- XReal has launched Air 2 Ultra AR Glasses at CES 2024. Pre-orders have begun today.
- While being aimed at developers, anyone can purchase these new AR glasses for $699.
- Xreal has put two 3D environment sensors here. The resolution is 1080p per eye, and the FOV is higher at 52 degrees. The refresh rate goes up to 120Hz.
XReal has launched new Augmented Reality (AR) glasses at CES 2024, known as XReal Air 2 Ultra. These have been launched in competition with other VR and AR products, like Meta’s Quest 3 and Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro. By the way, XReal was previously known as Nreal.
The XReal Air 2 Ultra has been touted as a “spatial computing platform,” and is available to pre-order from now. It has dual 3D environment sensors, which can precisely map out the real world quite swiftly. According to XReal, these are also the world’s first Titanium AR glasses, which provide lightweight & durable build quality.
XReal Air 2 Ultra has 1080p displays (one for each eye) with up to 500 nits of brightness. The refresh rate is 120Hz, and they support 6 DoF tracking. Hand-tracking is also a new feature of these new Xreal AR glasses. The field of view (FOV) is wider, at 52 degrees (previously 46 degrees on the Air 2).
These Ultra AR glasses are a bit heavier at 80g, which is 8g higher than the previously released Air 2. The company claims they can show the user a supersized display of up to 154 inches. Despite the additional hardware, XReal’s Air 2 Ultra should be comfortable enough to wear being several times lower than the weight of conventional VR headsets.
A lightweight build is vital for any VR/AR headset you wear on your head. I’ve heard of customer reviews where people have even switched to XReal’s AR Glasses as their main gaming display, a testament to how comfortable & lightweight the company’s AR Glasses feel. Xreal will be bringing new AR apps, and many such experiences will be coming from various developers, too.
For better comfort (apart from weight), XReal Air 2 Ultra also features Electrochromic Dimming. With this, the user can dynamically change between three different levels of dimming and optimize viewing comfort in indoor & outdoor situations. There are also built-in microphones and speakers, and XReal does call them a ‘Best-in-class audio system’.
Developers can make unique AR experiences by taking advantage of spatial computing capabilities on the XReal Spatial Computing platform. The company’s XReal’s NRSDK 2.2 platform is coming in a few months!
Xreal is quite good at AR glasses, and we’ve been wondering if they will make AR a very promising technology in the future. In our Nreal Air (1st gen) review, the use cases proved to be quite useful for your smartphone, Steam Deck, or gaming console. You could just plug in the AR glasses with the versatile compatibility of other devices and start enjoying the content on a massive screen.
With the launch of XReal Air 2 Ultra, I am excited to see how far AR technology has come. One day, it is possible AR products like these replace our conventional ways of immersing ourselves in content.
XReal Air 2 Ultra: Price & Availability
XReal has designed the new Air 2 Ultra primarily for AR developers. Despite this, anyone can still buy them at the official website where pre-orders have already begun. These new AR glasses with beefed-up features cost $699. Reportedly, shipping begins from March 2025 onwards.
These are a great launch at CES 2024! The new AR glasses from XReal will be available in the US and several Asian countries, including Korea, China, and Japan, along with the Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic, France, and Germany.
What are your thoughts on the XReal Air 2 Ultra? Let us know in the comments below.
