Late last year we reviewed the excellent Xreal Air 2 glasses, which have now gotten a Pro version, and are expected to get an Ultra one in a few months.
So, here we have the new Xreal Air 2 Pro – a pair of very familiar "wearable display" glasses, but with some slight improvements over their predecessor, and a big new gimmick. And I mean that word in a good way, because it's actually a useful one.
Are the Xreal Air 2 Pro worth the $449 (€515 in Europe), or should you stick to the more affordable $399 Xreal Air instead? Let's find out…
The Xreal Air 2 Pro come with seemingly the same carrying case as the base model, which is good news. It's a hard shell case, it's going to protect them well during travels, and closes with a strong, reassuring snap. Zero chance of it opening on its own, nor would it be easy to crush, even if you put all of your luggage on top of it, so again – good stuff.
As for the glasses, they look identical to the Xreal Air 2 – good, minimalist matte plastic build, soft rubber nose pads, and they're comfortably lightweight, at just 75 grams.
At a distance it's hard to distinguish those from normal sunglasses, which is always welcome, but at a closer look, people will start noticing.
Because of their downward-facing mini-displays, plus the mirrors that reflect them towards your eyes, the frames of these glasses sit further away from your face than is normal, which can make them look a bit odd to others around you.
Now that's been the case with pretty much any "wearable display" glasses we've reviewed, so it's not an exclusive issue with the Xreal Air 2 Pro, just something worth pointing out.
Fit, comfort and adjustability
Xreal Air 2 Pro (Image credit - PhoneArena)
For the most part, these are going to feel like a slightly thicker, but fairly traditional pair of sunglasses on your face.
Because they're fairly light, and come with three sizes of soft rubber nose pads to choose from, you shouldn't have any comfort issues.
Even better, the Xreal Air 2 Pro have adjustable frames, which you can snap between slightly different angles. It's important to play around with that feature, because at least for me, the frames' default angle didn't let me see the virtual screen in its entirety. I changed their angle a bit, and voila.
In addition, we get a prescription lens frame that attaches to the glasses, should you need it.
Controls and electrochromic dimming
Xreal Air 2 Pro physical buttons (Image credit - PhoneArena)
The Xreal Air 2 Pro have simple and familiar physical controls. On the bottom of the right frame, we get two buttons for setting the brightness, and a single button to adjust these glasses' most notable feature – the electrochromic glass dimming.
Press that button once, and you can see through the glasses like you would through normal sunglasses. Press it a second time, and the glasses turn significantly more opaque, letting you focus on your content better. Press it a third time, and now the glasses are at their most opaque state – it's much harder to see through them, which makes your content pop, and look extra bright.
And, of course, if you want to completely block your view through the glasses, and just enjoy your digital content, the Xreal Air 2 Pro come with an attachable, fully opaque "Light Shield", which you can snap over the lenses.
But I doubt you'll need it, as that electrochromic glass dimming is pretty strong on its own, and I love it.
Xreal Air 2 Pro's three electrochromic dimming states (Image credit - PhoneArena)
Switching between just slightly dim glasses while watching YouTube and working out, so you can see your treadmill, then taking a break and quickly switching to maximum opaque, so you can block out everything else in front of you and just focus on your content, is priceless.
This is indeed the kind of "gimmick" that I'm all for – a very convenient feature all "wearable display" glasses should have.
As for volume controls, or any other controls you may be asking for – we don't get any, so you'll have to adjust your volume from your phone, or Steam Deck, or whichever other device you decide to use with these glasses.
Image quality: watching movies, gaming on the Steam Deck, working on an iPad, MacBook
Xreal Air 2 Pro connected to a Steam Deck (Image credit - PhoneArena)
The Xreal Air 2 Pro give you a 1080p (Full HD) virtual display that feels about 130 inches big, with a field-of-view (FOV) of 46 degrees. Those specs are exactly the same as on the base Xreal Air 2, so nothing spectacular here – no 4K.
We get the same 500 nits of brightness and up to 120Hz refresh rate also, although those specs are perfectly adequate.
I've used the Xreal Air 2 Pro mostly for watching YouTube and Netflix on my phone, and gaming on my Steam Deck, and I'm very happy with the screen quality. You get a big, bright virtual screen with great colors and sharpness, and basically no latency, which is crucial for gaming.
Using the Xreal Air 2 Pro as a secondary screen for my iPad has been excellent (Image credit - PhoneArena)
Same with using the Xreal Air 2 Pro with my Steam Deck (Image credit - PhoneArena)
Now, depending on which device you connect the glasses to, you can expect them to either mirror its screen (Steam Deck, iPhone / Android phones), or serve as a secondary display by default (iPad, MacBook).
Using these glasses for work is an actual, realistic scenario; they've been an excellent secondary screen for my iPad. Even small text is legible, thanks to the virtual screen's fantastic clarity and sharpness.
