Xreal Targets Apple Vision Pro with Its Latest Augmented Reality Glasses
Augmented reality company Xreal has announced the Air 2 Ultra, the latest addition to its Air glasses line, priced at $699. Developers can order the glasses now, with delivery starting in March.
Air 2 Ultra is positioned as a rival to Meta’s Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro headphones, with better features compared to the $ 399 Air 2 model that Xreal (formerly Nreal) will announce in 2023.
Like its sunglasses form factor, the Air 2 Ultra offers complete spatial tracking (six degrees of freedom, or 6DOF), making it suitable for many uses.
The glasses are designed to run immersive augmented reality (AR) applications in addition to traditional uses like watching TV or playing tablet games. Xreal envisions developers taking advantage of all the features of these glasses to make the AR experience easier.
Positioned as a “spatial computing” device similar to its predecessor, a lightweight mixed reality device, the Air 2 Ultra is all over the place. These cameras map the user’s environment, enabling features such as hand tracking.
Unlike the Air 2, the Air 2 Ultra projects a floating image in front of the user’s eyes, encouraging the creation of apps that seamlessly blend physical and digital space.
With a 52-degree field of view (compared to the Air 2’s 46 degrees), 500 nits of brightness, a 1080p screen for each eye, and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, the Air 2 Ultra delivers an upgraded visual experience. However, it is slightly heavier at 80 grams, compared to the 72 grams of the standard Air 2.
Like its predecessor, the Air 2 Ultra can be connected to various computing devices, including macOS and Windows-based computers, Samsung Android phones, and the iPhone 15. Support for Xreal’s Nebula AR environment is available on Android, macOS, and Windows.
While initially targeted at developers, the Air 2 Ultra will be available for purchase through Xreal’s website, catering to a broader audience. It will be shipped to the United States, England, China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.
Before this announcement, Xreal announced that it had sold 350,000 pairs of AR glasses to date and planned to expand Air 2 to more countries in 2024.
With the launch of Air 2 Ultra, competition in the region is indeed stronger. , positions itself as a direct competitor to major companies Apple and Meta. Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro, in particular, is said to be announced in February and promises an immersive experience when running on a flat screen.
Meanwhile, Meta’s $499 Quest 3, released in October, combines virtual reality with mixed reality. Unlike Xreal’s direct projection, both competitors use over-stitching, which involves digital input to video. However, it is worth noting that Meta is still researching projection-based AR glasses and Apple may be on a similar path.
