Augmented reality glasses are all the rage right now. It’s not just major market leaders like Meta, XREAL, and potentially even Apple that are experimenting with this tech. Countless newcomers have begun to dive into the landscape too – like INMO, an XR company founded in 2020.
Committed to catering to the preferences of “Gen Z,” INMO has produced two sets of “smart glasses” so far. The INMO Go glasses were a slightly simpler product, infusing AI into a set of lightweight specs (without any AR capabilities). On the other hand, the INMO Air 2 glasses are a set of self-contained AR specs brimming with powerful capabilities.
We tried on a pair of these specs, to bring you this behind the scenes guide to everything that makes the AIR 2 glasses special, and help you decide whether they’re worth your money.
Quick Verdict: Pros and Cons
The INMO Air 2 AR glasses are an impressive pair of wireless smart glasses that combine augmented reality technology with AI and a sleek, lightweight design. Powered by state-of-the-art technology and a standalone operating system, these glasses pack a lot of power into a small form factor – although they’re still far from perfect.
App options are still somewhat limited, and additional accessories, such as the INMO Ring, for gesture control can cost extra. Plus, right now, it’s hard to get your hands on a set of these specs, as INMO isn’t selling them directly from its website.
Pros:
- Fantastic wireless experience
- High-quality Micro OLED displays
- Lightweight design
- Integrated AI capabilities
- Excellent SLAM algorithm
Cons:
- Limited apps
- Difficult to purchase
- Poor visuals
INMO Air 2 Glasses: Overview and Specs
Introduced by INMO on Kickstarter in 2023, the INMO Air 2 glasses are the first set of true augmented reality glasses created by INMO, complementing its existing AI specs (the INMO Go glasses). The company promised customers a rare experience in the augmented reality world – the ability to completely disconnect from cables and wires while using smart glasses.
That might not seem like a huge selling point, but it’s worth remembering most of the top smart specs still rely on a connection to your phone or similar device to function. The INMO Air glasses, on the other hand, connect wirelessly to any device you want to use.
INMO has been rolling these glasses out on a limited basis since the Kickstarter funding period finished, and still isn’t selling them through its website directly. However, this could definitely change in the months ahead, particularly as demand for AR specs continues to grow.
When they were available through Kickstarter, the glasses cost $599 for “super early bird” backers or $649 for early bird backers (and came with the ring included). Customers could also choose to purchase an extra ring separately for another $99.
Here’s a quick rundown of the technical specs for the Air 2 glasses:
- All-in-one wireless connectivity
- Reflective wave guard display with up to 85% transmittance
- Dual binocular Micro-OLED displays
- UNISOC Flagship AI platform
- 2GB of RAM and 32GB ROM
- 640 x 400 resolution
- 2 integrated microphones and speakers
- Prescription lens support
- Hand tracking enabled by an accompanying smart ring
INMO Air 2 Glasses: Design and Comfort
Finding a pair of stylish smart glasses that offer AR functionality isn’t easy. The most “fashionable” smart glasses we’ve tried are probably the Meta Ray-Bans. However, those don’t include any true AR features. Since enabling augmented reality means packing extra tech into your spectacles, most devices are pretty chunky and unusual in appearance.
The INMO Air 2 glasses are no different. They do look similar to a standard pair of glasses or sunglasses, but come with a much bulkier frame and thick arms. Although you might not win any style awards with these specs, they are reasonably comfortable.
First, they only weigh around 99 grams, making them just a little heavier than market-leading alternatives, like the XREAL Air 2 glasses. Plus, since the build is mostly plastic and aluminum you don’t have to worry too much about extra weight on top of your ears.
The pre-installed nose pad for the glasses is a little uncomfortable, in our opinion – but is replaceable. In fact, you get three different nose pads in the box so you can swap and change as necessary.
Another benefit from a user comfort perspective, is there’s enough space between the glasses and your eyes to clip in a set of prescription lenses. You can do this using a magnetic connector, ensuring you get excellent visual clarity, regardless of any vision issues you might have.
Plus, you also get the option to clip on tinted lenses for outdoor use, which is handy if you need to boost visual clarity while you’re out and about.
Visual Performance and Audio
After trying out cutting-edge AR glasses like the Rokid Max AR specs, you might be a little disappointed by the visual fidelity offered by the INMO Air 2s. Though you do get a set of high-quality full-color Micro-OLED displays, you only get a resolution of around 640 x 400 pixels. That’s a lot lower than the resolution you’ll find on most high-end specs.
Although you can easily watch content on the built-in YouTube app without much of an issue, you’ll have trouble reading text on a virtual display. It’s worth noting that the field of view is far from excellent, too, at just 26 degrees. The images you see won’t really fill your full vision, giving you a more “limited” augmented reality experience.
