Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba-backed tech firm Xreal has launched its latest generation of augmented reality (AR) glasses, the Xreal One Series, as it seeks to fend off competition from Meta and Snap. The new glasses feature a self-designed processor called the X1 chip, marking a significant upgrade in capabilities.
The X1 chip enables users to connect their AR glasses to devices like phones, laptops, or games consoles, allowing them to access digital content on a large screen in front of them. This is a major improvement over previous models, which required a companion device called the Beam for connections.
Xreal’s CEO Chi Xu believes that the X1 chip is the biggest upgrade in Xreal history and the most significant upgrade for the AR glasses sector as a whole. The company has invested three years into developing the chip to increase the capabilities of its glasses and differentiate them from competitors.
However, Xreal faces intense competition from other players like Snap, which recently unveiled new Spectacles, and Meta’s ongoing efforts with its Meta Ray-Ban product. Despite this, Xu argues that larger headsets are not the answer and that glasses will be the mass-market winners in AR due to their lighter form factor.
The Xreal One and Xreal One Pro start at $499 and $599 respectively, but there is still a need for compelling content and killer use cases before the product category reaches a wider user base. Xu believes that good hardware is essential, along with a platform and ecosystem to improve the experience. The company expects to sell 500,000 units of its previous products in 2025, roughly doubling the figure from this year.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/04/xreal-one-series-launch-features-new-chip-as-ar-competition-heats-up.html