XReal just revealed its Air 2 Ultra AR Glasses and seems pretty confident about them being the perfect alternative to the Apple Vision Pro. Unlike Apple’s painfully expensive $US3500 spatial computer headset, the Air 2 Ultra will just set you back $US700. They’re also quite decent-looking thanks to a titanium ring frame and a modern, Wayfarer-esque design.
XReal’s latest glasses succeed the XReal Air 2 and Air 2 Pro, mainly focusing on spatial computing. Embedding a pair of 3D environment sensors with computer vision capabilities, they provide real-time location and mapping intel. Apparently, these are the smallest sensors on the market and enable a couple of 3D mesh creations and semantic scene understandings.
XReal seems really insistent upon the fact that these beat the Vision Pro. It claims that its “advanced proprietary optical engine” allows you to enjoy an HD experience with a FOV (field-of-view) that is higher than that of the Cupertino company’s headset. The Air 2 Ultra peaks at a refresh rate of 120Hz and a brightness of 500 nits.
Another feature—more like a reason not to sell your kidney for the Vision Pro—that Xreal talks about is the Air 2 Ultra’s support for Apple’s latest spatial video feature. You can film spatial videos with your iPhone 15 Pro, convert them to a regular format, and play them on these glasses.
The company also boasts the titanium glass frame, which it claims is a first for the AR glasses industry. I have to admit that it gives it a premium and sturdy look, and seeing that it still weighs merely 80 grams, I think it’s a pretty good choice of material.
The Air 2 Ultra will start shipping in March 2024, but you can pre-order them starting today. They ship with Xreal’s latest NRSDK 2.2, which offers better hand tracking and hand gesture recognition compared to its predecessor. As for compatibility, the glasses work with a bunch of platforms, including but not limited to Mac and Windows Laptops, Samsung Android phones, and iPhone 15.