On 28 October 2026, XREAL unveiled the AURA — the first wired XR glasses on the Android XR platform, created together with Google and Qualcomm. The main feature is how the load is distributed: the main processor, memory and battery are not in the glasses but in a separate computing puck unit that fits in a pocket. The unit is built on Snapdragon Reality Elite, and Gemini is built into the system.
The glasses themselves weigh less than 95 grams. Their lenses are transparent: the user sees the room and the people around, while apps are projected on top. The image is formed by a pair of Sony Micro-OLED displays with a resolution of 1920 × 1200 pixels per eye and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz; the field of view is 70°. Six-degrees-of-freedom position tracking and gesture recognition are provided by cameras and a dedicated XREAL X1S chip, which also processes display and sensor data. The dimming is electrochromic, with five levels of transparency, and the audio path was tuned by Bose.
The puck weighs 265 grams. Inside is a Snapdragon Reality Elite with AI performance of up to 48 TOPS, 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, or 16 GB and 512 GB, as well as a 4455 mAh battery (about 34,8 Wh). The unit also serves as a trackpad for control.
Android XR opens access to Google Play apps, allows up to five floating windows at once and adds more than 150 XR experiences. A laptop connects via USB-C, and its screen is output to the glasses. Among the games and apps named at launch are NBA App and Fallout: Factions. Gemini answers questions and understands what is shown on the screen.
The price deserves a careful look. The starting 1099 dollars apply only until the end of the year and relate to the base 12/256 GB configuration; the regular price of this version is listed as 1279 dollars, while the 16/512 GB version costs 1499 dollars. In early October the company announced exactly these two prices, and at launch pre-orders were opened only for those who had paid a deposit in advance. Orders are accepted in the US, Canada and South Korea, and in Japan from 2 November. Shipments will begin in mid-November.
Compared with previous XREAL glasses, the very logic of the device changes here: lightweight optics remain on the head, while a full-fledged OS and the computing move into a pocket. The price of such a scheme is a second device that must be carried and charged. Without the puck the glasses do not work autonomously, and the manufacturer has not yet published official battery life.
The main reference point for comparison is not the regular Ray-Ban Meta but the Ray-Ban Meta Display. In terms of screen specs the AURA looks stronger on paper, but the glasses are heavier: 95 grams versus 69, and they cannot do without a separate unit. At launch, both Google and XREAL call the AURA the first wired XR glasses on Android XR, so there are no direct competitors in this class on the platform yet.
For those who want lightweight glasses with access to Android apps and Gemini and do not mind a second device in their pocket, the AURA is one of the first real options, especially if you manage to catch the starting price. Those for whom full autonomy matters should wait for independent battery tests.
