Xreal Aura is a new wired headset powered by Android XR
News Source
β’Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:00:00 +0000
π° What Happened
Xreal showed off new smart glasses called the Aura at Google's Android Dev Summit on Wednesday. The glasses run on Android XR, Google's system for AR and VR, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. They plug into a small puck you carry, and the puck does the computing.
The screen is Sony Micro-OLED at 1200p and 120 hertz, with a 95-degree field of view. On paper that beats Meta's Ray-Ban Display. But the Aura is heavier at 95 grams versus Meta's 69 grams, and you must carry the puck.
The Aura can run Google Play apps and games, and you can plug in a laptop or handheld console over USB-C. It costs $1,279 for 12GB of memory and $1,499 for 16GB, with lower launch prices through December. It ships in mid-November.
π The Backstory
Xreal and Google first teased these glasses at Google's I/O event earlier this year. Google is following its phone playbook. Instead of building all the hardware itself, it gives partners like Samsung and Xreal the software and lets them sell the devices.
Meta has pushed hard into smart glasses, and Apple sells its larger Vision Pro headset. That makes glasses the next battleground for tech giants.
Xreal CEO Chi Xu told TechCrunch in May that the glasses business is hard and that everyone is losing money. He said the industry finally has the right hardware, software and design to grow.
π― Why It Matters
Glasses like these could replace a computer screen you carry. They are still costly and need a puck in your pocket, but they show how close a screen you wear on your face has become to normal life.
Xreal showed off new smart glasses called the Aura at Google's Android Dev Summit on Wednesday. The glasses run on Android XR, Google's system for AR and VR, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. They plug into a small puck you carry, and the puck does the computing.
The screen is Sony Micro-OLED at 1200p and 120 hertz, with a 95-degree field of view. On paper that beats Meta's Ray-Ban Display. But the Aura is heavier at 95 grams versus Meta's 69 grams, and you must carry the puck.
The Aura can run Google Play apps and games, and you can plug in a laptop or handheld console over USB-C. It costs $1,279 for 12GB of memory and $1,499 for 16GB, with lower launch prices through December. It ships in mid-November.
Xreal and Google first teased these glasses at Google's I/O event earlier this year. Google is following its phone playbook. Instead of building all the hardware itself, it gives partners like Samsung and Xreal the software and lets them sell the devices.
Meta has pushed hard into smart glasses, and Apple sells its larger Vision Pro headset. That makes glasses the next battleground for tech giants.
Xreal CEO Chi Xu told TechCrunch in May that the glasses business is hard and that everyone is losing money. He said the industry finally has the right hardware, software and design to grow.
Glasses like these could replace a computer screen you carry. They are still costly and need a puck in your pocket, but they show how close a screen you wear on your face has become to normal life.