The Vision Pro is hard at work trying to revive its reputation with key software updates, but the Xreal One launch details tell us there’s another company working just as hard. The Xreal One AR glasses are the company’s latest redesign of an already impressive Xreal Air 2, bringing us another example of what wearable smart technology can do.
With the newly designed X1 chip installed and Xreal One’s enhanced connectivity, the latest series of small glasses are all set to capture the AR market with their visual capabilities. Reviews show that the quality is perhaps still lacking and it has a long way to go before it can lead the industry, however, these 84gm devices are portable and comfortable like nothing else on the market.
Image: Xreal One Series
Xreal One Launch Details—Glasses Never Have to Be Boring Again
The Xreal One cinematic glasses are the company’s latest offering in the AR segment, and while they don’t boast too many unique AR-centric features, they are an amazing alternative to watching a movie on your tiny phone screen. The Xreal One’s figurative bag of new features holds multiple TÜV Rheinland eye health certifications and promises an enhanced audio experience through the Bose sound program built into the device.
There are two glasses available in the newly launched series, the Xreal One and Xreal One Pro, and they represent the “most advanced consumer AR glasses on the market today,” according to Chi Xu, CEO and Co-founder of Xreal.
It All Begins with a Single Chip, the X1
The Xreal One AR glasses are built on the “in-house designed X1 independent spatial computing co-processor,” which essentially handles all the computing needs of the glasses within the device itself, instead of relying on the smartphone to support the majority of the processing. The custom chip is said to be the result of over three years of R&D, which has resulted in the “world’s first customized silicon designed specifically for OST AR glasses.”
The announcement for the Xreal One launch details how the glasses can be connected to any device with video-out over USB-C. With the press of a button, it can allow you to view the device’s content laid out in a stable and expansive virtual screen.
Thanks to the X1 chip, users can access a low latency 3DoF (degrees-of-freedom) spatial screen that guarantees a clean output every time. The X1 also supports a low M2P latency of only 3ms at 120Hz, which is far more impressive than the 20ms on the Air 2. The low latency guarantees uninterrupted experiences, especially with the AR holographic visuals from developers who build with XREAL’s SDK.
Image: Xreal One series
Xreal One Display Features—Seeing is Believing
The Xreal is not overambitious and doesn’t claim too many unrealistic capabilities. It does one thing and it does it well, which is to project your smart device content into the virtual space on a much bigger screen. The Xreal One cinematic glasses offer a 1080p Full HD viewing experience for each eye and reach an impressive 50-degree field-of-view (FOV). The Xreal One Pro takes it one step further with the flat-prism lens to manage a 57-degree FOV.
For the non-Pro and Pro models, these glasses have a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 600 and 700 nits, respectively. They also have electrochromic dimming capabilities to darken or lighten the lens at will.
If you want to listen to audio via the headset, the Sound by Bose program is available to enhance the experience to optimal levels.
Adjusting for Comfort with the Xreal One AR glasses
The normal range for interpupillary distance (IPD) is 50-57mm in adults and the Xreal One Pro comes in two sizes for the different ranges to allow customers to select the horizontal IPD size that’s best for their vision. The Xreal One just offers one size but it has support for software-based IPD adjustments. These glasses also have three-level temple adjustments for the right vertical IPD fit and can be combined with prescription inserts for those who need additional support.
“Our world-leading low latency produces a super stable spatial display that’s surprising everyone who sees it. Plus, with the new TUV Rheinland Eye Comfort (5-Star) certification, you can expect a high level of eye comfort and safety from your new XREAL glasses. With these results, we’re now at the point where AR glasses’ spatial screens can truly replace physical monitors all day long.”
The Xreal One glasses are lightweight and customizable, with an interchangeable front frame that can let you switch up the look. The AR wearables are also better designed for comfort in terms of weight distribution, so whether you use them for hours of work or hours of gaming, you should still have a good time. You also have the ability to swivel your head around while the screen remains anchored and stable, making the device even more impressive.
The Xreal glasses flaunt some new buttons that allow you to control the settings from the frame rather than having to turn to the connected device, which is a welcome change.
Image: Xreal One series
We Cannot Forget About the Xreal Eye Camera
The Xreal One series’ new features also include a detachable camera accessory for those who want to be able to record with the glasses. The 12MP modular camera sits below the nose bridge and captures both photos and videos from the wearer’s perspective, with HR recording at up to 1080fps. While the AI functionalities are limited for now, Xreal Eye promises multimodal AI capabilities with a future update.
Combining the glasses and the camera with the Xreal Beam Pro mobile device opens up the door for some interesting combinations of the real world with augmented reality holographic displays.
Xreal One Series Launch Details And Pricing
The Xreal One series of AR glasses are currently available for pre-order. The Xreal One is priced at $499 USD (£449 GBP/€549 Euro) and will begin shipping to customers in mid-December. The more complex Xreal One Pro is priced at $599 USD (£549 GBP/€649 Euro) and will begin shipping in early 2025.
The Xreal One will be available in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Czech, Netherlands, China, Japan, and Korea, so if you live outside these regions, you might have to wait a little longer for Xreal to consider a launch in your area.
If you’ve been meaning to toy with AR technology, the Xreal One series is a good starting point, but at the end of the day, their main function is to provide a stable or free-moving display depending on what you need. It has some audio playing and recording capabilities that make it more versatile, but it is still a few years away from maximizing the full potential of AR.