Updated

Updated · Gizmodo · Jul 10

X by Xreal a01+ Delivers 62g AR Glasses at $299, Trading Spatial Features for Comfort

Updated

Updated · Gizmodo · Jul 10

X by Xreal a01+ Delivers 62g AR Glasses at $299, Trading Spatial Features for Comfort

Q: At $299, AR glasses now rival tablets. Which screen offers the best portable cinema experience for travelers?

For travelers focused on movies, AR glasses now offer the more cinematic screen; for reliability and simplicity, tablets still win. At $299, the best value portable cinema pick is the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, while Xreal’s new a01+ is the better choice if comfort matters most. The reason is immersion. Even budget AR glasses create a private virtual screen far larger than any tablet, which matters on planes and trains. The Xreal a01+ delivers a 147-inch virtual display with 1080p micro-OLED, 1,600 nits, HDR10 and 120Hz, in an unusually light 62g frame. That makes it especially attractive for long sessions, and its anti-shake feature is useful in motion. But it gives up head tracking, has weaker audio, and its screen is smaller than key rivals. At the same $299 price, the RayNeo Air 4 Pro is the stronger pure cinema device. It offers a larger 201-inch virtual screen, head tracking for a more stable theater-like image, and better B&O-tuned audio. For watching films on a flight, that combination makes it more immersive than the Xreal a01+. A tablet remains the safer all-around travel screen because it is self-contained, easier in bright environments, and avoids compatibility issues, battery drain on a connected phone, and the comfort or blur problems some users still report with AR glasses. But if the goal is the most theater-like experience in a carry-on, AR glasses now beat tablets on screen feel, and the RayNeo Air 4 Pro currently sets the budget benchmark.

Q: Is ditching head tracking for comfort a fatal mistake in the budget AR glasses war?

No. In the budget AR glasses market, dropping head tracking is a defensible trade-off if the product is really a wearable private display, not a full spatial-computing device. That is where Xreal’s $299 a01+ sits. Its strengths are comfort, low weight and display quality: 62g, 1080p micro-OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, and broad USB-C DisplayPort compatibility. For movie watching, casual gaming and travel use, those factors often matter more than spatial features. Industry context supports that: the fastest-growing mainstream segment is mid-range AR display glasses in the $300-$400 band, where buyers tend to prioritize affordability, wearability and a good screen over advanced immersion. But the omission is still a competitive weakness. At the same $299 price, rivals such as RayNeo’s Air 4 Pro offer head tracking and a larger virtual screen, which can make the image feel more stable and more like a fixed monitor. Tracking is especially important when glasses are marketed as “AR” rather than “video glasses,” because it reduces the sense that the screen is floating with your face and can help comfort in motion-sensitive use. So the real issue is positioning. If Xreal is selling the a01+ as an entry-level pocket cinema, ditching head tracking is not fatal. If buyers expect true spatial AR, it is a meaningful compromise. In this price tier, comfort can win the first purchase; tracking is more likely to decide which brand keeps users as they trade up.

3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Jul 10

$299 a01+ glasses emerge as Xreal’s cheapest model yet, with the review positioning them as a strong entry option for movie watching and casual gaming rather than spatial computing.
62g weight and a 1,600-nit micro-OLED display stand out most: the glasses feel notably lighter than rivals, while the 1080p, 120Hz panel delivers bright, smooth playback with HDR10 and side-by-side 3D support.
RayNeo’s $299 Air 4 Pro still holds advantages in 201-inch virtual screen size, audio quality and 3DoF head tracking, leaving Xreal behind for users who want broader AR features.
Battery drain and heat remain trade-offs—an iPhone 17 fell to 87% after 45 minutes of viewing—but the review says comfort, simple controls and swappable front lenses keep the a01+ competitive at the low end.