XReal's AR vision might be for real

The Air 2 is already useful. The Air 2 Ultra is something more

XReal makes compact AR glasses that project high-resolution, full-colour images into your field of view. That, as you probably know, is a north star that several corners of the tech space have been pursuing for many years as part of ambitious computing initiatives. And here it is already in a basic, reasonably accessible consumer device; XReal says it’s already shipped more than 350,000 glasses in total.

There's a long way to go before anyone solves all the issues with AR glasses, of course. This remains a very niche space that’s only going to appeal to early adopters at this point. But XReal does already have a pretty good, simple product that covers some of the most obvious use cases. And after taking a demo at Mobile World Congress, I'm intrigued by the more ambitious ideas that the company has on the horizon.

The XReal Air 2 with light shield attached.

XReal's current product is called the Air 2 and sells for $400; there's a $450 Pro version as well, but the only difference is that the lenses have a three-step electrochromic dimming feature for use in brighter environments. The Air 2 comes with a nearly opaque clip-on light shield for those situations, which works fine and adds almost no bulk.

Unlike Meta's Ray-Bans, you could not make the case that these are stylish sunglasses, and that's before you even get to the USB-C cable running out the back of the left arm. They're not uncomfortable to wear, but they are plasticky and a little bulky; they also need to protrude a little further from your face than regular glasses. It doesn't help that my review unit came in a conspicuous bright red.

But in a world where people are brute-forcing the social acceptability of the Apple Vision Pro as in-flight entertainment, the XReal Air 2 looks positively normal by comparison. You're not sealing off your surroundings, even if you use the eyeshield, and the form factor is a lot more familiar. I used the Air 2 on my flights back from Barcelona and didn't feel too ridiculous.

There was a non-zero amount of ridiculous feeling, of course. But still.