Xreal launched the Air 2 and Air 2 Pro AR glasses in October, now the company is adding a new class of device: the Xreal Air 2 Ultra. What sets it apart from its siblings is that it has two cameras mounted on the chassis that allow for 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) tracking.
Data from these cameras is used to determine the user’s position in 3D space. Cameras can also be used to track the user’s hand, allowing for controller-free interactivity with apps. But that’s not all: 3D data from cameras can be used to create 3D meshes, semantic scene understanding, and more (with more features to be added in the future).
Tracking aside, Xreal has also updated the virtual display on the Air 2 Ultra. It now has a 52° field of view, compared to 46° on the Air 2 (Pro). Each eye receives a 1080p image, meaning the Ultra delivers 42 pixels per degree (versus 49 ppd on the Air 2) with a 120Hz refresh rate. The virtual image is equivalent to a 154” display at 4m away and has a peak brightness of 500 nits, so it can also be used outdoors.
Despite the addition of extra hardware, the Air 2 Ultra is still very light: it weighs 80g (compared to 72g for the regular Air 2). This has been achieved with the new titanium glasses frame, which has the added benefit of giving the headphones a premium look.
We call it a headset, but it’s closer to glasses in both look and feel. We found the new adjustable temple support quite comfortable even during long periods of wearing the glasses. For comparison, the Meta Quest 3 weighs 515 g and offers 25 ppd (albeit with a much wider field of view).
The Xreal Air 2 Ultra will be available for pre-order soon, you will find it on the company’s website. The regular price for the Ultra is $700, but pre-orders come with a $100 price cut. The new headphones will begin shipping in March. Xreal will also release a new version of its SDK, which will allow developers to take advantage of the new features.
By the way, if you have an iPhone 15 Pro, you can shoot a spatial video and convert it to a side-by-side format and view it in 3D on the Xreal Air 2 glasses (the Vanilla, Pro, and Ultra models).
Xreal is currently the leader of the AR market: a few days ago the company announced that it had reached 51% market share globally in the third quarter of 2023. It has shipped 350,000 AR glasses to date.
It currently ships its glasses to the US, Europe and Asia, but the company plans to expand availability to more countries this year.
Start a new Thread