Xreal opens pre-orders for the Android XR-powered Aura glasses, starting at $1,279 for 12GB RAM/256GB, shipping soon in the US with a separate compute puck

The price of advanced AR glasses drops below $1,300, making premium XR hardware more accessible.

Xreal has opened pre-orders for its Aura Android XR smartglasses, first unveiled at Google I/O. The glasses, weighing under 95 grams, require a separate compute puck that runs Android XR with Google Play access and Gemini AI capabilities. Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Reality Elite chip, the Aura boasts precise hand tracking and a 70-degree field of view, with sharp visuals even in bright sunlight. Audio is handled by Bose-engineered technology. The compute puck includes a trackpad and fingerprint sensor for navigation and can also function as an external monitor when connected to a computer. Pre-order pricing starts at $1,279 for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage configuration, with a $1,499 option offering 16GB RAM/512GB storage. Xreal Aura glasses will begin shipping soon in the US, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, with wider international release planned for 2027.

The launch of Xreal's Aura smartglasses, featuring a dedicated Android XR compute puck powered by a Snapdragon Reality Elite chip, signals a significant step towards more integrated and capable standalone XR devices. The inclusion of Gemini AI and Bose audio further positions these glasses as a premium consumer product, moving beyond basic display functions to offer a richer mixed-reality experience. This development could accelerate the adoption of XR for productivity and entertainment, challenging existing mobile computing paradigms.

By offering high-end features like precise hand tracking and a wide field of view at a sub-$1,300 price point, Xreal is directly competing with more expensive enterprise-focused headsets and pushing the boundaries of what consumers can expect from wearable technology. The strategy of bundling a powerful compute puck also addresses battery life and processing limitations common in lighter-weight glasses, potentially setting a new standard for consumer XR hardware design and functionality in the coming years.