XREAL unveils affordable Apple Vision Pro competitor at CES 2024

XREAL, the company behind the XREAL Air 2 AR glasses, has revealed a brand-new device at CES 2024 that features a spatial computer, and offers a more affordable alternative to Apple’s Vision Pro Mixed Reality headset or the Meta Quest 3. The new XREAL Air 2 Ultra features a titanium ring frame, compatibility with Android, Mac, and Windows, and a 3D environment backed up by various sensors to offer a real-time 3D space.

XREAL announced the new Air 2 Ultra at its CES 2024 event, and the device is already available for developers to create unique experiences for the device. The device is available to pre-order for developers, and it starts at $699, with shipments expected to begin in March.

The XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses offer developers the new Nebula launcher that aims to improve spatial computing. The glasses feature new in-frame sensors, enabling vision capabilities to provide simultaneous location and mapping to determine the user’s location within a confined 3D space. According to the press release, developers will be able to enable hand tracking, 3D mesh creation, semantic scene understanding, and more, including future AI capabilities.

As for specs, the Air 2 Ultra provides Full HD displays for each eye, and a field-of-view (FoV) of 52 degrees and 42 pixels per degree (PPD), which XREAL says is higher than the one on the Apple Vision Pro. The wearable supports 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 500 nits, suggesting that the company uses a very similar technology to the XREAL Air 2 that we reviewed a short while ago at Pocketnow.

Furthermore, XREAL says that the Air 2 Ultra, the Air 2, and the Air 2 Pro wearables all support Apple’s spatial video feature. What this means essentially is that users will be able to convert spatial videos captured on the iPhone 15 Pro to a regular side-by-side format using third-party iPhones apps that can be viewed on the XREAL Air 2 series. XREAL claims it can provide an equally immersive virtual experience, without the added cost, and we’re keen to find out more.

The XREAL Air 2 Ultra sports a titanium frame, improving the durability and ruggedness of the wearable, while keeping the weight at just 80 grams. The company says it has optimal weight distribution, adjustable temples that offer three positions, and three nose pad options. The glasses are also aimed as a fashion piece, offering unique and classic looks.

The company says that the device is already available for pre-order for developers at $699. Shipping will start in March, 2024. The latest NRSDK is built on Unity and features improved hand tracking and hand gesture recognition. The new features are expected to become available for developers to change the way we think and use AR smart glasses, and the XREAL Air 2 Ultra promises a lot of things, and it’ll be interesting to see how the developer community reacts, and what kind of use cases it comes up with.

The XREAL Air 2 Ultra will be compatible with Mac and Windows devices, as well as Samsung Android phones, and the iPhone 15. It remains to be seen whether XREAL will add support for even more older devices, but as it stands, it’s a good start.

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  XREAL Air 2

  The XREAL Air 2 AR glasses improve on their predecessors by offering a more immersive visual experience, spatial audio, and spatial display. It comes with advanced functionality, and a plug-and-play design that lets users experience virtual worlds and experiences across most popular platforms. 

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  XREAL Air 2 Pro

  The XREAL Air 2 Pro is a more advanced version in the series, featuring the Electrochromic Dimming technology that enables users to effortlessly change the immersion level of the glasses. It comes with three modes, and it has the same compatibility and features as the XREAL Air 2.