XREAL is finally making AR glasses a little less intimidating. The company’s new X By XREAL (AKA xbx) was just announced as a more accessible sub-brand aimed at people who want the big-screen experience without diving straight into premium hardware.
The brand’s first product is the a01, which is a pair of lightweight AR glasses that are available in China now, while the US launch is expected to kick off in July for a starting price tag of $299.
Are AR glasses finally having their budget-mainstream moment?
The pricing is easily one of the most interesting aspects of the a01. In their official announcement, X By XREAL compared it to the iPhone SE, and some even referred to it as the “MacBook Neo of AR glasses,” which is a pretty useful way to look at it. This product is just trying to be approachable AR glasses to make the category easier to enter.
XREAL’s new xbx a01 weighs just 62 grams, making it the lightest frame in its category. It uses a 1600-nit HDR10 ultra-bright display, supports 14 brightness levels, and has dual-layer MicroOLED panels with a dedicated image enhancement chip. You also get 1.07 billion colors, global real-time AI SDR-to-HDR conversion, and a 50-degree field of view, which XREAL says is equivalent to a 147-inch screen from four meters away.
Cheap, but not boring
The a01 also has a bit more personality than the usual black-glasses-with-cables formula. XREAL is using a semi-transparent body and interchangeable front frames, so users can swap the look depending on mood or style. The company even says tinkerers can 3D print their own front-frame accessories.
But there are some compromises, of course. a01 does not have camera-based 3DoF tracking; instead, it uses software-driven stabilization and anti-shake. The company’s press material says the spatial anti-shake algorithm is built to keep the image stable during commutes, flights, and high-speed rail rides without blurring details or washing out colors.
This isn’t exactly an Apple Vision Pro competitor, but it can function as a pocket cinema for phones, handheld consoles, laptops, and travel. for $299, this is a much easier sell as well.