company says.

The glasses weigh 34 grams with lenses and offer 10-12 hours of battery life. They come in three styles, support prescription lenses, and connect over Bluetooth for music and calls.

The launch comes a few weeks after Legato emerged from stealth with $12 million in funding from Neotribe Ventures, Listen, and Village Global. Legato was founded in 2024 by Mehul Trivedi and Steve Romine, who bring experience in wearables and hearing care from Bose, where Trivedi led the creation of Bose Frames and Romine ran the hearing aids division. After Bose, Trivedi joined EssilorLuxottica, where he led smart eyewear efforts and worked on the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, while Romine became COO of hearing care company Audicus. Legato Frames can be bought on the startup’s website or through select eye care providers in the U.S., where they’re eligible for vision insurance coverage.

Why it matters

By folding hearing assistance into ordinary-looking eyewear and pricing it below many traditional hearing aids, Legato is betting that removing stigma and cost barriers — not just better audio processing — is what will get more people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss to actually use a device.