Xreal has always done the USB-C monitor-in-glasses thing better than most.
Now they have a budget entry. The X by Xreal a01.
It costs $299. A whole lot less than their other gear. And yes it carries the main Xreal name under a slightly new sub-brand umbrella but who cares about corporate branding when you can save three figures.
They cut some corners. You know that right away.
The field of view shrinks to 50 degrees. Gone is the dimming lens. The chip that locks your digital window to the wall is also absent. If you compared this to the Xreal One Pro or 1S it would look like a step down.
But wait.
Look at the brightness. These micro OLED displays hit 1,600 nits. That is far brighter than the older models. Brighter even than the recent TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro in certain conditions. Plus there is HDR10 video support. The weight? A featherlight 62 grams.
There’s something else. Something actually new.
An “anti-shake” mode. It claims to keep video stable while you walk around. Try that with older sets. Also swappable fronts. You snap them on. Off. Clear lenses for inside. Sunglasses for outside. They look different. You change them up.
Who doesn’t like cheap versatile eyewear that might not shake when you move.
Stability is usually the biggest complaint with portable AR displays.
The glasses hit China now. The US gets them in July. I will test them then. Maybe they will knock the RayNeo off its budget throne. Or maybe this year of smart glasses will just continue its chaotic overload.
We wait and see.