But these glasses shine extra when they're used for watching movies or YouTube videos, as it really feels like a private cinema experience you just pulled out of your pocket. If you tint them to their darkest mode, so that the outside world gets blocked and you only see the bright, big screen, all you really need beyond that is some popcorn. Great stuff!
The virtual screen is absolutely fixed to your head, so you can turn around or lie comfortably on your back for a binge watch of your favorite show, and you'll always have a centered view of it.
Another thing worth noting is that because the Xreal Air 2 Pro have a sensor for wearing detection, they automatically turn on when you wear them, and switch off when you take them off. In addition, your content will usually pause when you take them off; which I've noticed at least with some iPhone and Android apps.
Connectivity
There's no setup involved; as soon as you connect these glasses to your phone, laptop or Steam Deck, they'll immediately be recognized and utilized.
The way you connect the Xreal Air 2 Pro to such devices is via an included USB-C cable. However, it's very important that your devices have a USB-C port with DisplayPort output, in order for this to work.
Most flagship phones (but not all), most modern iPads, MacBooks, and laptops all have DisplayPort over USB-C support; however it's still best to do some research on your phone or device, and make sure that it does, before buying glasses like these.
Notably, the Nintendo Switch doesn't have DisplayPort support from its USB-C port, so for it, you'll want to get the Xreal Beam, which allows for using HDMI connections instead. Speaking of the Xreal Beam…
Xreal Beam, companion app
The Xreal Beam is optional, and sold separately (Image credit - PhoneArena)
Those two are optional. The Xreal Beam is a sold-separately device that you can connect to your Xreal Air 2 Pro, in order to get some smart functionality and extra features out of them, such as the ability to resize or reposition your virtual screen. Check out our Xreal Beam review to learn more on that device.
Personally, I really wish these glasses already came with such features included – a built-in option to resize and reposition the virtual screen would've really made them top tier, but alas.
As mentioned earlier, the Xreal Beam also allows for HDMI connectivity, besides just USB-C, which is necessary if you wish to use a Nintendo Switch with your glasses. The Beam additionally gives the glasses some smart functionality, such as running apps like Netflix without needing your phone.
The Beam even has a bit of built-in storage, so you can theoretically download videos on it, and watch them on the go, without ever having to use your phone. It does need charging, though, and its battery life is about 3 hours.
Another optional (and this time free) thing you may want to play around with is the Xreal companion app – Nebula. Unfortunately it's only available on certain Android phones; no iPhone support.
Besides being useful for updating your glasses, the Nebula app gives them actual AR functionality, utilizing their limited head tracking capabilities. The app features an AR launcher, a video player, web browsing with some limited multitasking capabilities, and some AR apps built specifically for the Xreal Air series.
Speakers
Xreal Air 2 Pro speaker (Image credit - PhoneArena)
The Xreal Air 2 Pro feature stereo speakers, one on the bottom of each frame, facing towards your ears. The sound you get is clean and spatial, and can get very loud.
While it's pretty weak on the low-end side of the audio spectrum, as can be expected, it's rich on mids and highs, and with generous stereo separation.
So the speaker quality is pretty fantastic for watching movies, adding extra immersion to the whole "private cinema" selling point of these glasses.
As for whether you'll disturb others around you – when I used the Xreal Air 2 Pro in quiet environments people could hear faint high-frequency sounds coming off of them even at fairly low volumes.
So depending on where you plan on using these glasses, you may want to pair some earbuds or headphones instead of using the built-in speakers, if you want perfect privacy, and to avoid disturbing others.
Verdict
Xreal Air 2 Pro with included case and Light Shield accessory (Image credit - PhoneArena)
The Xreal Air 2 Pro are now my favorite "wearable display" glasses we've reviewed so far. The fantastic, bright and crisp virtual screen they provide, paired with a clear, wide soundstage, as well as the new electrochromic glass dimming feature, make for a truly well-rounded private cinema experience.
If you're in the market for a big screen that fits in your pocket, whether you're a traveler who watches a lot of movies, a gamer on the go, or you simply wish to experiment with your productivity set up, the Xreal Air 2 Pro might just be perfect for you.
However, if you're not sold on the electrochromic glass dimming feature, you can comfortably go with the more affordable Xreal Air 2, and barely consider it a compromise, if at all. Alternatively, if you actually want more features, it might be best to wait for the Xreal Air 2 Ultra.
Pros
Bright and sharp virtual screen
Super convenient electrochromic glass dimming feature
Rado, a tech enthusiast with a love for mobile devices, brings his passion for Android and iPadOS to PhoneArena. His tech journey began with MP3 players and has evolved to include tinkering with Android tablets and iPads, even running Linux and Windows 95 on them. Beyond tech, Rado is a published author, music producer, and PC game developer. His professional work on iPads, from producing songs to editing videos, showcases his belief in their capabilities. Rado looks forward to the future of mobile tech, particularly in augmented reality and multi-screen smartphones.
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