Review:
Xreal Air 2 & Air 2 Pro AR Smart Glasses + The Beam
Julia Laurent, SmartGlassesOn
Published 15:03, Fri February 16, 2024
PRO's
- Awesome AR experience
- Comfortable for longer gaming sessions
- Electrochromic dimming
- Possibility for prescription lenses
- Virtual displays save space
CON's
- Prescription lenses are a bit expensive
PRO's
- Optimizes your AR experience
- Perfect for gamers who want to take gaming to the next level
- Allows for spatial displays
CON's
- Extra cost
Experience the Future: A Closer Look at the Xreal Air 2’s and the Beam
The Xreal Air 2 regular and Air 2 Pro smart glasses aim to enhance the advancements made by previous iterations from Nreal (now Xreal), boasting brighter and more captivating internal displays along with intelligent electrochromic dimming capabilities. If connected to it’s ideal extension, the Beam, you will unlock it’s full potential and experience a new world of augmented reality.
Unboxing
First and foremost the packaging is incredible looking. I’ve seen some reviews online showing this off and it looks quite unique.
The first thing I noticed was the beautiful black case holding the AR glasses and charging cable. Inside the case is a nice microfiber lining which is nice. Underneath the case I found extra nose pieces, prescription glasses piece, start guides and a cleaning cloth.
Design
The design of these glasses bears a striking resemblance to the iconic Ray-Ban Wayfarer style, which I believe is a significant selling point for this product. Even compared to Apple’s Vision Pro headset, renowned for its design prowess and expertise, these glasses maintain a more refined aesthetic. The Xreal Air 2’s AR smart glasses are slightly larger than standard glasses, but it’s barely noticeable. The glasses are light and weigh only about 75 grams, they sit comfortably on the face and the weight distribution is good, with neither the front nor the back feeling overly heavy.
The frame arms are flexible and I didn’t feel it giving too much pressure on the temples. The quality feels good and the glasses arrive with plenty of attachments in the box allowing you to swap out components, such as nose pads to ensure a comfortable fit on the face. I must say Xreal did a good job in making these smart glasses more comfortable compared to their predecessors. I’ve worn these for three hours straight and they didn’t feel heavy on the face.
Brightness
The brightness of the display is rated at 500 nits, which is 100 nits brighter than the previous Airs. In use cases like sitting at home, even in a relatively bright living room, I found the screen to be more than bright enough. On occasions when there was too much light coming in from outside, Xreal includes an attachment that you clip onto the front of the lenses to block out external light. If you opt for the Pro model, which costs 50$ more than the regular model, it includes electrochromic dimming which in darkest mode only lets in 0.1% of light, so it is almost completely dark but you can still slightly see your environment so you don’t feel blind. With the regular Air Pros model, the standby button is used to switch between three levels of dimming on the lenses. They can go from 0% to 35% all the way up to 100% dimming. The electrochromic dimming is the only difference between the Xreal Airs and Air 2 Pros.
Picture
As we’ve come to expect from AR glasses utilizing micro-OLED displays, the Air 2’s visuals are large, bright, and vibrant. The 1080p resolution provides a sharp image, making it enjoyable to play games, watch movies, and work while wearing the glasses. Occasionally, the lower left and right corners appeared slightly blurry and faded, a problem I also encountered with the TCL NXTWear S. Adjusting the glasses to find the optimal angle and position usually resolved this issue. Despite the occasional corner blurriness, the majority of the display remained clear.
The glasses boast a 120Hz refresh rate, similar to the Rokid Max and the RayNeo Air 2, whereas the NXTWear S and the Viture One have a 60Hz refresh rate. When connected to a Lenovo Legion Go, the 120Hz refresh rate provided a smooth experience while playing Star Ocean 2: The Second Story. Although this higher refresh rate isn’t noticeable when using the glasses with a Nintendo Switch or watching most videos, it’s a significant advantage when paired with a PC capable of achieving high frame rates.
These smart glasses feature a 0.55-inch Sony micro-OLED panel with a 1,920-by-1,080 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Their 46-degree field of view is slightly narrower than the Rokid Max’s 50 degrees but wider than the Viture One’s 43 degrees.
Sound
The two small speakers built into the frames have been significantly upgraded with a much richer and fuller sound and are also more directional to your ears so people around you hear less. Sound does leak from the speakers, although this was not anywhere as bad as I thought it would be. I think if you are watching content in a crowded place you could probably get away with not disturbing people while still being able to hear what you’re watching. If you are indoors and sit on the couch next to your partner, I’d say the sound leakage would probably be enough for them to hear everything you’re watching. If you don’t want to disturb anyone you can connect a pair of headphones to the device you’ve connected your glasses to (laptop, smartphone or gaming console).
Connecting your Xreal Smart Glasses
To be able to view your laptop screen in your Xreal glasses you will need to download some software which enables you to run a virtual desktop on the glasses.
Step 1: Connect the Glasses
- Connect your XREAL glasses to your computer using the USB-C cable.
- Click on “Connect.”
- When a pop-up window appears, select “XREAL Air 2/Air 2 Pro” from the device list and click “Connect.”
Note: Ensure only one pair of XREAL glasses is connected to your laptop during the update. Do not connect multiple pairs or any XREAL Adapter simultaneously. Your computer screen may flash during the connection process.
Step 2: Update MCU Firmware
- In any pop-up windows, select “XREAL Air 2/Air 2 Pro” from the device list and click “Connect.”
- Keep the current page open and do not disconnect your glasses during the update.
- Ensure the MCU firmware update is complete before proceeding to the DP firmware update to prevent functionality issues.
- Your laptop screen might flash or black out during the update. Please be patient.
