Review embargoes lifted today for the Humane Ai Pin, a $699 wearable that aims to replace the smartphone with a voice- and gesture-controlled AI assistant. The verdict from early reviewers is nearly unanimous: it’s not ready.

WIRED’s Julian Chokkattu scored the device 4/10, calling it “too bare-bones and not all that useful.” The review describes a product that overheats after a few queries, produces dim palm projections that are “impossible to see in daylight,” and delivers AI answers that are often slow and sometimes inaccurate — like confidently giving the wrong location of a temple on a screensaver. The pin requires a $24/month T-Mobile LTE subscription and can’t sync its phone number with a user’s existing line. Other outlets, including Engadget and The Washington Post, reported similar thermal issues and feature gaps. Even the projector, a signature feature, drew complaints: one reviewer noted that the green laser briefly flashed across a dinner companion’s face, causing discomfort.

Humane says the device will improve with software updates, but as WIRED put it, “I have to review the device in my hands right now, not what the product may or may not be in the future.” The broader hardware industry is watching closely — after years of hype around AI-first gadgets, the Ai Pin may be the first major test of whether consumers will pay a premium for a screen-free assistant. Early returns suggest the answer is no.

The discourse this week has centered on the gap between Humane’s ambitious vision and the buggy reality. Critics note that the device’s founders, with Apple pedigrees, brought polish to accessories but not to core functionality.