Augmented reality company Nreal has launched a smaller, iOS-compatible and more compact version its smart glasses. Nreal Air glasses will be available in Japan, China, South Korea, and China starting December 2021. Nreal has not yet revealed the price, but they claim that they will be half the price of its Nreal Light glasses which retailed for about $600 last year.
According to Nreals description, Nreals has identified some similarities between the Nreal Air and Nreal Light glasses. They are designed to look similar to normal sunglasses, and can project a virtual big screen display right in front of your eyes. Both use micro OLED displays to create augmented reality optics. They are powered by a phone via an Ethernet cable. They are both intended for consumers and not researchers or businesses.
There are no cameras that can be seen outward, unlike Nreals' last glasses.
Nreal Air glasses are different from their predecessors in that they have a unique feature set. The original Nreal Light glasses, similar to Microsoft HoloLens and Magic Leap hardware could map the physical space around you using a set outward-facing cameras. Nreal Air glasses on the other hand, don't have any outward-facing cameras. While they can display video and smartphone apps, they cannot see what is around them. This means that they don't have the spatial awareness or hand tracking options of the Nreal Light. They can be controlled with a smartphone app. This option is also available for Light glasses.
Nreal Air glasses, at 77g instead of 106g, are actually lighter than Light glasses. They don't have the same bug-eyed look as Light glasses in product renders. Instead, they look more like Ray-Bans smart glasses and Facebook, but without the front-facing cameras. The Ray-Ban Stories glasses weigh 50 grams. Users can tilt the new glasses at three angles to obtain a better view. The Nreal Light glasses were launched with specific support for 5G Android phones. However, the new glasses can also be used while tethered and paired to iPhones or iPads.
The Nreal Air glasses have a faster screen refresh rate of 90Hz than the Light and a higher pixel density at 49 PPD. Nreal claims that the glasses' field of vision is 46 degrees. This compares to 52 degrees for the Nreal Lights. It equates the Airs view with either a 130-inch screen located 3 meters away, or a 201 inch screen at 6 metres. Nreal glasses can be shared with friends by creating a virtual theater that allows them to all view the same media.
Nreal plans to expand its Air glasses rollout in 2022. A spokesperson for the company said that the US was a major market, but it has not announced plans to ship there. It will be selling the glasses with major phone carriers, just like the Light. While it hasn't yet named any partners, the company previously worked with Koreas LG Uplus and Japans KDDI.
In Korea, 78 percent of viewers watched streaming video
Nreal spokesperson said that the company created the Air because most users used the glasses to stream video and browse the internet. The glasses were used by around 78% of Korean users to stream content. Chi Xu, founder of the company, stated that consumers today want AR glasses that are lighter and more durable for streaming media and work from home. Nreal claims that the absence of cameras is meant to assure bystanders that they are not in danger of their privacy.
Nreal is just one of a few consumer smart glasses. These results may give insight into what AR headsets people want. Nreal has not made a concerted effort to create experiences that combine the virtual and real worlds, a use case Facebook has emphasized more. Instead, it is focusing on what people love: binge-watching video.
