Oakley is known for its innovative Prizm lens technology, which is designed to elevate vision and performance across a range of outdoor activities. The Prizm Sapphire Polarized lenses are a prime example, featuring a striking blue mirrored finish that reduces glare and enhances color and contrast, making them ideal for vibrant, sunny conditions. These lenses combine style with functionality, delivering a crisp, vivid visual experience perfect for activities on both land and water.
Check out the Prizm Sapphire lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Oakley's website).
If you want to know more about how blue mirrored lenses work, click here.
In This Review
Lens Specs | Oakley Prizm Sapphire Polarized |
Technology | Prizm |
Lens Color | Grey |
Mirror Color | Blue |
VLT | 12% |
ABBE | 30 |
Coatings | Mirror Coating |
Material | Plutonite (Polycarbonate) |
Weight | Light |
Scratch Resistance | Low |
Prescription Available | Yes |
4 |
For a detailed breakdown of Oakley Prizm lenses, including key specifications and features shared across all Prizm lenses, click here. This guide covers essential information, such as lens coatings, impact resistance, scratch resistance, and care tips. These factors are critical to consider, as some drawbacks of Prizm lenses include their limited coatings and relatively low scratch resistance.
If you're wondering whether the polarized version of Prizm Sapphire is the best fit for your needs or if the non-polarized version might be a better option, explore our comprehensive guide here to make an informed choice.
Is it eligible for prescription?
Yes
For non-prescription, Check out the Prizm Sapphire lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Oakley's website).
How does the lens look?
The front has a brilliant deep blue mirror.
The tint is slightly amber, which is what happens when blue light is reflected away from a grey lens, making the complementary color, red, a bit more prominent. There is no anti-reflective coating on the lens.
What does the view look like?
Adding warmth to a lens often enhances the visual experience, making the world appear more colorful, vibrant, and energetic. This is because blue light, which is cooler and has higher energy, tends to dominate our visual field. A blue mirror lens reduces blue light by reflecting some of it away, improving our ability to perceive other colors more clearly. Additionally, a warmer tint in a lens can positively impact our mood, making us feel more alert, energetic, and happy.
Gray lenses with a subtle hint of warmth strike a balance by preserving a "natural" appearance while subtly enhancing colors like green and red. This slight boost creates a more vivid yet realistic view, often feeling more natural than lenses with stronger tints. In contrast, rose or brown lenses, while beautiful, can create a view that feels noticeably altered, reminding you that you’re wearing sunglasses. A gray lens with a blue mirror provides a middle ground by only slightly reducing blue light, ensuring blues remain vivid while still enhancing other colors, offering a less intrusive but equally enjoyable experience compared to brown lenses.
The lens is listed at a 12% VLT but feels more like a 15% VLT. It works well in full sun and offers a pleasant, bright view.
Sunny Conditions
These photos are what Oakley and other sources have used to show the view. Keep in mind that photos will never look as good as the real view looking through the sunglasses with your own eyes.
Interested in experiencing the Oakley lens for yourself? Check out the Prizm Sapphire on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Oakley's website).
The above is the same simulation that Oakley uses for the Prizm Black (and all grey-based Prizm lenses), but it is not accurate. The Sapphire will be noticeably warmer than the Black lens.
This is specifically for Prizm Black but as mentioned in that review, the colors would not be this boosted for Black with this level of light. It is more accurate for the Prizm Sapphire.
Here is my simulation of how the lens looks:
It might take swapping between the photos to notice, and it is more obvious a difference in person, but the Sapphire is warmer and more energetic than the (already somewhat boosted) Prizm Black. It does not come close to what a brown lens would be, but it does lean towards that direction.
Cloudy Conditions
The Prizm Sapphire lens isn't well-suited for overcast or mixed lighting conditions. These lenses excel at filtering and optimizing available light—allowing beneficial light to pass through while blocking harsher light—rather than enhancing brightness or adding warmth to the view, as brown or rose lenses do. In dim or less sunny settings, they may feel overly dark and muted, making them less effective in such environments. It will be slightly better than Prizm Black, but worse than a lens like Prizm Ruby, included below.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
Grey-based lenses are a top choice for extended periods in bright sunlight, as they minimize eye strain by aligning with our natural color perception. This is because grey lenses maintain color accuracy, reducing the need for your eyes to adjust to unnatural tints—a process called color memory, which ensures objects appear as expected, providing a comfortable and natural viewing experience.
The Prizm Sapphire lens, with its blue mirror coating, subtly enhances colors by slightly warming the view, offering a more vibrant experience than standard Prizm Black lenses. While both lenses excel in maintaining true-to-life color in bright conditions, the Sapphire lens adds a refined touch that makes greens and reds more vivid without compromising the natural look.
Grey lenses, including Prizm Sapphire, are excellent for driving in bright sunlight, as they reduce glare and maintain color clarity. However, in overcast or mixed lighting conditions, lenses with warmer tones like brown or rose perform better, boosting contrast and keeping you more alert. The Prizm Sapphire lens will be better than the Prizm Black lens in overcast, but still fall short of a brown-based lens.
This lens particularly shines in environments like sunny beaches or vacation destinations, offering exceptional comfort for all-day wear while protecting your eyes and reducing fatigue. For anyone seeking a high-performance lens with a subtle but noticeable enhancement to their view, Prizm Sapphire is a superior choice.
