Imagine carrying a 130-inch screen everywhere you go — in a pair of glasses that most people mistake for regular Ray-Bans. That's the pitch of the Xreal Air (formerly Nreal Air). After a year of real-world use, here's the honest verdict on whether AR glasses are ready to replace your screens.
First, the Name Change
These used to be the Nreal Airs. The company rebranded to Xreal for two reasons, per its executives: "X" sounds cooler, and it represents the expansion into product lines beyond their current lineup. Same glasses, new badge.
What's in the Box
You get the AR glasses in a case, a magnetic cover to black out your surroundings, a prescription lens frame, and two extra nose pads. The glasses look like "a pair of Ray-Bans that gained a little weight"—that extra bulk at the top bridge hides two Sony-made OLED panels.
How They Actually Work
Those OLED panels project downward into a beam splitter, throwing the image in front of your eyes at a sharp 3840 × 1080 resolution—clearer than an Oculus Quest 2, especially for text. The result: a virtual 130-inch screen floating about 4 meters away. Because the lenses are translucent, you're never locked in like a VR headset—you can see right through them.
Controls live on the right stem: a display on/off button, a brightness rocker (hold it to bump the refresh rate to 72Hz), and two downward-firing speakers for personal audio (it does bleed, so Bluetooth headphones help on a plane).
What It Connects To
Anything with USB-C video out is fair game—sort of:
- PCs & MacBooks: Near plug-and-play as a third screen. The Nebula app unlocks up to three floating AR monitors.
- Phones: Requires the Nebula app (check the compatibility list first) for screen casting or interactive MR Space.
- Consoles: Steam Deck and ROG Ally plug in directly at a smooth 120Hz. The Switch and PS5 need an HDMI adapter.
The Cons (Honest Take)
- No battery. It draws power from whatever it's plugged into (~1.5–1.9W — a 2-hour video pulled ~28% off a Galaxy Flip 5).
- Janky software. The Nebula app is buggy and recently broke on a macOS update.
- Refresh rate resets to 60Hz every time — no battery means no saved settings.
- Not very bright in daylight; you'll need the blackout cover.
- DRM headaches with protected streaming content.
Bottom Line
At nearly $400, no onboard power, and finicky software, the Xreal Air is essentially a "lower-level Apple Vision "Pro"—nowhere near the crispness or fluidity, but a fraction of the size and price. For long trips, gaming privacy, or a portable big screen, it's genuinely fun. Ready to replace your screens? Not quite yet.