On the plus side, these glasses have a great contrast ratio and bright colors, thanks to the combination of the built-in Android operating system and the Micro-OLED screens.
From an audio perspective, there are speakers and microphones built into the headset, but they’re not excellent. I think these components are intended more for interacting with an AI smart assistant than participating in a comprehensive “immersive collaboration” session.
INMO Air 2 Glasses: Power and Performance
The IMNO Air 2 glasses come with a UNISOC Flagship AI platform processor, giving them all the power they need to let you watch movies, experiment with mobile meetings, and access real-time navigation support. Plus, the glasses include a lightweight SLAM spatial positioning feature, with two cameras for capturing content and scene recognition.
The specs are also powered by a standalone operating system (IMOS 2.0), which INMO says enables wireless connectivity, Bluetooth 5.0, and extended battery performance.
Speaking of battery life, INMO says the battery will last for around 2.5 hours (depending on the apps you’re using). The company also claims a standby battery life of up to 55 hours. These figures are decent, but it’s worth noting that charging the headset is a little complicated.
There’s a proprietary Pogo pin interface used for charging (which means you can’t use a standard USB cable). You also don’t get a charging adapter in the box – although you will be given a proprietary cable. The charging process is pretty slow too – you’ll need to spend around an hour and a half charging your specs between periods of use to completely replenish the battery life.
What Can You do with the INMO Air 2 Glasses?
One of the biggest issues with the INMO Air 2 glasses, in our opinion, is the limitations on what you can actually do with them. There are a handful of in-built apps you can access through the specs, intended for both entertainment and business use cases.
For instance, you can access a navigation app that will give you directions to wherever you want to go in a kind of “heads-up display” format. With the wireless connection, you’ll also be able to answer calls and receive emails and notifications from your phone within your glasses display.
Although we think the speakers and microphones could do with an upgrade for true immersive collaboration, the INMO Air 2 glasses do make it easy to join and participate in meetings.
Users can log into a meeting from a link sent to their smartphone, and even view camera feeds and presentations in real-time. There’s also a handy “Teleprompter” feature, which you can use when giving demos or speeches on.
Beyond all that, there are apps that allow you to watch videos and movies through your glasses (such as the integrated YouTube app). Plus, you can link your device straight to social media platforms like TikTok and upload images and videos from your specs onto those channels.
The screen mirroring feature allows users to load content directly from their iOS or Android device onto the screen – giving you a lot more freedom to tap into other apps through the glasses. From an AI perspective, however, INMO’s Air 2 glasses don’t seem to offer much.
You can leverage a precision translation feature that rapidly translates any language you’re looking at, but there’s no proprietary AI assistant. On the plus side, you can integrate the IMNO app with OpenAI’s GPT models, for more AI support.
The User Experience and the INMO Ring
One particularly good thing about the INMO Air 2 glasses, is that they don’t force you to use your smartphone to interact with content. Instead, you can use the connected “INMO Ring” which comes included in the box, to answer calls, adjust settings, and access apps.
Notably, this basically just gives you a smaller controller to work with. INMO’s glasses don’t offer a full “hand tracking” feature, so you can’t interact with content using gestures. However, the smart ring does help to provide users with a more convenient “hands-free” experience than they’d get with some older smart specs.
Overall, the user experience these glasses offer is pretty good. Everything is relatively simple to set up, and accessing apps only takes a few seconds. However, we would have liked to see more tracking capabilities to make interacting with content feel more immersive.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that while the wireless connectivity offered by these glasses is good – it can struggle from time to time, depending on your chosen connection. You might find you occasionally have to deal with lag and latency.
The INMO Air 2 Glasses: Verdict
There are many things that make the INMO Air 2 glasses reasonably impressive. We loved the fact that the glasses are truly wireless, meaning you don’t have to deal with countless cables and wires. The fact that you also get built-in microphones and speakers for immersive meetings is helpful, too—although their quality could be improved.
Plus, INMO’s glasses are relatively lightweight and comfortable, even if they’re not the most stylish specs we’ve tried. The inclusion of a control ring is another nice touch, helping to reduce your reliance on your smartphone and connected devices when you’re using the specs.
Unfortunately, there are lot of issues with these glasses too. The resolution and display quality need a serious boost if these glasses are going to compete with products like the Snap Spectacles 5. Plus, the app store is still pretty limited, reducing the number of things you can actually do with the specs.
If you’re just looking for a decent pair of glasses to help you out with smart navigation and translation, INMO’s specs might be a good choice. There are certainly more expensive options out there, but they generally offer better resolution and more functionality too.
Overall, we consider the INMO Air 2 glasses to be a relatively niche product in the AR glasses market, that may lag behind some of its competitors. That might be why INMO has chosen to stop direct sales for now. Maybe they’ll come back to the AR landscape soon, with an updated version of these specs, powerful enough to compete with the likes of XREAL and Meta.
