00:00Recently I got to try out the X-Real Aura, the newest XR glasses powered by Android XR.
00:05And honestly, I was kind of blown away by how far XR glasses have come.
00:08And I'm not just talking about the virtual workspace that pops up right in front of your eyes,
00:13which is awesome on its own.
00:14But more importantly, I was impressed by just how natural these were to use.
00:18Like you're now able to control everything with just your hands and voice.
00:21No ring, no remote, nothing extra.
00:24It just feels super futuristic.
00:26Plus, even with all that tech, these glasses still feel and look just like any other pair of sunglasses that
00:31you'd wear on the street.
00:33I mean, for years, whenever we talked about spatial computing,
00:36it usually meant putting on a headset and using some controllers.
00:40But with the X-Real Aura, you're literally just putting on a pair of glasses that weigh under 95 grams.
00:45And they look just like stylish sunglasses that you can wear out,
00:48and nobody would even think twice that you got a whole virtual workspace right in front of your eyes.
00:54I think the only small drawback is that the glasses aren't completely wireless.
00:58It still has a wire that needs to be connected to this computing puck, which is the brains of the
01:02device.
01:03It houses a Snapdragon processor, a 4,455 milliamp hour battery.
01:08It has a physical trackpad, and it has the Android XR software in there.
01:12But this puck is the main reason why these glasses are so lightweight and comfortable to use.
01:16And if the tradeoff is having a small wire hanging out versus wearing a giant headset in public,
01:21I take the wire every time.
01:23Now, I only got to try out the X-Real Aura for about an hour, so this is really a
01:27hands-on video.
01:28I got sponsored by X-Real so I could try these out in person before they ship in the fall,
01:32and I could share my first impressions.
01:34But I'm still going to give my honest opinions and thoughts on how it felt to wear one of these
01:39glasses.
01:39Now, going into this, the main thing I was most excited about was just seeing how well Android XR would
01:45work on these glasses.
01:46After all, the X-Real Aura is currently the only optical see-through device that is powered by Android XR.
01:52And to be real with you, it didn't disappoint.
01:54Right away, I was able to open up five different Android apps floating around me at the same time.
01:58Yup, five floating windows at once that I could resize and move around anywhere that I'd like without any of
02:03them lagging either.
02:05It's even got a massive 70 degree field of view too, which is one of the widest you'll find on
02:09any optical see-through XR glasses.
02:11That made it relatively easy to see most of the windows at once.
02:15But that's still not to say that you don't need to turn your head at all to see the other
02:18screens.
02:18You still do, but not as much as some other XR glasses that I've tried in the past.
02:22X-Real also showed me some pretty cool virtual games with some of them even being created by Gemini in
02:27just a matter of a few days.
02:29Like this one where I could just draw in mid-air and have my drawings stay there where I drew
02:33them.
02:34Or this other one where I could select objects around me and just ask Gemini questions about it.
02:38They worked relatively well and since these glasses use transparent optical displays, you can still see the real world around
02:45you while you have all this digital stuff sit right on top of it.
02:48It's even got a nice little trick where the background can be adjusted from being completely transparent to getting super
02:54dark and dim.
02:55And that's because these glasses support electrochromic dimming.
02:58Even cooler, they show me that if I look directly at a person, the glasses will instantly go transparent and
03:04it did so I could see the person's face clearly.
03:06And then the moment that I looked away from them, the dimming would just return to whatever level I had
03:11it set before.
03:12That feature really blew me away.
03:13Now, as I said at the beginning, controlling the Aura was also a breeze.
03:17There's multiple ways to control it.
03:18You can use the trackpad on the compute puck almost like a mouse.
03:21But for me, the most natural way was just using my hands.
03:24I could just reach out, grab windows and move them around, resize apps and interact with everything as if it
03:30were physically in front of me.
03:32Obviously, someone looking at me from the outside might find it to be a bit odd because they'll just see
03:36me moving my hands around, but it works really well.
03:39And you can also control it with your voice too since it's got Google's Gemini built right in.
03:44So not only can you ask the questions and conversate with it, but it can actually see what you're seeing
03:48both in the real world and in your virtual workspace.
03:51And then it can help you with whatever you need.
03:54For example, they showed me a demo where I could have a game open and then I can share my
03:58screen with Gemini.
03:59And from there, I could just ask Gemini tips on helping me beat the level that I was stuck on.
04:03I could even ask you to pull up tutorials from YouTube and the web and it would do it right
04:08beside the game that I was playing without me needing to lift a finger.
