Looki L1 AI Wearable Review

The Looki L1 is an AI wearable intended to join users as they go about their day, providing assistant-like functions while taking note of key moments. It stands out by making camera-based lifelogging central to the experience, allowing photos and videos to be taken, giving the AI further context and allowing it to use those captures for summaries and clips. After keeping it on my person for two weeks, it’s time for my review.

Fits in seamlessly

What makes the Looki L1 so appealing is how quickly I forget about it. It’s primarily designed to be worn around the user’s neck and is light enough that it quickly “disappears.” You can then leave it to do its thing, interacting with it only when you want to ask something or want to force it to capture a moment.

Battery life is rated for all-day use, with Looki quoting roughly 12 hours depending on the capture settings. However, if you force it to capture more often, as I did when I took it on a long run, you can make the L1 run out of juice much earlier.

Tell me a story

The main attraction of the L1 is the Story Mode. This has the device capturing clips automatically throughout the day. When the day is done, the L1 can provide a recap video. You can also generate comic-book-style pages which, while a bit gimmicky, are somewhat fun. The L1’s AI can distinguish different scene types and can pull surprising details that you might have thought would go unnoticed.

I can see the design being a bit controversial, as it does stand out a bit with its four “arms,” especially in any of the colors that aren’t black, but I don’t see this as a downside. If someone is recording a video in public, I think people have the right to know. If you were hoping to be more covert with your captures, then the L1’s design will work against you. It’s quite easy to spot, despite its small size.

What’s the catch?

The biggest issues I have with the Looki L1 come down to inconsistency. Sometimes it will successfully create an impressive recap video of my day; at other times, it will produce a super-short clip that hardly shows anything. Other AI features are just as inconsistent, leading to some frustration and loss of the “magic” feeling.

When you watch the marketing videos, the Looki L1 seems incredibly in tune with what you have going on, but that level of integration with one’s life would require constant monitoring, which the L1 does not do. It can do enough to offer some clever utility, but it clearly has its limits.

Finally, I must mention that to fully unlock all features, a paid subscription is required. At the time of writing, the “Prime” subscription is $9.99 per month. I urge potential buyers of the Looki L1 to look into the subscription model.

Disclosure: Review sample provided by Looki.