AR glasses that are light on your face (and your wallet)

The battle for video glasses supremacy continues, and if there’s a titan in space right now, it’s Xreal. Thanks to its partnership with Google, Xreal has risen to the top of the list in terms of name-brand recognition in wired networks. AR/XR glasses space. But just because you’re recognizable doesn’t mean you can get your name out there, you also need to make solid eyewear that people want to buy.

One surefire way to expand your potential audience is to lower the price a01+The first glasses under the Xreal sub-brand, X by Xreal (XBX for short), is what the booming AR/XR company is doing. At $299, the a01+ are Xreal’s cheapest glasses to date and the most readily available, but with fierce competition from companies like RayNeo, are they really a must-buy?

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Cheaper does not always mean worse

XBX’s a01+ glasses may be cheaper, but in my experience, they are sufficient for most people new to video glasses, albeit with some caveats.

(Note: These glasses are compatible iPhone 1516, 17 and any Android phone or gaming handheld that supports DisplayPort technology. They’ll generally work with any laptop or desktop computer with a USB-C port.)

As with any video glasses, the first thing to note about the a01+ is the micro OLED display, which feels surprisingly nice for the price tag. It has a maximum brightness of 1600 nits, a resolution (in 2D) of 1920 x 1080 and a maximum refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It also has an AI mode that upscales SDR content to look like HDR10 and HDR, in addition to the SDR modes.

All this adds up to a bright and high-quality display experience that is, for the most part, bright enough for most people. I tested the display in a variety of scenarios, including viewing Like content Dune: Part Two and lots of content on YouTube. The Dune the experience was great—I watched it for about an hour in total, switching between different modes, and I can see why you’d want to watch a movie that way, especially on a plane or commuting from work somewhere.

The screen expands to a 147-inch screen, which, while smaller at $299, is huge. RayNeo Air 4 Proit becomes a 201-inch screen in the glasses. The screen is quite dynamic in the SDR setting, but if you want to increase the dynamic range, you can change the screen to HDR10 by double-tapping the “X” button and opening the settings. HDR10 definitely has more nuance and better contrast, but depending on what device you’re watching from, it can reduce the brightness a bit. He looks Dune from me iPhone 17for example, there was a drastic reduction, although I didn’t really notice much of a difference when viewing content from a laptop.

To test AI HDR, I watched an older, visually darker sci-fi/horror movie. shadow zone, On the iPhone 17, I thought it could add more contrast and color, and indeed it did – everything looked a little more saturated and contrasty. I can’t say that the experience was actually better, but it seemed different. Personally, I’m not a big fan of modes on any display (especially TVs) that feature high-end content with AI, so I don’t think AI HDR is for me, but if you’re into that sort of thing, it technically serves its purpose.

In addition to the definition modes, there are also various color modes including standard, cinema and eye care. Cinema adds a warmer, filmy tone to content, while eye care filters out blue light and makes images less harsh. There’s not a ton of variety here, but each one works as you’d think. I definitely liked the movie mode while watching Dune: Part Two Although it did lend a sort of yellowish quality to the viewing experience, although if you’re a purist, that’s not really the case.

Watching media isn’t the only thing you’ll want to do with the a01+; With a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, the glasses are also solid for gaming. I tested some by playing Fortnite on my laptop and I didn’t notice any lag, especially when I used an Xbox controller connected to the USB-C port. The experience was smooth and bright, and I wouldn’t hesitate to introduce the a01+ as a gaming monitor if I was in the right situation, say on an airplane. I doubt the experience is that wild ROG Xreal R1 AR Glasses Those with a 240Hz refresh rate, however, felt good for the casual gamer.

I also tested out some 3D content on YouTube, which was a lot of fun. Unlike other Xreal glasses like the Xreal One, One Pro, and 1S, the a01+ can’t convert 2D content to 3D, but it does support side-by-side (SBS) 3D content, so if you can find or create an SBS version of something, you can rewatch it in 3D on the a01+.

I can’t see myself watching much 3D content, but it’s nice to have. If there’s one knock against Xreal here, competitors like the RayNeo Air 4 Pro come with their own utilities that allow you to convert 2D content like images to 3D. If that’s a priority for you, it makes AR glasses a little more versatile in terms of 3D content. If not, then you can completely ignore this discrepancy.