04:11It's super intuitive.
04:12But even better, you're not just limited to the Android XR OS.
04:15You can also plug in your laptop, your gaming console or other hardware directly into the glasses to be able
04:22to mirror the screen and control it.
04:25So imagine editing a video, working on a project or gaming on these glasses and having Gemini help you out
04:31across these different operating systems in real time.
04:34And if you really want to turn it into a productivity or gaming setup, the Aura also supports accessories like
04:39keyboards and gaming controllers so you can work or play however you'd like.
04:44Now, if you're curious what's going on underneath the hood, here's a quick breakdown.
04:48First off, the Aura has three cameras working together to create this smooth experience.
04:52First off, there's a full RGB camera right in the middle for helping Gemini see the environment around you and
04:57taking photos and videos.
04:59And then there are also two additional computer vision cameras on the outside that just help with depth understanding, help
05:04track your surroundings and just make interactions feel smooth and natural.
05:08It's also got two different processing chips working together behind the scenes.
05:12There's a dedicated X1S spatial coprocessor directly in the glasses that just constantly handles tasks like head tracking and environmental
05:19awareness.
05:20And then you've got Qualcomm's new Snapdragon Reality Elite platform that's inside the computing puck, which takes care of all
05:27the graphics, all the AI features and the entire Android XR OS.
05:32So basically, one chip is focused on understanding the world around you, while the other is focused on delivering performance.
05:38And that's a big reason why everything feels so smooth without needing to cram a bunch of extra hardware into
05:43these glasses themselves.
05:44Now take this with a grain of salt though, because I only had about an hour to try them out,
05:48but I genuinely didn't notice any lag in the short time that I had to use them.
05:52Even with five apps open at the same time, everything felt quick, responsive and easy to navigate, including all the
05:58games I played.
05:59And the displays themselves looked really incredible.
06:02They're using Sony Micro OLED panels that just run at 120Hz, so whether I was moving windows around, scrolling through
06:08apps or just navigating the interface, everything felt buttery smooth and super responsive.
06:13X-Real also told me that they're using a new optical system called X-PRISM Max, which helps keep the
06:18image looking bright, vibrant and sharp, while still allowing the glasses themselves to stay surprisingly thin and lightweight.
06:25And then there's the audio, which I was also pleased with.
06:27X-Real teamed up with Bose on the speakers, and it even supports spatial audio.
06:31So you can essentially watch a movie, just jam out to your favorite music too, hop on a meeting or
06:36play a game, and it'll add a really nice sense of immersion without having to throw on a separate pair
06:41of headphones.
06:42So after trying out the X-Real Aura, I honestly walked away really impressed.
06:46And not just because of all the technology packed inside, but because this is one of the first times that
06:51I've tried a spatial computing device that actually felt practical
06:54and didn't look like a massive brick strapped to my face.
06:58I mean, yeah, sure, it's not completely wireless since there's a single cable attached to it, but honestly, from the
07:03moment that I put them on, I completely forgot that it was even there.
07:06And honestly, if that's what it takes to keep the glasses lightweight for now while delivering a smooth experience, it's
07:11a trade-off that I'd happily take.
07:13Plus, the fact that it supports millions of Play Store apps, supports up to five screens at once, lets me
07:18control everything with my hands, or I can ask Gemini for help and still see the real world around me,
07:23all from something that looks and feels like a normal pair of glasses, is pretty wild.
07:27Not to mention that I can also connect my other devices to it, like my laptop, and take things even
07:32further across different platforms.
07:34For the first time, it genuinely felt like I was getting a glimpse of that future we've all been imagining
07:38where a pair of smart glasses could eventually replace the smartphone.
07:42Now, Xreal is planning to ship out the Aura out in the fall, so if you want to get your
07:46hands on a pair before they launch, there's a reservation link at the top of the description.
07:50It's $99 to reserve your spot, but that $99 turns into $199 in credit when the Aura officially launches.
07:58So you're essentially getting double the value back towards your purchase. Not a bad deal.
08:02I'd love to hear about what you guys think about the Xreal Aura. Let me know down in the comments
08:06if this is something that you consider picking up.
08:08And, by the way, tap on this video to learn about some of the top tech that you'll actually want
08:11to buy,
08:12and drop a quick thumbs up if you enjoyed this quick hands on.
08:15Thanks so much for sticking around to the end, and I'll catch you guys in the next one.
08:19Kapow!
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