I Tried the XReal Air 2, So You Don’t Have To

On a stride to make myself more productive with less equipment to carry, especially while I travel, I dove into the world of smart glasses. XReal is a name I came across a lot. So, I took these for a spin.

But was it worth the hype? Keep on reading further for my review of the XReal Air 2 glasses so that you don’t have to think twice before spending your money. 

Specifications 

Design

At first glance, the XReal Air 2 looks like a bulkier version of sunglasses with added magical powers. Although 10% slimmer than the Air, the design strikes a decent balance between tech and style. 

The plastic frame looks cheap though, and comes in two colors – grey and red; of which I prefer the grey because the red looks more like my niece’s shades from Claire’s. In order to customize the glasses in various colors, there are skins available in their Kaledio Kit. Although, I didn’t find them worth spending any extra amount on these. 

Although they look bulky, they seemed pretty light when I wore them. XReal also claims a 1:1 weight distribution. However, they still felt like they were leaning forward. I would say they are comfortable, but I definitely could feel their presence.

To ensure an even better fit, the Air 2 comes with nose pad brackets in four sizes, which, in my opinion, make the glasses sit a lot further away from my eyes, making them sit a little funny on my face.

What I liked about these, as with many other smart glasses, is that it has the option to add prescription lenses for people who are nearsighted. The lenses come from XReal’s official partner– Frameofchoice, and can be ordered separately. 

The XReal Air 2 glasses connect with various devices via a USB-C port located at the end of the left temple. The right side has a power button to turn the glasses on and off and a rocker switch to adjust brightness. 

There are speakers present on the curve of both temples with a surprisingly clear sound quality. Although on a high volume, the sound leaked out and disturbed people around me, for that, connecting them to my AirPods was the best option.

Connectivity and Display

XReal gives three ways to connect their Air 2 glasses with other devices: 

• USB-C cable for devices that support a USB-C port, 
• HDMI-to-USB-C adapter, and 
• Beam for wireless connectivity of devices that don’t support a USB-C cable.

The adapter is an additional accessory priced at an additional $50, and Beam is priced at $119. Beam uses wireless platforms like Apple AirPlay on iOS devices and Miracast on Android for wireless video streaming.

This exudes a screen display of 330 inches, which gives a projector experience with more clarity, supporting a 1920×1080 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a field view of 46°. They also use a Sony micro-OLED display, making the picture quality bright and colorful for the most part.

The Beam

While Beam is a great product in theory, I feel it needs more time to be fully functional and useful. Beam Pro is an upgraded version of the Beam that is almost like a smartphone that connects to the glasses and takes pictures and videos as well. 

I used the Beam along with XReal Air 2 for this review. It is also worth noting that the video experience was a little different when using Beam and a wired connection. Here are a few issues I faced with my Beam:

• Only two ports on the device, which means if I use it plugged in with my phone and glasses, I can’t charge it while using it.
• Since the XReal glasses don’t have a battery on their own and use the battery of the device they’re connected to, the Beam’s battery is only 3.5 hours, so I can’t play continuously for 7-8 hours on my home console.
• The interface is a little tricky to use.
• iPhone airplay streaming lags.
• The video quality of the Beam itself is very low and gets a little better when connected to the phone with a wire.

Here’s what I liked about the Beam:

• I can control the size of the screen and distance from shrinking it to 28” and blowing it up to 330”.
• Has three different modes–
  • Smooth Follow for turning the screen along with my head
  • Body Anchor for fixing the screen in one place with 3degrees of freedom
  • Sideview for a shrunken view of the screen with 4 quadrants
• Has in-built Netflix and Prime Video apps, which is great for traveling
• Has a storage of 32GB 

Nebula App

Nebula is an app for the XReal Air series that brings productivity and functionality to the experience. The app, although fairly basic, helped me access multiple screen displays, which is especially useful for multitasking. 

I can see it being especially useful for editing content and videos, just like I attempted; however, the whole experience could be improved because not all of Nebula’s features are supported by all devices.

There were a few issues with the app crashing at times, which doesn’t make it ideal for tasks that take longer. Therefore, I didn’t find myself using the Nebula app as much as I had hoped.

Performance and Functionality

Though I’m not much of a gaming enthusiast, I did enjoy being an imposter and getting those sneaky kills from time to time in Among Us. Connecting the XReal Air 2 with a Nintendo Switch was a bit of a tedious task, using the Beam accessory connected to the glasses via a USB-C cable and another USB-C cable with the Beam to the Nintendo Switch. 

Working with the XReal Air 2 glasses took a bit of time to get used to, especially connecting with gaming consoles such as Xbox X/S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. But what I enjoyed most was a movie marathon. The issue with smart glasses that I have seen is that some appear slightly blurry at the edges of the display, and this was something I found to be true for the XReal Air 2 glasses as well. 

It’s not much of a bother, but I found myself getting distracted a few times. This is why the landscape mode worked better than the portrait-oriented devices, such as my iPhone. The brightness becomes blurry in an outside setting, even with the 500 nits, therefore, I prefer the XReal Air 2 primarily for movies and occasional gaming sessions. 

Since the glasses are supposed to give a projector experience, the light coming n from the sides is a major setback. To combat this issue, the XReal Air 2 comes with an enhanced light-blocking visor, which attaches to the glasses and creates a blackout effect, reducing unwanted light and giving a brighter and clearer picture quality.

Although useful to an extent, the light still creeps in from the bottom and the sides, especially in an outdoor setting or a very bright environment.

If I have to use smart glasses outside, it would be to help me navigate directions without having to look at my phone, which is a feature the XReal Air 2 lacks. 

Price and Availability

The Air 2 is priced at $359, available across the US (barring a few states), with a 1-year warranty. Also available worldwide via authorized retailers. 

What puts me off, though, is the bizarre added cost of the accessories like the Beam at $119 and the prescription lenses starting from $149.

Final Verdict 

Maybe it’s the millennial in me, but knowing myself, I would use them for a month in excitement and then just forget to use them because sometimes setting up the Air 2 is more complicated. 

Although it’s a great product for productivity and multitasking, I can see it being a great buy for someone who prioritizes gaming. I did find the visuals very appealing for a movie experience when directly connected to my phone, not via Beam. 

But is that enough to purchase the XReal Air 2? The audio, although clear, needs Bluetooth headphones for a more private experience.

Buy if: 

• You are into gaming
• You want a theater experience on the go
• You want to try out smart glasses

Don’t buy if: 

• You don’t have a lot of devices that will connect to the XReal Air 2 easily
• You want something that you can wear most of the time because the brightness gets low in a brighter environment
• You want a budget-friendly smart glasses  

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