The RayNeo Air 4 Pro also has a slight advantage in sound quality. The a01+ doesn’t sound bad, but it’s a tad louder than the RayNeo’s glasses, despite having a few different sound options. In addition to the standard sound mode, there is “Cinema” which enhances vocals, “Whisper” which is designed to reduce sound leakage and “3D Surround” which is designed to provide a “360-degree spatial soundstage”.

To be honest, I didn’t notice a huge difference between them, but I enjoyed the Cinema option the most when watching movies — the soundstage is definitely wider and it made things a little clearer. Still, the RayNeo delivers subtler sounds, thanks in part to Bang & Olufsen speakers.

I should also mention that there is no spatial computing element for these glasses. Unlike the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, which has three degrees of freedom (3DoF), the a01+ has none, meaning they can’t track your head at all. It won’t matter if spatial computing isn’t on your to-do list, but if you want to use these glasses for everyday computing and spend the same amount of money, the RayNeo is a better choice.

Easy on your wallet and your face

The RayNeo may have a slight edge in terms of screen size, spatial computing, and audio, but if there’s one area where I can beat Xreal here, it’s hardware. First of all, the a01+ is incredibly light, weighing 62 grams with the front bezel attached and 56 grams without. The RayNeo Air 4 Pro, for context, weighs 78g including the nose pads.

Although this may not seem like a huge difference, it is noticeable on your face. I often felt (if it wasn’t for the cable that slightly hindered my movement and the nose pads that pushed against my face) I wasn’t wearing anything. In fact, the a01+ is so light that I took the case a few times to make sure there were no glasses inside.

Besides being lightweight, the a01+ is also comfortable. There are several different sizes of nose pads, which is a welcome addition if you’re like me and have a larger nose. You can also adjust the arms at three different angles on the vertical axis in case you feel like the screen isn’t sitting where it should be on your face. This is important for comfort, but also to ensure you can see the screen properly.

Another nice touch is the ability to customize the a01+’s front lenses. If you want to change the look, you can simply pull the lenses up and remove them – I was a little scared at first as I was afraid of breaking them. After that, you can wear different lenses. XBX sells transparent and shaded ones. Out of the box, my a01+ came with slightly shaded, sunglass-like lenses and also a black shade for maximum darkness. If you’re a DIY person, you can also 3D print your own lenses.

For most people using the a01+ at home, the styling options won’t matter, but if you plan on using these out in the world, it’s really nice to be able to customize the look a bit. AR/XR glasses already tend to make people look ugly, so anything you can do to reduce that goes a long way. Plus, it was fairly easy to insert and remove components.

Overall, the hardware is simple, which is fine by me. Under the right arm of the glasses is a rocker for brightness and volume control: a single press up or down controls the brightness, and a long press controls the volume. There’s also an X button that opens the settings menu with a double tap. You can also press and hold this button to activate 3D mode. The buttons work well once you get the hang of them. It’s not the fastest way to control the UI, but it gets the job done.

Hardware-wise, the only knock I have against the a01+ is that the glasses are a bit toasty. After using it for a short time, I feel hot on my head. It’s not enough to feel like I’m on fire or anything, but it made me a little nervous at first. Rest assured, it has never been hotter after prolonged use – certainly not hot enough to really bother me.

It’s also worth noting that, like other video glasses, you should be prepared for the battery to run out. I watched for 45 minutes The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring settings I would choose to watch a movie if I were on a plane, for example: cinema sound mode on, 100% screen brightness, 75% volume and SDR on. My iPhone 17 battery dropped from 100% to 87%. It’s a pretty strong hit after less than an hour, but no matter what pair you’re wearing, it takes a lot of juice to power the bright display.

Overall, the a01+ is solid in terms of hardware and offers a good mix of comfort, customization and ease of use.

Great AR glasses if you’re not into spatial computing

There are several pairs AR glasses there, but not by much at the price point that Xreal offers. At $299, the a01+ is more robust. They have a bright, sharp screen that works well for movies and games, and enough features to provide some versatility. They fall short of the comparably priced RayNeo Air 4 Pro in terms of screen size, sound, and spatial computing, but are slightly ahead in terms of hardware.

These glasses light, and the added customization — while it won’t appeal to everyone — is a nice touch and should be noted by anyone planning to wear their AR glasses in public. By most accounts, XBX’s a01+ are competitive (and competitively priced) AR glasses that should keep Xreal in the entry-level game.