At $1,279, Google’s Xreal Aura will go head-to-head with Meta’s VR Glasses

Xreal Aura transparent AR glasses are now available for pre-order at $1,279, offering a new option for overlaying digital content onto the real world.

Xreal has opened pre-orders for its Aura augmented reality glasses, priced at $1,279 for a 12GB RAM/256GB storage configuration, positioning them as a direct competitor to Meta's upcoming VR Glasses. The Aura features transparent lenses, offering a 70-degree diagonal field of view and running on Android XR, with a separate compute puck housing the processor and battery. Meta's offering, which utilizes passthrough vision for a more immersive experience and runs on Horizon OS, is priced slightly higher at $1,299 for a comparable configuration and includes eye-tracking technology. Both devices rely on Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite chips and connect via a cord to their respective compute pucks. Xreal's "Founder's Edition" pairs are limited to 2,000 units and will begin shipping this year to select regions including the US, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, with general public orders opening in the coming weeks and broader international availability expected in 2027. Meta's VR Glasses are slated for a spring 2027 release.

The head-to-head competition between Xreal's Aura and Meta's VR Glasses, with only a $20 price difference, indicates a maturing market for consumer-grade AR/VR hardware. Both companies are leveraging external compute pucks to manage weight and processing, a design choice that allows for lighter wearable devices but introduces a tethered experience. The differing approaches to real-world visibility—transparent lenses for Xreal versus passthrough vision for Meta—suggest distinct user experience goals, with Xreal aiming for seamless integration into daily life and Meta prioritizing deeper immersion.

The limited availability of Xreal's Founder's Edition and the staggered release strategy signal cautious market entry for both brands, prioritizing early adopters and specific geographic regions. This launch provides crucial real-world testing for Android XR outside of Samsung's earlier, less-reviewed device, and sets a benchmark for Meta's upcoming VR Glasses. Consumers and developers will be watching closely to see how the distinct input methods (touchpad/hand-tracking vs. eye-tracking) and operating system ecosystems (Android XR vs. Horizon OS) perform in practical use cases.