Step 3: Update DP Firmware
- In any pop-up windows, select “XREAL Air 2/Air 2 Pro” from the device list and click “Connect.”
- Keep the current page open and do not disconnect your glasses during the update.
- Make sure the MCU firmware update is complete before starting the DP firmware update to avoid any issues.
- Your laptop screen might flash or black out during the update. Please be patient.
Troubleshooting:
- If you encounter any issues, disconnect the glasses, refresh the page, and start the process over.
Virtual displays
Using this mode, you can either mirror your computer screen to the glasses or do this with an additional one or two virtual displays. I am used to using multiple screens while working in my real setup and I can’t tell you how happy I was to be able to mimic this setup anywhere I am. Text is sharp and clear and I was able to work using Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Office and answering some emails on my gmail account.
Another great feature with Xreal virtual desktops is that they’re completely private to you, nobody can see them except you. If you for example use two virtual displays, one on the right, and one on the left, there only visible to you. If you are someone who travels much and perform work on the go and require some privacy, then these glasses are perfect for you. What I really like about this mode is that it does not require a beam, you simply connect directly to your computer. If you don’t have a USB-C output on your smartphone or computer you must purchase an adapter to make the connection work.
Corrective Lenses
The Xreal Air 2’s are not designed to be worn with glasses over the top; they sit on your face like regular glasses, replacing any you would normally wear. You can use contact lenses when wearing the Xreal glasses or you can insert some prescription lenses. A prescription lens frame is included in the box, and you would simply order your prescription from any of the approved manufacturers, attach them to the fram and then swap that into the glasses. You can upload your prescription on one of the approved websites, and they send your lenses a few days later.
If you wear corrective lenses, note that the Air 2 lacks focus dials, unlike the Rokid Max and Viture One. Nearsighted users will likely need to order prescription lens inserts. XReal’s official US manufacturer of lens inserts, offers them at a significant cost of $150 (or $200 for bifocals).
The Beam
The beam have buttons and no display. This unit is simply a control method for the glasses, like an extra brain or companion device. With the beam connected you can view a 330″ screen in the air, so it feels like you are watching a real-world TV. It is possible to adjust the size of the screen in front of you, which is not possible if you connect directly to the glasses. The Beam can turn any video output into a spatial display and offers three different modes.
Smooth follow – In this mode the display is projected directly in front of your head. As you turn your head, the display turns with you, ensuring that it is always in front of you. By default, this is the method that the glasses will operate if you connect directly to something without the beam. However, Xreal claims there is a better smooth follow if you connect to the beam, especially if you plan using the glasses in an environment with lot of vibration like on a plane or a bus.
Sideview – In this mode the screen is reduced in size and placed in one of the four corners in front of you. The idea behind this mode is to enable you to watch something while still having a complete view of what is happening in front of you. If you enjoy multitasking, this is the mode for you.
Body Anchor – The display is fixed in front of you, if you move your head, the screen remains in place allowing you to focus on a specific area. In other words, the screen is similar to your fixed TV screen in one location.
Gaming
I wanted to test the glasses while gaming but to make the connection work I had to purchase the beam, which I did because gaming the main reason I purchased these glasses. The gaming consoles I tried the glasses with was the Playstation 5 and the Nintendo Switch. You will need an HDMI out to USB-C cable to connect to a PS5 or an Xbox. If you have a Nintendo Switch you can just use a USB-C cable and connect directly to the beam. You connect the console to the beam and then connect the beam to the glasses.
The battery life of the beam is 3.5 hours play time and charges 50 % in 30 minutes. Xreal have highlighted that it is possible to charge the beam while using it, although I would say it is possible to charge while playing it the discharge rate is quicker than the charging rate and you would require adapters and cables to figure out exactly how you combine them to make this work. Xreal have not been very clear in how to charge and play the beam unlimited at the same time which is a bit disappointing. Many people have shown their unsatisfinement online and question why Xreal simply didn’t add a seperate charging port to the beam, but if you’re like me and become satisfied with 1 – 2 hours gaming per day, this should be no problem for you.
Gaming Experience
I played God of War and Call of Duty Modern Warfare on the PS5 without experiencing any lag. Even though it was a new gaming setup for me to play in, I quickly got immersed into the world of gaming. I forgot I was wearing the Xreal glasses and overall the experience was quite nice. Keep on mind that you can also play games on your smartphone and view them in the glasses.
Bundle
If you combine the Xreal AR smart glasses and JoyDock they can be purchased in bundle for a better price. Check it out here.
Conclusion
These smartglasses are definately a wow factor. Although some extra accessories have to be purhcased depending on the intention, I still think these glasses are revolutionary in the terms of how fast we are progressing towards virtual displays. If you’re someone who are primarly going to use the smart glasses for Netflix, or some multi-screen work on your laptop, you could get away with not buying the beam. If you plan on connecting the glasses to a gaming console then you must purchase the extra accessories.
Considering that the only difference between the Xreal Air 2 and Air 2 Pro’s is the electrochromic dimming, I would purchase the Xreal Air 2’s and put the extra money investing in the beam, even though you might not be into gaming, I would recommend purchasing the beam to use the glasses full potential such as the spatial displays. The wiring connection can feel bulky sometimes, but I got used to it quickly. Lastly, I must say that I’m glad I could experience the augmented reality Xreal had to offer, much thanks to the price which I believe is quite affordable compared to the Apple vision pro which is much more expensive.
PRO's
- Awesome AR experience
- Comfortable for longer gaming sessions
- Electrochromic dimming
- Possibility for prescription lenses
- Virtual displays save space
CON's
- Prescription lenses are a bit expensive
PRO's
- Optimizes your AR experience
- Perfect for gamers who want to take gaming to the next level
- Allows for spatial displays
CON's
- Extra cost