So you’re looking to buy an OrCam device for yourself, a friend, or family member, but you’re not sure which one is the best fit.

You know that the OrCam devices assist people who are blind, visually impaired, or have reading difficulties with reading, but you want to know more.

You’re ready to make the purchase, but you want to feel confident in your decision.

You’ve taken a look at the product comparison page on our site, but you’re looking for even more details to guide your decision.

Congratulations! You’ve come to the right page. In this article, we’ll break down the differences and similarities between our 3 main devices — the OrCam MyEye PRO, the OrCam MyReader, and the OrCam Read — in fine detail to help you make your final decision. Below is an at-a-glance overview:

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OrCam MyEye PRO vs. OrCam MyReader

Similarities: These two devices, the MyEye PRO and the Reader, have the most in common.

Both are lightweight, the size of a finger, and attach to a pair of glasses with a magnet. Both intuitively respond to simple hand gestures such as the point to scan a page of text, or the full hand “stop” gesture to stop the device while it is reading.

Using built-in artificial intelligence and optical character recognition (OCR), both devices discreetly and instantly read text on newspapers, books, menus, signs, product labels and screens without the need for an internet connection.

In order to use these 2 devices, the user must be able to hear, whether naturally or with hearing aids, as the text is conveyed audibly via a small speaker next to the ear. However, vision of any sort is not necessary. While obviously it is preferable to have some form of vision, if a person is completely blind they will still be able to use the device.

OrCam MyEye and OrCam MyReader are available in English, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, French, Hebrew, Danish, Polish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Finnish, Swedish, Czech, Mandarin, and Japanese. The devices do not translate from one language to another but rather read in the language they are programmed in.

Differences: So how do the MyEye PRO and the MyReader differ? The MyReader is essentially a basic version of the MyEye PRO. With the MyEye PRO, you get all the reading capabilities of the MyReader plus additional features.

The newest and most exciting feature by far is Smart Reading. With Smart Reading, users can locate phone numbers, and headlines, or find a specific word with a quick verbal command. So if you are looking at your phone bill, you can just ask the OrCam MyEye PRO to “find the amount” and it will tell you the payment that is due without having to listen to all the fine print. If you’re reading a menu in a restaurant, you can have Smart Reading “find Desserts” and skip listening to dishes you are not in the mood for. When reading the sports section in the newspaper, you can simply ask your OrCam MyEye PRO to “read the headlines” and find out if your favorite team made it to the playoffs. Smart Reading is a revolutionary upgrade to the device as it makes reading more efficient through the use of voice commands, so the user only reads what they really want to read, saving them time and energy.

The other new feature that comes built into the MyEye ProWith isOrientation (currently in Beta). With Orientation, users will be able to identify objects in their surroundings, including chairs and cups for example, and OrCam MyEye will guide you to them. Just ask the device “What’s in front of me?” and it will tell you. The following video can help clarify how the Orientation feature works:

There are a number of other features that make the OrCam MyEye PRO differ from MyReader. One is that the MyEye PRO can recognize faces. Once you program the device to remember a person, it announces them in real-time with seamless facial recognition so the user knows who they are speaking with, or who just entered the room. It can also identify products via a built-in barcode scanner, making grocery shopping more efficient.

All About OrCam Read

The biggest difference between OrCam Read and the other two devices, MyEye PRO and MyReader, is that it is handheld and not worn on a pair of eyeglasses. For someone with reading difficulties such as dyslexia, this could be a more appealing and affordable option, as they can just take it out of their pocket whenever they need to read.

Further, with laser guidance, the user can choose to capture a specific block of text and have just that section read to them instead of the whole page. Also, if you find yourself in a dimly lit environment, the bright LED light will light up the page so the scanner can catch the text you want to read.

We hope this helped clarify the differences and similarities between our devices. For any further questions, please fill in your contact information in the form below and an OrCam representative will be in touch with you.

** Please note: OrCam devices will not improve a person’s vision, but they will increase their independence by allowing them access to visual information conveyed by audio.