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XREAL has just announced new AR glasses, the XREAL Air 2 Ultra. These AR glasses bring full-featured spatial computing to the table and are trying to be a much more affordable alternative to Apple Vision Pro… kind of.
The XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses bring full-featured spatial computing to the table
The XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses bring back 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) spatial tracking and hand tracking. On top of that, you’re also getting a wider 52-degree FoV (field of view) here, and 42 pixels per degree (PPD) sharpness.
These AR glasses weigh only 80 grams, as XREAL opted for a titanium frame. The company did that not only to shave off some weight, but also to make the whole package more premium, and more durable.
They are much, much more affordable than the Apple Vision Pro
There is a reason we mentioned the Apple Vision Pro earlier, as XREAL does too. The company is comparing some of the specs here with what the Apple Vision Pro offers. Considering a huge price tag difference, that’s interesting. Speaking of which, the XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses are priced at $699, while the Apple Vision Pro costs $3,499.
That being said, the XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses need a connection to an external computing unit to work. You can connect them to a smartphone, a computer, or XREAL’s Beam module. They connect via a Type-C cable. That is something we’ve shown in our XREAL Air 2 review.
How are these glasses different from the Air 2’s? Well, the emphasis is on the 6DoF spatial computing, even though that’s not the only difference. That means that you can map virtual objects to the real world.
XREAL included two front-facing 3D environment sensors on the front
There are two front-facing 3D environment sensors included on these glasses. You’ll need those and a compatible smartphone or computer in order to take full advantage of these glasses. You’ll need to be able to run the Nebula launcher.
Do note that only the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S22, and iPhone 15 are supported. XREAL has no plans to expand on that, at least not yet. Windows and Mac machines are on board too. XREAL is preparing a new custom computing unit to go with the Air 2 Ultra, though.
These glasses also support three electrochromic dimming levels for increased immersion. They also have directional audio technology for improved privacy and dual microphones for voice interaction.
XREAL used the same Sony micro OLED panel here as it did on the Air 2 model, with 1080p resolution per eye. A 120Hz refresh rate is also included, and these displays go up to 500 nits of brightness. That is decreased in 3D mode, though.
The XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses are now available to pre-order for $699.