On December 4, 2024, Xreal unveiled the One and One Pro smart glasses, built around a new X1 chip that moves the work of video output and spatial display into the frames themselves. Where earlier models leaned on a separate and costly accessory to turn a phone, handheld, or laptop into a floating screen, the glasses can now do it alone, a shift that quietly redraws the boundary between a device and the display it needs. Whether this becomes a durable everyday habit or remains an enthusiast's pleasure will depend on how the promised experience holds up beyond curated demonstrations.
Xreal One Smart Glasses Gain On-Device X1 Chip, Bringing Spatial Computing Without an Accessory
The X1 puts that capability inside the glasses.
Mark
Why does a chip inside the glasses matter so much?
Mimi
Because the Air 2 needed an accessory, the Beam Pro, to create spatial displays. The X1 moves that into the glasses, so you plug into a USB-C device directly.
Mark
What did the reviewer actually try?
Mimi
An iPhone 16, a Steam Deck and a MacBook. A YouTube video from the phone, three virtual monitors on the Mac, and DiRT 5 on the Deck.
Luke
Worth noting those were curated demos. The reviewer says so. It's not the same as living with them.
Mark
And the latency numbers? 3ms against 20ms.
Luke
That's Xreal's claim. The reviewer says the difference was noticeable, and saw no lag in the racing game, but there's no independent measurement here.
Mimi
The field of view is similar. The 57-degree figure for the Pro is described by Xreal as the industry's largest.
Luke
Again, the company's statement. Comfort is a first impression too, after a short session.
Mark
What about the camera?
Mimi
The Xreal Eye clips on the bridge, with 12MP photos and 1080p video at 60fps. AI features are promised later.
Luke
And the reviewer didn't test how it works with these glasses. So those AI features are a plan, not something shown.
O Pulso
- A reviewer testing the glasses with a Steam Deck reported no noticeable lag, and that absence of friction is what makes the new chip feel like a turning point.
- The old workflow demanded an extra accessory, the Beam Pro, which was costly, so the X1 aims to strip that dependency away and let any USB-C device project directly.
- Xreal claims 3ms motion-to-photon latency against 20ms on the Air 2, and its widened fields of view of 50 and 57 degrees promise a larger, more immersive picture.
- The One starts at $499 with shipping in mid-December, while the One Pro at $599 arrives in early 2025, and a full review is still weeks away to test these claims.
On December 4, 2024, Xreal unveiled the One and One Pro smart glasses, built around a new X1 chip that moves the work of video output and spatial display into the frames themselves. Where earlier models leaned on a separate and costly accessory to turn a phone, handheld, or laptop into a floating screen, the glasses can now do it alone, a shift that quietly redraws the boundary between a device and the display it needs. Whether this becomes a durable everyday habit or remains an enthusiast's pleasure will depend on how the promised experience holds up beyond curated demonstrations.
On a Steam Deck, a few laps of DiRT 5 convinced a Tom's Guide reviewer that something had changed in Xreal's glasses. There was no noticeable lag between the frames and Valve's handheld, and that quiet smoothness became the story of the new One and One Pro, announced on December 4, 2024.
The change lies in a chip. Xreal's X1 handles video output and what the company calls independent spatial computing, letting the glasses connect to any USB-C device and turn it into a spatial display. Earlier models needed the Beam Pro accessory to do this, which the reviewer found expensive. Now the capability lives inside the glasses, without a visible change in their look.
In curated tests with an iPhone 16, a Steam Deck and a MacBook, the glasses played video comfortably and showed three floating monitors in a virtual workspace. Xreal's figures suggest 3ms of motion-to-photon latency against 20ms on the Air 2, and the reviewer said the difference was real in use.
The view has widened too. The One reaches 50 degrees and the One Pro 57, using a flat-prism lens in place of the older birdbath design. The frames are slimmer, weigh 84 and 87 grams, and feel balanced, though the session was short. Bose speakers in the arms bring clearer engine noise and more volume.
Xreal is also introducing the Xreal Eye, a camera that clips to the bridge and will gain AI features later. Pre-orders opened the same day, with the One at $499 and the One Pro from $599. A full review is promised in the weeks ahead.
On a Steam Deck, a few laps of DiRT 5 were enough to convince a Tom's Guide reviewer that something had changed in Xreal's glasses. The reviewer reported no noticeable lag between the glasses and Valve's handheld. That was a hands-on test with a pair of new models, the Xreal One and the Xreal One Pro, which the company announced on December 4, 2024.
The change at the center of the announcement is a chip. Xreal developed the X1 to handle video output and what the company calls independent spatial computing. It lets the glasses connect to any USB-C device and turn it into a spatial display for gaming, work, apps and websites. Earlier models such as the Air 2 needed an accessory for that, namely the Xreal Beam Pro, which the reviewer describes as expensive. The X1 puts that capability inside the glasses, and according to the reviewer it does not noticeably change how they look. Chi Xu, Xreal's CEO and co-founder, said the X1 powers the kind of spatial computing the company has always envisioned and that customers have been eagerly waiting for.
The reviewer tried the glasses a couple of weeks before the announcement, connected to an iPhone 16, a Steam Deck and a MacBook. These were curated experiences, the reviewer notes. A YouTube video played comfortably, output directly from the phone. With the MacBook, the glasses showed three spatial monitors in a virtual workspace. Both setups worked well, the reviewer says, with smoother performance from the X1 and lower latency.
The latency figure is Xreal's own. The company says the X1 delivers motion-to-photon latency of 3ms at 120Hz, compared with 20ms on the Air 2 currently on sale. The reviewer says the difference was especially noticeable in use.
The display has also changed. The Air 2 offers 1080p per eye and a 46-degree field of view. The One keeps that resolution but widens the view to 50 degrees on a larger display. The One Pro reaches 57 degrees, which Xreal says is the largest in the industry. It gets there with a flat-prism lens, a departure from the birdbath design used in the One and older Xreal glasses.
The design is slimmer too. There is silver banding at the temples and an interchangeable front frame for customizing the look, and the front of the glasses is thinner than on the Air 2. The One and One Pro weigh 84 and 87 grams, slightly more than current models. The reviewer found them balanced and not intrusive, while cautioning that the viewing session was short.
Audio now comes from Bose speakers built into the arms. The reviewer says the engine revs in DiRT 5 came through with impressive clarity, and the higher maximum volume could make them usable on louder public transport. Nick Smith, Bose's senior vice president of strategy and business development, said in the press release that the audio tuning makes content more vibrant and lifelike.
Xreal is also introducing the Xreal Eye, an RGB camera that clips onto the bridge of the glasses. The company says it captures real-time 12MP photos and records 1080p video at 60fps. Later, it is to gain multimodal AI features, including image recognition and voice commands working with an assistant on the host device. It can be paired with the Beam Pro for augmented reality displays. The reviewer wore a pair with the camera attached and felt no difference, but did not test how it works with the One or One Pro.
Pre-orders opened on Xreal's website the day of the announcement. The One costs $499, £449 or €549. The One Pro costs $100 more, starting at $599, £549 or €649. Bundles with the Beam Pro will also be offered. The One is due to ship in mid-December, and the One Pro in early 2025. A full review is promised in the coming weeks.
Citações Notáveis
X1 powers the kind of spatial computing we've always envisioned and that customers have been eagerly waiting for.— Chi Xu, CEO and co-founder of Xreal
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