This week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 in Las Vegas, AR smart glasses vendor XREAL showcased its new Air 2 Ultra product and its recent success stories within the XR device marketplace.
Last week, Xreal officially announced the Air 2 Ultra, which the firm heralds as an affordable route into spatial computing. The firm is allowing CES visitors to get hands-on with the product; seemingly, XREAL is targeting firms like Apple and Meta with a low-cost AR/MR device.
Xreal has now made pre-orders available for roughly $699, with plans to ship products in March. Chi Xu, the Founder and CEO of XREAL, said:
With XREAL Air 2 Ultra we’re empowering developers around the world by providing an affordable and lightweight solution that allows them to jump into the exciting world of spatial computing and create the next generation of mixed reality experiences.
The news comes after XREAL claimed to have shipped “up to” 350,000 pairs of AR glasses since the firm’s inception in 2017. Moreover, market watcher IDC said XREAL was responsible for 51 per cent of all AR glasses shipped in Q3 last year, making it the dominant player.
At the time, Chi Xu explained how the shipment number represents a significant milestone in “revolutionizing how people experience everything from video games to movies and TV, in-car entertainment and displays, and how they work at their desks or on the go.”
Xu also added:
Having secured a major foothold in the global wearable display market, XREAL is now in a stronger position to embrace market momentum and reaffirm its position as the leading, best-selling AR glasses and spatial computing brand in the world today, who’s trajectory is outpacing the rest of the industry combined.
More on XREAL Air 2 Ultra
The XREAL Air 2 Ultra has highly competitive AR smart glasses features at an equally competitive price point. The lightweight – 80-gram – device aims to become a ubiquitous tool that can be worn for extended periods, providing immersive visuals for various use cases, including work, entertainment, and fitness.
Xu explained:
We put 6DoF AR glasses on the map with our Nreal Light model in 2020 and are thrilled to unveil its highly-requested successor. XREAL Air 2 Ultra packs in tons of spatial computing tech in a smaller, more comfortable, and much more stylish form factor than what others are producing today. Unlike competing brands in this emerging space, we believe in making advanced wearable 6DoF glasses something you can wear all day long and that are accessible to all players in the XR development ecosystem.
The device also features:
- Six degrees of freedom (6DoF) via dual 3D environment sensors
- Full HD for each eye
- A field-of-view (FOV) of 52°
- 42 pixels per degree (PPD)
- 120Hz refresh rate
- TÜV Rheinland certification for colour accuracy, eye comfort, low blue light, and flicker-free usage
- 3D environment sensors with computer vision capabilities
Moreover, it is no secret that XREAL aims for the Apple Vision Pro crown with its similar competitive spatial computing promise. The XREAL Air 2 Ultra notably comes with Apple-related features that aim to make the product a cheaper alternative to the Vison Pro device.
XREAL’s Air 2 Ultra product continues the trend of previous products by supporting Apple’s spatial video feature that allows operators to record and view media as 3D renders. Moreover, the firm is updating the Nebula OS, which runs many of the product’s features. The new version also supports Mac development.
Additionally, as XREAL products require tethering to an external computing device to operate, the firm also supports Apple devices here. XREAL also supports various other devices, from Android smartphones to gaming products.
Celebrating Operational Success at CES 2024
Moreover, at CES 2024, XREAL is celebrating its wide range of partnerships, assisting the firm in the global scaling of AR smart glasses to enterprise clients and beyond.
XREAL is discussing and showcasing how XR affects today’s industries. As part of its partner spotlight, XREAL highlights its work with Qualcomm Technologies Inc., BMW Group, Nio, Quintar, and Forma Vision.
Peng Jin, the Co-founder of XREAL, said:
As the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of AR glasses, we seek out companies who share our vision for a future where the digital and physical world’s mesh, where all experiences, from enterprise to entertainment, from automotive to recreational, can empower people to experience the world in new and creative ways. Our CES 2024 partners are leading in their respective fields, just as XREAL is the leader in spatial computing and AR glasses. I can’t wait for CES attendees to experience everything we’ve created together at CES 2024, and what will come in the future.
With Qualcomm, XREAL is undergoing a multi-year collaboration journey combining AR, AI, and 5G technologies to create powerful, performance-efficient immersive applications.
XREAL is also working with the automotive BMW Group to build the next generation of driving experiences. The partnership is researching car-based XR visuals, including navigation instructions, hazard warnings, entertainment content, charging station information, and parking visualizations.
The BMW partnership marks an effort to boost existing vehicle displays, Peter Lehnert, the Vice President at BMW Group, explained:
In partnership with XREAL, we have made substantial progress in bringing AR into the BMW driving experience. We are proud to team with XREAL, be at the forefront and be well prepared to offer breathtaking experiences in this area for our customers in the future.
Another automotive partnership XREAL is showcasing is its work with NIO. The long-standing partnership is on show at CES 2024, highlighting the partnership’s in-vehicle immersive entertainment services.
According to Ted Li, the Vice President of NIO and Head of Product Experience, the partners co-developed the service “to push the boundary of immersive entrainment contents and interactive applications accessible on AR glasses, revealing more spatial interactive experience in vehicles.”
XREAL has a history of augmenting live broadcasting events, notably sports. In 2024, the firm continues this avenue by working with Quintar to provide spatial information to viewers during a live broadcast. Quintero streams personalized and accurate data overlays which track an event as a spatial render.
The final showcase that XREAL highlights during CES 2024 is its work with Forma to enhance the future of work with holographic meetings. XREAL is allowing CES 2024 visitors to participate in a Forma immersive meeting, showcasing the potential of XR conferencing and the benefits of running these services on lightweight head-mounted devices.
