Xreal makes budget XR smart glasses – and they give my favorite cheap specs a serious run for their money

Xreal has just unveiled the smart xbx a01 glasses
These XR specs are super budget friendly…
…but packed with some impressive features

With its One Pro glasses, Xreal really hit it out of the park – making them arguably the best XR glasses you can buy right now for the private home theater experience, and easily my favourites. The only problem? They are quite expensive, like many of Xreal’s previous specs. However, that is about to change with the new xbx series.

Standing for ‘X by Xreal’, and not an Xbox tie-in as I originally thought it was, this sub-brand will be championing new eyewear lines, starting with the budget-friendly a01 line. Instead of costing $649 like the Xreal One Pro, it costs just $299.

Originally coming to China, with a US launch planned for July, this new budget option looks set to give my favorite cheap XR spec – the RayNeo Air 4 Pros – a serious run for its money.

A budget XR champion?

First of all, Xreal’s xbx a01 boasts a 1600-nit HDR10 display. RayNeo’s budget specs debuted the first HDR10 XR specs earlier this year with the Air 4 Pros, and that seriously helps improve its color vibrancy with compatible content. But it only came with 1,200 nits; the extra brightness from Xreal should help further enhance the clarity and beauty of its images.

Second, there’s a new anti-shake algorithm built for use during commuting, airplane travel, and bumpy subway rides. Think of it as a reverse version of the stability controls that cameras come with – the glasses will try to prevent the image on the screen from shaking around while trying to preserve as much of the image’s clarity as possible.

Third, these glasses are meant to look good. With a range of interchangeable front frames to suit different styles, they also meet different needs – such as the ability to switch to tinted lenses in brighter conditions.

In addition, they must also be quite comfortable. At just 62g, which should make them feel pretty light on your face.

Of course, we’ll have to test Xreal’s glasses to fully judge them, but I’m a big fan of its other specs, so I’m optimistic that Xreal’s foray into budget glasses will be a slam dunk.

If I were RayNeo, I’d even be a little worried about Xreal coming to eat my lunch – although I’m sure it has some tricks up its sleeves to counter the line.

This also gives us a fun look at how Xreal’s Android XR efforts might progress. As smart glasses become something we use all the time, design aspects like interchangeable frame covers could allow us to make fashion-conscious decisions (by having multiple designs to wear for different scenarios) without breaking the bank on multiple expensive pairs of smart specs.

RayNeo Air 4 Pro review