Meet X By XREAL — I’m testing the MacBook Neo of AR glasses that people can actually afford

When you look at the best AR glasses you can buy, they do come with quite a hefty price tag — namely because of all the innovations in increasing picture size and quality, while also using cameras and sensors to create a spatial computing experience.

But what if you’re like most people and just want a glorified portable monitor condensed down to a pair of glasses for your laptop or Nintendo Switch? And what if you don’t want to spend many hundreds of dollars to get there?

Well, the value answer has been the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, but a new colorful competitor is coming. These are the $299 X By Xreal a01s, and I’m the only person outside of China to be showing you a pair in person right now. Let me tell you about how AR glasses are hitting their MacBook Neo era of figuring out how to give you maximum bang for your buck.

X By XREAL a01 Specs

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Display	1080p Micro-OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 1600 nits brightness HDR 10
Field of view	50 degrees
Audio	Stereo speakers
Size	5.8 x 2 x 6.2 inches
Weight	2.2 ounces
Price	$299

Cost-cutting measures

So I know what the first question is — I had the same one. What has been killed off to cut the price? A few things have been cut, but nothing that compromises that core goal of being a portable monitor in a pair of glasses.

Instead of any kind of sensor-driven 3DoF tracking, there are no cameras and there’s a software-driven stabilization and anti-shake mode. That being said, you’re still getting a bright 1080p picture at 120 FPS and a 50-degree field of view.

Now, I can’t specifically tell you what they’re like (yet). There's an embargo on that. So, what I’ll do is tell you about how my flight home from Google I/O was rather packed with turbulence, which while I felt, I saw none of if it shake up my viewing experience of Spider-Man 2.

Keeping it simple (and versatile)

Three viewing modes, four audio modes, and an impressively bright, colorful display — these glasses aren’t about any specific winning feature, it's the sum of all its parts being nicely affordable for what you get.

And aesthetically, these are both some of the simplest-looking AR glasses, but also the most subtle because of it. No camera lenses on the front — just your standard Wayfarer look. There are some cutbacks in terms of materials used, but the choices of what to downgrade feels strategic, from keeping the hinge metallic to downgrading the plastic on the frame.

Oh, and for a nice added layer of fun, the front of these glasses are completely detachable. That means you can change the style in the future, and I just wish more expensive glasses would have this feature!

Outlook

Ahead of July, I think it’s fair that I can safely say if you’re looking to get your first AR glasses, going for something cheaper like these is the best option for you. Specs-wise, you’re getting something similar here to the RayNeos I mentioned earlier.

And given it’s a MacBook Neo era for AR glasses, that doesn’t mean other companies aren’t going to be jumping in too. Been hearing that Viture has plans for this price tag too, but can’t say much more than that.

All I’ll say though is I’m so glad that RayNeo has forced value for money back onto the table, and this cheaper price is going to get mightily competitive now.

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