Seemingly simple and looking from a distance like the most ordinary sunglasses, the Xreal AIR device, formerly Nreal AIR, hides a whole lot of secrets. For when you put them on, it turns out that they are not just any glasses at all, but the tool of a secret agent. The Xreal AIR is used to project an image from a phone, tablet or computer into Mixed Reality, and it does this surprisingly well. So well, in fact, that an outsider might not guess that you are just watching your favourite film or TV series on a 200+ inch Virtual Screen.
Unpacking
However, let's start at the beginning: In the Xreal AIR packaging, we find a USB-C cable to connect the glasses to either a smartphone or a computer; a lid for the glasses, which helps when working in extremely bright environments; and three nose pads to fully adjust the glasses to your face. Most importantly, you will find glasses built with high-quality components, the construction of which differs little from the sunglasses known from the supermarkets. This is only deceptive, because the mirrors mounted on the front lenses reveal a little more.
Connecting to the device
To use the full capabilities of Xreal AIR, we should install the Nebula app on our phone or laptop and then connect the Xreal AIR glasses to a computer or smartphone. The device also works without the Nebula app, but AR functions may be limited or unavailable in this case. It is worth mentioning that if we want to connect the equipment to an iPhone, we need a special adapter which is not included in the standard kit - it can be purchased separately. For other smartphones, the USB-C cable supplied with the glasses is sufficient. When the glasses are connected by cable or adapter and the short button on the right-hand side of the frame is clicked, up to three virtual screens can be configured.
What do Virtual Screens look like?
This is what is most intriguing here - the image is created by high-quality OLED screens, making it exceptionally clear and difficult to spot individual pixels. It matches the quality of the Retina displays known from Apple devices, and its colour reproduction is very good: the sRGB coverage is 106%. We can control the brightness of the screen with special buttons on the right side of the glasses frame.
Speakers
The device also has built-in speakers that allow us to get even more into the experience. It's not for audiophiles, but they don't sound cheap either - they're probably closest to the speakers on a good quality phone. This is not for privacy, however, as this solution works more like speakers than headphones, and if you don't want others to be able to rave about what you're listening to at the moment, we recommend using separate wireless headphones.
AR
If we turn the device on correctly and configure it with the Nebula app, Xreal AIR will also track our head movements, which in practice translates into the Virtual Screens being suspended in space, so we can naturally turn our head - as if the monitors were actually there. This is a very intriguing application of Mixed Reality, and certainly a big step towards popularising and improving this technology.
Disadvantages of Xreal AIR
However, there are no perfect things in the world, and so Xreal AIR simply has its flaws. First and foremost, very few applications take advantage of the possibilities of Augmented Reality. You won't be able to play the AR version of Pokemon GO on the device, for example, because the main use of these glasses is to display Virtual Screens. That's it and that's all there is to it. If you have a visual impairment, you won't be able to do without contact lenses, as wearing glasses over glasses is uncomfortable and means you won't see the full field of the screens. Unfortunately, Xreal does not yet have the option of ordering glasses with built-in corrective lenses. In addition, the Nebula app, tested on the macOS version, can be cumbersome to use, due to the fact that it is still in beta and has its bugs - although this is nothing that unplugging the glasses and plugging them in again won't fix.
Summary
The Xreal AIR Mixed Reality Glasses are an interesting product that also requires a curious user. Xreal AIR cost around Z£2700 - Z£2900 and they are well worth it if we have an application already selected for them. These glasses allow us to watch YouTube or Netflix on the big screen very easily, in great quality and in a comfortable way - even if we are on the move: being on a train, plane, tram, bus or car, for example. In addition, none of your fellow travellers can see what you are watching. The glasses are equally suitable for editing films or working on several screens at the same time, thanks to the distribution of three Virtual Screens. Again, we see both entertainment and work applications here. If you like technological innovations and are creative enough to already know what you would do with them, in your everyday life, work or school - this product could be just right for you.
