Xreal unveils Xreal Air 2 Ultra AR glasses

Xreal unveiled the Xreal Air 2 Ultra AR glasses for developers and consumers at the CES 2024 trade show in Las Vegas today.

Xreal, formerly known as Nreal, aims to redefine spatial computing, offering developers and consumers an affordable and advanced solution that opens doors to limitless mixed reality experiences. Pre-orders for the Xreal Air 2 Ultra are now available for developers at a price of $700, with shipping expected to commence in March.

Xreal CEO Chi Xu is excited about releasing the developer version worldwide. In a statement, Xu said, “Xreal Air 2 Ultra is designed to catapult developers into the immersive world of spatial computing, packed with advanced technology, style, and comfort. We believe in making wearable 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) glasses accessible to all players in the XR development ecosystem.”

The Xreal Air 2 Ultra introduces a titanium ring frame, setting it apart from conventional AR glasses and merging fashion with functionality.

It promises an immersive spatial computing experience, featuring dual 3D environment sensors equipped with computer vision capabilities for accurate location tracking within a 3D space. These sensors offer hand tracking, 3D mesh creation, semantic scene understanding, and future AI capabilities, providing developers with a canvas to explore new spatial computing experiences.

The timing is interesting, as Xreal is making a splash at CES 2024 just ahead of Apple’s launch of its Apple Vision Pro AR/VR headset — an event that should spur competition in the AR market. Meta also launched the Meta Quest 3, another mixed reality headset. But Xreal’s main focus is on AR, not VR, and its appeal is putting the equivalent of a 120-inch digital screen in front of your eyes for entertainment.

The glasses boast high-definition viewing with full HD for each eye, a field-of-view (FOV) of 52°, and 42 pixels per degree (PPD), surpassing the capabilities of Apple Vision Pro, Xreal said. Additionally, a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a peak brightness of 500 nits ensure crisp and vibrant visuals, while virtual 2D screen casting mimics a 154-inch display from 13 feet away. The device also integrates cinematic-grade audio and directional sound technology for privacy and minimal disturbance.

To enhance user comfort during prolonged usage, Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses are TÜV Rheinland certified for color accuracy, eye comfort, low blue light, and flicker-free usage, surpassing ISO standards for image quality and viewing comfort.

At CES 2024 (Central Hall #15060), Xreal will tout “The Spatial Life” experience, showcasing an intuitive approach to interacting with digital content. This demo integrates familiar 2D applications into a fully immersive 3D environment, offering an infinite canvas for multitasking augmented overlays controlled by users’ eyes, hands, and voice.

Additionally, Xreal introduced the Mirage Shard Tracking Kit, enabling interaction through physical buttons within virtual interfaces, sparking creativity among developers.

Xreal Air 2 Ultra’s pre-orders include the latest NRSDK 2.2, built on Unity, offering improved hand tracking, hand gesture recognition, and depth mesh with semantic labeling, revolutionizing the AR experience.

Developers who previously purchased Nreal Light glasses can get a $100 discount when pre-ordering XREAL Air 2 Ultra.

International Data Corporation (IDC) reported that Xreal grabbed a 51% market share in the global AR segment during Q3 2023. This milestone crowns Xreal as the industry’s revenue and shipment leader. It’s a small market still, but it’s growing fast.

IDC’s data revealed that Xreal contributed to 58% of the year-over-year increased shipments in 2023 within the consumer AR market. With a shipment record of 350,000 AR glasses to date, XREAL’s Air series AR glasses are Amazon’s best-selling products in the smart glasses category.