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Viio Vezzo review: This Bluetooth mirror is not the fairest of them all

Between middling features and a high price, the Vezzo fails to amount to more than an early data point in an area of emerging tech.

David Priest Former editor
David Priest is an award-winning writer and editor who formerly covered home security for CNET.
David Priest
4 min read

Bathroom mirrors seem like the perfect place to add smarts: think touchscreens, voice assistants, maybe even personalized beauty tips. Sure, we're not quite there yet, but the $400 Viio Vezzo Bluetooth Mirror does take that first step toward connectivity (although the Vezzo doesn't ship to the UK or Australia yet, its pricing converts to about £330 and AU$530).

6.0

Viio Vezzo

The Good

The Viio Vezzo performs decently well, and the design looks nice.

The Bad

The Vezzo's meager features do not work especially well together, and the sound quality of the speaker is poor.

The Bottom Line

The Vezzo is an early step in a positive direction for connected mirrors. The problem is, its melange of features does not cohere in a compelling way, making the Vezzo's target niche vanishingly small.

In light of the promise of such technology, though, the Vezzo falls disappointingly short. It offers a few useful features, but they fail to cohere in any compelling way. And worst of all, the mirror -- an inherently visual object -- boasts no visual components, instead relying on Bluetooth speakers to stand out on the market.

For now, unless you crave the Vezzo's exact cocktail of features, you'll want to keep your money and wait for a truly smart mirror to revolutionize your bathroom.

This sleek Bluetooth mirror needs to aim higher

See all photos

How smart is this mirror?

The Vezzo is a 24-inch by 32-inch mirror that includes a border light for makeup work, an anti-fog button for when things get steamy and a Bluetooth button for connecting your phone. Between these three primary features, it's a surprisingly simple device.

That simplicity contributes to a sleek design. The Vezzo looks modern, but blends surprisingly well with a variety of decors. The mirror is powered directly, using a plug for the outlet you typically find beside vanities. Of course, anyone who uses a blow dryer, straightener, trimmer or any number of other grooming gadgets knows those outlets are a hot commodity. Luckily, you can unplug the mirror for 6 hours at a time, as it has a backup battery.

viio-vezzo-mirror-product-photos-1.jpg

The Vezzo includes a power cord, but its battery will also last for up to 6 hours.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

The Vezzo's biggest strength is its ease of use. After a relatively quick install -- you have to anchor the mirror to the wall using a thin metal plate -- just tap one of the three touch-sensitive buttons on the front to activate the features.

That's right: the Vezzo doesn't even have an app. When I realized this, I was simultaneously intrigued by the decidedly simple interface and disappointed by the Vezzo's meager features.

Is it worth the money?

The Vezzo costs $400. A speaker comparable to the Vezzo's costs well under $100. Mirrors with similar LED lighting and anti-fog features cost around $290. So it's not a bad deal for the whole package. The problem is, none of the features stand out and they don't work especially well in tandem.

Here's what I mean:

  • The light helps brighten your face from all angles for detail work, but it doesn't offer color temperature variation like the SimpleHuman Mirror to help users replicate the natural light of their daily surroundings.
  • The anti-fog button works by heating the glass to above the room's dew point, but you have to hit it 10 to 20 minutes before the room steams up for it to work effectively.
  • The Bluetooth button lets you listen to music, the news, audiobooks and whatever else you can access on your phone -- but the quality of the speakers is far lower than a good $100 Bluetooth speaker.
  • The mirror even includes a microphone, so you can take phone calls on it -- cool, right? But it doesn't connect with Wi-Fi to integrate a voice assistant, which would add a ton of appeal to an otherwise rather un-smart mirror. Even without Alexa or Google Assistant, something as simple as Spotify streaming would've been a welcome addition.

Moreover, a hanging mirror like the Vezzo works best for a half bathroom -- where steam isn't much of an issue, you probably won't be applying makeup often and you won't be spending tons of time listening to audiobooks. In other words, the Vezzo's design and features seem to be working at cross-purposes. In the end, the Vezzo feels like a more polished MacGyver gadget -- a half-bath mirror with some full-bath features tacked on. And even if it does work in some full bathrooms, none of its features make it feel new or essential.

viio-vezzo-mirror-product-photos-1.jpg

The three touch-sensitive buttons can trigger the anti-fog, Bluetooth and LED light features.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Should you buy the Vezzo?

While reviewing the Vezzo, I had to actively resist my expectations for what a "smart" mirror should be. Why knock a product that isn't trying to be what you expected it to be? But the promise of a connected mirror is inescapable: you don't spend mornings listening to mirrors -- you spend mornings looking at them. Without something like a touchscreen, or even just visualized weather or traffic updates, the whole device feels a little underwhelming.

The Vezzo isn't for everyone, but it's also not a terrible product. If you need LED lighting and anti-fog features on a hanging mirror, it isn't a bad deal. Throw in a middling Bluetooth speaker, and it might be a device worth considering.

But if you're looking for something special -- or even just a device with solid speakers, don't buy Viio's Bluetooth Mirror. Wait for something better.

6.0

Viio Vezzo

Score Breakdown

Features 4Usability 7Design 7Performance 7