The world of mixed reality is gaining momentum quite quickly just a few weeks into 2024 and the XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses are the latest gadgets to join the party. The XREAL glasses are not the company’s first experiment with mixed reality as they’ve been in the business since 2019. Back when the company was still Nreal, they debuted the Nreal Light glasses at CES 2019 and haven’t slowed down on the innovation ever since. The wearable display glasses have only kept evolving since, bringing to us the XREAL Air 2 Ultra today. While mainstream brand names like Meta and Sony often take a lion’s share of the market’s attention when it comes to technology, companies like XREAL still manage to break through to the masses with their innovation.
REAL Air 2 Ultra—Leading the Era of Smart Tech Wearables
Whether you’re considering investing in AR technology or watching it apprehensively from a distance, there is no denying that the industry is steadily moving ahead. The XREAL Air 2 Ultra is a good example of this potential and proof that you may not need the premium price tag to create a device that does its job well. Brands like XREAL appear to be taking the opening of Apple Vision Pro competitors very seriously and the Air 2 Ultra appears to improve the XREAL Air 2 series as a whole.
XREAL Air 2 Ultra Specs
In terms of display, the XREAL glasses use Sony micro OLED panels that support 1920x1080p resolution, 500 nits brightness and a 52-degree field of view. The ultra-sharp display promises a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz for 3D content and 120 Hz for 2D streaming. The titanium wearable display glasses offer electrochemical dimming that allows users to change between three dimming levels that can help you use them in varying light settings, whether indoor or outdoor.
Weighing 80g with 3 position temple adjustments, the XREAL Air 2 Ultra should offer a comfortable fit for everyone. The device features three options for zero-pressure nose pads in addition and much like the Apple Vision Pro offering prescription lenses, the XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses are designed to support prescription lens frames. Buyers should note that their prescription lens frames from the older Air and Air 2 models will not be compatible with the new device so a separate purchase will be necessary. Interestingly the device features 2 built-in stereo speakers and microphones with directional audio technology that should let you listen to your audio privately even when it is played out loud.
Presenting 6 DoF Tracking and Other technology
The XREAL glasses feature two front-facing 3D environment sensors that support the 6DoF tracking technology (six degrees of freedom) which can allow you to walk around your virtual space without having to be rooted in one position. With its head tracking feature you should be able to look around at your virtual screen and the additional hand tracking will allow you to interact with what you see virtually. Such technology packed into such simple-looking wearable display glasses will stop leaving us awed.
We’ll have to acknowledge that the glasses do not run all on their own and need to be connected to another device to be fully functional, whether a smartphone or a PC. This detail is not as apparent from the visuals but for someone looking for a pair of glasses that can handle all of its battery and processing needs on its own, the XREAL Air 2 Ultra might not be the perfect answer. However, that shouldn’t stop you from considering the device as a worthy AR offering as it still exceeds expectations in terms of its useability.
XREAL Air 2 Ultra Price
The Apple Vision Pro competitor also aims to get more developers on board to make the most of its AR environment launcher, Nebula, and its latest software development kit. The tools and resources involved should allow developers to leverage spatial computing features in their applications and the more applications there are, the more users it will attract to the device. Developers should be able to create more immersive AR experiences and collaborate with the 3D environment sensors to make the most of the XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses.
The XREAL Air 2 Ultra price of $699 might seem a little expensive for now but it does have the potential to fully live up to the price tag. It’s undeniably cheaper than the much-awaited Apple Vision Pro which is priced at $3499 and the Meta Quest Pro priced at $1000. It is also quite a bit more expensive than the Meta Quest 3, which is $499 and is often the top choice for those who want to try wearable display glasses and headsets without taking too many risks on an unfamiliar brand. The XREAL glasses might still do quite well if developers seriously turn to the device and take the company up on what they have to offer.
The XREAL Light
With a larger screen and better technology to power the device since the first XREAL glasses, the XREAL Light, the company has come a long way. As a way to acknowledge this growth and show gratitude to those who purchased the older XREAL glasses, the company is also offering $100 off for those who use a provided promo code for their next purchase of the XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses. If you’re not among the lucky few, the new versions might be worth a purchase, or even the XREAL Light which has a final sale price cut of $399, down from the original $699 price. While these might not be as fancy to look at as the latest XREAL Air 2 Ultra, you can still try out their SDK support features and test out the potential of their future device.