I’ve been reviewing one in every of XREAL’s newer releases of AR glasses: the XREAL One’s. These are actually probably the most versatile pair of AR glasses I’ve tried out thus far, they usually really actually come to life someplace you wouldn’t count on: the M4 iPad Professional working iPadOS 26. XREAL One are available at just below 3 ounces (84 grams), making them simple to simply carry round.
Why I take pleasure in them
Usually, when you consider plug-in AR glasses, you’re utilizing it for one in every of two issues. It’s both to reflect your cellphone display to have a film or present on an enormous show, or to increase your laptop computer display – that means you’ll be able to work with a a lot bigger floor than what a 14-inch show (give or take) would afford you.
Often, the iPad isn’t a giant a part of the equation, however I discovered myself loving the XREAL One glasses with my iPad.
I personally use an 11-inch iPad Professionaland whereas that show dimension is nice for portability and pill utilization – it does fall a bit quick for productiveness when I’ve it connected to my Magic Keyboard typically.
The answer? XREAL One. Clearly, exterior shows exist too, however I’ve by no means been too eager on utilizing my iPad at a desk, seeing as I may simply use a Mac. XREAL One function a big high-resolution exterior show, and because it’s only a pair of glasses you’ll be able to toss in your bag, they’re extremely moveable too.
Plus, with iPadOS 26 introducing windowing on all supported iPad fashions, having an exterior show is extra helpful than ever. The XREAL One glasses are fairly plug and play, so when you plug them into your iPad Professional’s USB-C port, you’re off to the races. You’ll be able to configure just a few choices on the glasses, however no app is required for setup, which I believe is sort of good.
Key specs
These glasses make the most of micro-OLED panels, much like those you’d discover on Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. They get very vivid, they usually’re actually very sharp. You get a 1920×1080 show per eye, leading to over 4 million pixels total. The shows additionally run at 120Hz for easy visuals, and pack 600 nits of brightness – although they actually really feel a bit brighter than that to me.
XREAL One’s supply electrochromic dimming, permitting you to regulate how a lot mild can cross by with simply the press of a button. You’ll be able to both go “clear”, which permits all mild to cross by – “shade”, which provides some extra tint, or “theater”, which fully blacks out the glasses. It’s very nice which you could successfully use these as a pair of fully secluded glasses, in case you’re outdoor or whatnot.
There’s additionally IPD-adjustment on-device, permitting you to tune issues in to your personal eyes. IPD (inter-pupillary distance) misalignments are the important thing cause for movement illness with XR content material, so this is a crucial characteristic. XREAL additionally totes built-in Bose audio system with assist for Spatial Audio, although I’m personally extra of an AirPods man and usually don’t use built-in audio system on any of my units.
Standout options
Past that, XREAL One additionally supply monitoring. Most pairs of AR glasses that I’ve tried out simply anchor your show to the middle of your glasses, so when you transfer your head, your content material additionally strikes with you. Whereas that may be fascinating for sure use circumstances, it could actually get annoying at occasions.
With “Anchor” mode, you’ll be able to hold your show in a single spot, that means when you flip your head to have a look at one thing else, your content material is not in view. There’s additionally a stage of monitoring concerned in “Comply with” mode, so even when you want your content material keep in view always, there’s a little bit of gradual movement whenever you transfer your head round, so it doesn’t really feel like your content material is simply caught in a single place.
Final however not least, these glasses additionally supply the power to run an Extremely Huge show. I haven’t used this characteristic a ton, however it’s there if ultra-wide shows are your factor and also you simply haven’t bothered shopping for one.
Remaining ideas
At simply $499, these are actually a outstanding worth for the whole lot they provide. I’ve all the time felt that wired AR glasses make numerous sense, seeing as you get to chop the added value of on-board compute and battery. These undoubtedly nail numerous key points of the expertise, and I’d completely suggest them when you’re searching for a effectively refined pair of AR glasses with out spending an excessive amount of cash.
Fortunately, XREAL One’s haven’t but been impacted by tariff-related value hikes. They have been $499 after they launched, and nonetheless stay $499 at present. Different XREAL glasses have been impacted, however there’s no information on the XREAL One’s as of now.
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