Xreal XBX a01+ review: Astoundingly bright, lightweight AR glasses for $299

I've sung my praises about Xreal's One AR glasses, but at $599, they're not exactly an impulse purchase. Enter the XBX a01+, a pair of $299 glasses that offer a stripped-down AR experience while still delivering much of what makes Xreal's premium frames so great. Slip them on, and you've got a 147-inch virtual screen on your face. It can mirror your phone, computer or portable gaming device (though not the Switch or Switch 2, unfortunately). They sport sharp Micro-OLED lenses with a shocking 1,600-nit peak brightness, and they weigh just 62 grams (about the same as a C battery).

While RayNeo has had $300 AR glasses for years, like the recent Air 4 Pro, the XBX a01+ is brighter and has a slightly wider field of view. It's still not exactly cheap, but at the very least it means there's more competition in the world of AR glasses, which tends to drive prices down over time.

"Holy crap, these are light."

That was my first thought after taking the a01+ out of its compact hard case. It's noticeably less hefty than the Xreal One Pro, and it doesn't feel much heavier than a typical pair of oversized sunglasses. Honestly, it's easy to mistake the a01+ for normal shades — its arms aren't overly boxy like the One Pro, and its front frames hide its techier innards. And unlike Meta's family of smart glasses, there aren't any cameras to creep people out.

What makes the XBX a01+ truly special is its dual-layer Micro-OLED 1080p screen, which can be cranked all the way up to 1,600 nits. That's far brighter than you'd typically want for a screen directly in front of your eyeballs, but it helps the glasses deliver a sharp image in the direct sun or other over-lit environments. There are fourteen steps of brightness adjustment, as well as multiple viewing profiles. You'd typically use the standard mode, but there's also an eye-care mode that reduces blue light, as well as a cinema mode that tones down color saturation.

With a 50 degree field of view, the a01+ does a decent job of virtualizing a 147-inch screen directly in front of you. Its 120Hz refresh rate also means it can handle 120 fps gaming if you connect it to a PC or compatible handhelds. Dual stereo speaker drivers built into frames also deliver sound right to your ears with a variety of audio modes (standard, whisper, cinema and 3D surround).

And before you ask, no, the XBX a01+ has no affiliation with Xbox. Xreal representatives said Microsoft is aware of the product and has no problem with it. It sure seems like a missed opportunity for Microsoft to tie itself to a useful gaming accessory, though.

After snapping on prescription lenses (an additional $50 from HonsVR) above the a01+'s display, I plugged the glasses into my iPhone and was immediately taken aback. In front of me was an enormous replication of my iPhone's home screen — something I stare at dozens of times a day, but not on a 147-inch scale. The glasses automatically adjusted to horizontal viewing mode when I started playing videos on YouTube, and I spent more time than I'll admit gawking at movie trailers and music videos.

Even at just 1080p, the a01+'s screen excels at video. The large virtual screen makes just about everything look cinematic, and its healthy amount of brightness and contrast makes everything pop. I could clearly make out minute details in The Odyssey's trailer, like the soldiers' elaborate armor and Matt Damon's scraggly beard as Odysseus. Colors also looked bold and beautiful, as expected of a Micro-OLED screen. The glasses' tiny speakers also surprised me — they were detailed enough to make The Odyssey's trailer sound epic, despite not having much low-end punch.

I quickly grew to appreciate the simplicity of wearing the XBX a01+. It doesn't have to be charged like the Vision Pro or VR headsets, and its svelte design makes it easy to wear at the end of the day, when I often feel too tired to deal with finicky gadgets. I could just lay down in bed, plug it into my iPhone and watch whatever I want. It was particularly helpful for nights when my daughter needed a lot of help getting to sleep, and I couldn't just run downstairs to my home theater.

When connected to my MacBook Air, the XBX a01+ also proved to be a solid accessory for work. Sure, the 1080p resolution makes it tough to multitask, but it was nice to get a chunk of this review written without craning my head down. I could just look forward and stare directly at the a01+'s screen (and look very silly while doing so, I'm sure). The glasses' screen is sharp enough to read small text, edit photos and browse the web. It's ideal for situations where you need to work on a sensitive project privately, like on a plane or crowded cafe.

I spent several hours writing outside on my deck while wearing the a01+, and I found the experience to be far more comfortable than using the Apple Vision Pro in the same situation. The a01+ feels the same as wearing my normal sunglasses, the only difference is that I have to make room for the USB-C cable connecting it to my MacBook. It's not a massive gadget sealing in moisture and heat like the Vision Pro (which I could never imagine using outside on a steamy summer day in Georgia). While it gets warm around its display area, the A01+ was never hot enough to make me sweat or feel uncomfortable.

I don't normally wear headphones outside due to the aforementioned heat, plus I don't want to block out the soothing sounds of nature. The a01+'s side-firing speakers solved those issues: They gently serenaded me without generating heat, and since they don't close off my ears, I could still hear all of the birds and wildlife chirping around me. I could even hear the gentle fluttering of hummingbirds that love to hover near me while I write.

To test out gaming, I plugged the a01+ into my Steam Deck and spent several hours working through my backlog on the glasses's 147-inch virtual screen. It worked flawlessly, without any need for configuration. Not surprisingly, its large display felt far more immersive than the Steam Deck's portable screen, especially while playing graphically demanding games like Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. (Of course, that also makes it far easier to notice the graphical limitations of the Steam Deck itself.)

I also spent a few hours playing Overwatch 2 and 007: First Light with the XBX a01+ connected to my gaming desktop, and it also worked like a charm. I'd wager anyone with a powerful desktop already has a decent monitor, but the a01+ would be a great way to enjoy more immersive gaming on the go with gaming laptops.

It's just a shame that the Nintendo Switch 1 and 2 don't support display glasses like the XBX a01+. You could make those devices work with a portable dock solution like the Viture Pro Mobile Dock ($89.10), but that's an additional expense and yet another device to carry around. Unfortunately, Xreal canceled plans for its own portable dock, the Xreal Neo, earlier this year.

If any of the above scenarios pique your interest, you'll likely enjoy using the XBX a01+. It's particularly useful if you travel a ton, or if you often find yourself out of the house and away from your big screens. It's ideal for working in a coffee shop, or just entertaining yourself while your kid naps in their car seat. The a01+ is also easy to carry around, since its bundled case is relatively small, and can fit both the frames and its angled USB-C cable.

With its bright display and relatively affordable $299 price, the Xreal XBX a01+ is a dead-simple way to enter the world of smart display glasses. It's certainly an easier way to get onboard than the $599 Xreal One Pro frames, which have more sophisticated AR capabilities. Smart display glasses are endlessly practical, and they don't have the icky privacy concerns that camera-equipped frames do. Why limit yourself to small screens when you can just slip on a pair of cinema glasses?