Some aspects of the package feel a bit underbaked and aimed towards “early adopters.”
We’re rapidly heading towards a post-HoloLens world.
Microsoft is still muddling througha big HoloLens contract with the United States Dept.
The XREAL Air 2 Pro in box.
of Defencefor potential applications, but we’ve heard repeatedly how the plan might get mothballed.
Perhaps it needs a bit of a rethink.
And, perhaps, that’s where XREAL comes in.
The XREAL Air 2 Pro in box.
The XREAL Air headsets look just like regular sunglasses, albeit with some barely noticeable protrusions.
They come with prescription lens options, directional built-in headphones, and even sci-fi style configurable lens dimming.
TheXREAL Air 2Pro itself is $449, and represents the higher-end of XREAL’s line up.
The Air 2 Pro looks mostly like a normal set of glasses.
But even those are quite irritating to use for long periods.
XREAL said “no” to all of that, producing a headset that is barely 80g.
I picked up some prescription lenses for mine, owing to my short-sightedness.
A far better look than wearing a massive VR headset.
They slot in easily and eliminate the blurring you might otherwise experience with a headset like this.
You could quite happily and easily wear these all day without issue.
I’d say XREAL wins maximum points for design and style here.
The inside of the XREAL Air 2 Pro with prescription lenses.
These aren’t a full-blown computer like what you’d get with a Meta Quest or HoloLens.
They do, of course, need a equipment to drive content towards them, though.
Anyway, how do they actually look in practice, though?
The XREAL Beam that offers (limited) wire-free use of the glasses.
And it all just works, without an intermediary app, service, or gear.
The overall experience is absolutely top shelf stuff, and the electrochromatic dimming feels like a space age tech.
Of course, youdoneed an attached unit, to get it to work, though.
The apps aren’t very good right now.
These are just displays at the end of the day.
Netflix and Prime via the BEAM is incredibly sluggish and slow.
It does work, but it’s not exactly a pleasant experience.
The XREAL Air 2 Pro makes a fine companion to the ASUS ROG Ally.
The BEAM has some hardware buttons for navigation, but the apps are slow to load and navigate.
Typing your password in is similarly choring.
This article isn’t a review of the Beam, though.
So what about that XREAL Nebula app?
I tried Nebula for Android as well, which is also, sadly, broken.
Judging by the reviews on Google Play, it seems most other people have this issue too.
XREAL Air 2 Pro review: Should you buy it?
I just finished writing this review with the XREAL Air 2 Pro plugged into my laptop.
That’s the real conundrum for the XREAL Air 2 Pro.
What problem are they solving?
Do you really need them?
You fancy playing handheld games or watching movies on your phone without neck strain.
Your laptop display is more than adequate.
You don’t want to beta test certain aspects of the product.
What is exciting about the XREAL glasses is the potential and its future.
Yet still, the XREAL Air 2 Pro isthe besthead mounted display machine I’ve ever used.
