Chinese augmented reality (AR) company Nreal debuted its Air smart glasses in the UK with partner EE, following a multi-million dollar global expansion drive for its products, led by Alibaba Holdings.
Nreal’s Air smart glasses are available on EE’s website for £399.99 or 11 monthly instalments of £35 with a £10 upfront cost. The product is also available in European, Asian, and North American markets, following a brief legal battle with Epic Games.
Before entering the UK consumer market, Nreal and Microsoft collaborated on a study, spearheaded by University of Bristol researchers, for a healthcare product based on Nreal technology.
The Bristol study led to the creation of PeopleLens, a device that assists visually-impaired children by identifying individuals using spatial audio systems.
Discovering AR with the Nreal Air Smart Glasses
The Nreal designed the Air smart glasses so users can stream content as immersive visualizations overlaid on a real-world environment. The product lets wearer’s view virtual screens up to 201 inches in size to enjoy streamed content in virtual watch parties.
Additionally, the Nreal Air contains a 46-degree field of view, 90Hz refresh rate, and 77-gram frame, and also integrates 5G to enhance media streaming and deliver low-latency connections.
To navigate AR spaces, users must connect their Air device to a smartphone to navigate the platform’s user interface and interact with spatial assets.
The device supports various phone models such as Samsung Galaxy, Sony Experia, and OPPO Find models, with a complete list available on EE’s website.
Furthermore, Nreal supports its hardware lineup, which includes the firm’s Light smart glasses – with Nebula, a smartphone application which assists with user navigation.
Recently, Nreal updated Nebula to version 2.3.4, which includes Air Casting and MR (mixed reality) Space that enables users to enjoy exclusive 3D environments.
Currently, Nreal Nebula is available on the Google Play Store to provide full spatial computing, hand tracking, plane detection, and screen recording for Air or Light headset wearers.