Sports
In full sunlight, Prizm Sapphire lenses are a solid choice for sports, but they aren't always the most dynamic option. As grey-based lenses, they provide a neutral, natural view, which can feel calm but lacks the energy or warmth evoked by lenses with brown or rose tints. For high-energy sports where vibrancy and contrast are key, brown or rose lenses often outperform by enhancing colors and providing greater depth perception.
That said, Prizm Sapphire lenses excel in water sports and fishing. The blue mirror coating slightly warms up the view, subtly enhancing colors and providing a vibrant edge over traditional grey lenses, especially in conditions surrounded by lots of blue colors. There are still better lenses for these conditions, even from Oakley's other lenses.
Oakley is renowned for sports and the lenses are virtually unbreakable, though they scratch easily. I would view this lens as a lifestyle, everyday lens more than anything particularly well-suited for sports.
Interested in experiencing the Prizm Sapphire lens for yourself? Click here to buy on Amazon.
Comparison to the same brand - Oakley
Oakley Prizm Black Polarized
As mentioned above, the Prizm Sapphire is the same grey base and Prizm tech as the Prizm Black lens but with a brilliant blue mirror instead of a black mirror. The effect of the blue mirror is to remove blue and make the lens lean towards amber, which is explained further here. The Sapphire has a warmer view that feels like an upgraded version of the Prizm Black. I wear the Sapphire more. Prizm Black will feel a bit cooler and less color-boosting.
See here for the full Prizm Black review.
Oakley Prizm Tungsten Polarized
Prizm Tungsten is Oakley's versatile brown-based Prizm lens, featuring a subtle silver mirror coating. It offers a unique, almost video game-like visual experience - I mean that in a good way. Greens and reds appear vividly boosted, almost neon-like, while blues take on a noticeable reddish tint. This distinct color profile makes it a polarizing choice that users tend to either love or dislike.
I personally enjoy Prizm Tungsten and find it performs best in bright, sunny conditions, as its darker brown tint provides excellent glare reduction. Unlike Prizm Sapphire, it feels more adaptable to varying light conditions, although in full sun, it can feel a bit "hotter" and less comfortable than the relatively cooler, more neutral Prizm Sapphire lens.
Oakley Prizm Ruby Polarized
Prizm Ruby is a red-mirrored variation of the Tungsten lens, designed to reflect red light and bring the view closer to a neutral balance. The result is stunning, with colors enhanced more than Prizm Black or Sapphire but without the exaggerated vibrancy of Tungsten. The visual experience is widely appreciated, though the bold aesthetic of the red mirror lens might not appeal to everyone.
Prizm Ruby was my introduction to the world of premium sunglass lenses, and its performance left a lasting impression. It strikes an excellent balance between color enhancement and natural tones, making it a versatile and visually impressive option.
Comparison to Blue Mirrored Lenses of Different Brands
Maui Jim Blue Hawaii
Maui Jim's Blue Hawaii lens takes the same principles as the Oakley Prizm Sapphire but does everything better. The glass lenses have amazing clarity, the lenses come with all coatings, the PolarizedPlus2 technology enhances colors in a more natural way than the Prizm tech, and the view in full sun is engineered to be as beautiful as possible. The Prizm Sapphire only beats the Blue Hawaii in impact resistance, though Maui Jim has options in non-glass for impact resistance as well.
See here for the full Blue Hawaii review.
Costa Del Mar 580 Blue Mirror
Like the Maui Jim Blue Hawaii, the Costa 580 Blue Mirror has all the coatings you could want, and has an encapsulated mirror which makes the scratch resistance top tier. The Costa is engineered more for comfort than beauty, though still looks very nice. Once again, the Oakley Sapphire is only better in impact resistance, though Costa makes a polycarbonate edition if impact resistance is a concern.
See here for the full Costa 580 Blue Mirror review.
Revo Blue Water
I prefer this version of Revo's blue mirror lens over their H2O Heritage glass lens. Very similar to the Costa Blue Mirror with a bit more boost to greens and reds. This lens is also nylon-based, not glass, and provides more impact resistance. The mirror is a lighter blue, not as dark and deep as the other options listed here. The lens has all coatings included and is more scratch-resistant. It is better than the Prizm Sapphire in almost all respects, but the color-enhancement is less boosted than the Prizm Sapphire.
Island Optics Blue Flash Mirror
A brown-based option, so not really comparable, I'm including the Island Optics Blue Flash for people who want a good budget option as an alternative to the Prizm Sapphire overall look. The IO Blue Flash has all coatings and a crisp view, impact resistance, and the same striking blue mirror as the Prizm Sapphire, for less than half the price.
Conclusion - Oakley Prizm Sapphire Polarized Lens Review - Should you buy it?
Oakley’s Prizm Sapphire Polarized lenses offer a great combination of style and performance. Whether you're spending a day on the water, driving under bright skies, or simply enjoying the outdoors, these lenses deliver a vivid, vibrant view that stands out.
To avoid the issue of lack of AR coating, go for a wrap frame that does not let the sun in from the sides or top. Otherwise, there are better options for the same price. To me, the great color enhancement doesn't make up for the lack of coatings and weak scratch resistance.
If you're interested in trying out the Prizm Sapphire lens, you can find it on Amazon, often at a lower price than Oakley's official website.
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