XReal has largely flown beneath the radar right here within the States. The Beijing agency’s Air 2 Professional AR glasses received a little bit of evaluate love late final 12 months, however the product is seldom talked about among the many Metas, Apples and HTCs of the world when discussing blended actuality.
This week on the AWE (Augmented World Expo) convention in Southern California, the corporate is showcasing the Beam Professional. The $200 machine appears like an Android telephone and quacks like an Android telephone, but it surely’s probably not an Android telephone. As a substitute, it’s a cellular machine designed particularly for XReal’s glasses.
In essence, the Beam Professional is designed to ship Google Play apps to the glasses in “3D space.” XReal writes: “As the ultimate companion device for XReal glasses, XReal Beam Pro gives users a simple way to access all their favorite apps, social media content, streaming entertainment, professional needs, and gaming platforms in a stunning 3D-aware AR environment.”
The Snapdragon-powered machine runs Android 14 and contains a pair of 50-megapixel cameras for taking 3D pictures and spatial movies, but it surely’s extraordinarily purpose-built and never seeking to exchange your handset. It’s a novel strategy, definitely — one which harkens again to a bygone period when individuals owned iPod Touches along with iPhones. There’s a little bit little bit of Amazon Hearth Cellphone DNA in there by the use of the 3D cameras, however the much less mentioned about that, the higher.
“The average user will instantly recognize the smartphone-like form factor,” the corporate writes. “In terms of connectivity, XReal Beam Pro offers dual USB ports for simultaneous use with XReal glasses while charging. 27W fast charging means battery anxiety during a binge-watching or gaming session is a thing of the past.”
Different specs are what one would count on from a $200 machine. That features a 6.5-inch (2400 x 1080) show, 6 or 8GB of RAM and 128 or 256GB of storage — not precisely flagship numbers there. There’s a Wi-Fi-only possibility, in addition to one with 5G, as which level we’re just about speaking a couple of telephone.
XReal constructed its NebulaOS proprietary software program layer on high of Android. The pores and skin is designed to ship 2D apps in 3D, whereas providing a novel technique to interface with the system.
“It’s exciting to see companies like XREAL bring new devices to the ecosystem, making AR more accessible,” Qualcomm Senior Director Sahil Bansal mentioned in an announcement. Different huge names concerned embody Nvidia by the use of the off-device CloudXR tech and Amazon Internet companies.
The Beam Professional is up on the market now within the U.S., China, Japan and elements of Europe by means of the XReal web site. It hits Amazon subsequent month.
