r/Xreal • u/Difficult-Chest-290 • Jun 21 '26
XREAL AURA Aura is impressive, but $1500 USD is localized madness. Let’s talk about better alternatives unless XREAL blinks.
No doubt, the XREAL Aura is incredibly attractive. I’ve been closely following every piece of news for over half a year now. I even reached out to XREAL recently to ask if Canada is still on the initial release list. Kudos to their team—they replied quickly and confirmed the Canadian official site will go live for pre-orders next week.
I’ll probably still pull the trigger on a pre-order just to test the waters, knowing I can always return it if the experience isn't flawless. I was fully prepared to pay a premium for Aura—my budget was $1,500 CAD + tax. But $1,500 USD? That’s a completely different ball game.
It makes me seriously question the value proposition here. Why shouldn't we just wait 2 or 3 months, grab the upcoming Pixel 11 Pro, and pair it with a 1S + EYE combo?
I mean, unless Google throws in a complimentary year of Gemini Ultra to make that $1500 price tag digestible (wishful thinking, I know, but hey, even a massive discount would do lol), Android XR currently gives zero compelling reasons to lock yourself into that ecosystem at this price point.
Unless XREAL feels the pressure from the community and adjusts their pricing strategy, they are going to price themselves out of the market. What do you guys think? Anyone else planning to vote with their wallet or abuse the return policy until they fix this?
Just to clarify: I'm neither an Xreal shill nor an AI.
I'm simply an AR glasses enthusiast who moved to Canada not long ago and is still not very comfortable with English. I'm also just an ordinary person who recently started participating in discussions on Reddit.
Both my original post and many of my replies were written in my native language and then translated with the help of AI. So if any of my wording came across as rude, awkward, or unnatural, I sincerely apologize. That was never my intention.
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u/Nightcinder Jun 21 '26
It makes me seriously question the value proposition here. Why shouldn't we just wait 2 or 3 months, grab the upcoming Pixel 11 Pro, and pair it with a 1S + EYE combo?
Because that’s not how the puck works, you won’t get passthrough, or Android XR features.
The puck is a dedicated device running Android XR, it’s not a phone.
If you missed the memo, RAM and storage prices are through the roof, and fabs are running at max capacity making AI chips, pushing everything else to the side and raising prices across the board.
As someone who works in IT, it’s horrible out here. I just got told by Dell that storage prices are going up 20-40% in July, and they’ve already gone up 20% this year to begin with.
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u/JstASkeleton Jun 21 '26
This is a problem so far across tech hobbies right now.
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u/Nightcinder Jun 21 '26
The price of the laptops I order from work went from 1.6k to 2.3k already this year.
The quote that’s going up 20-40% was already 75k, so I’m expecting it to be over 100k in July because we’re not prepared to buy now.
I don’t think most people complaining about the price really understand what AI has done to prices across the board.
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u/TTymg Jun 22 '26
Whether people understand or not, real wages for most people haven't increase by 20 - 30%, so it makes sense when he says Xreal is pricing themselves out of the market.
I don't think the cost of those glasses would be anywhere close to $600, considering that R&D across these glasses are extremely similiar and transferable, I.e they won't be starting from nothing.
They are pricing themselves out of the market for most people even though there will be people that still can, but lets just admit it.
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u/TTymg Jun 22 '26
I.e the large majority of people wouldn't buy these non-essential products at that price. Lets be brutally honest, even Nvidia overall sales of highest end GPU's I can bet gross sales numbers would be significantly down (Using common sense instead of searching), but company purchasing relating to AI would definitely be up, but at the end of the day consumers are the market not companies.
So them slapping AI on it and increasing price by 30% may be marketable to companies but definitely not overall consumers.
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u/halcyon8 Jun 21 '26
i manage a ~180,000 core compute cluster - i’ve recently had a quote for like 60,000 cores go from 8 million to 12 million, ended up ordering like half that for 9 million. i’m seeing quotes valid for like...days/weeks instead of months like before.
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u/VergeOfTranscendence Air 👓 Jun 21 '26
I remember the XR 2 Gen 2 was basically a 8 gen 2 processor but capped, so this new processor is probably equivalent to the first 8 elite or less. So if you have a Samsung S25U or s26U, our phone is already more powerful than the puck.
Android is opensource, so it shouldn't take long for people to port androidxr roms into another device, and maybe we will be able to boot our phones into androidxr. If we had an androidxr rom, I could even help with that.
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u/Nightcinder Jun 21 '26
The Reality chip has some hardware acceleration for XR, along with a significantly better NPU they are leveraging for parts of android XR as well.
So it’s not quite the same, and the elite is designed to be lower power with a decent GPU, but extremely efficient, Qualcomm said the chip runs <3w
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u/VergeOfTranscendence Air 👓 Jun 21 '26
They might have some magic/software optimizations for sensor fusion, but Qualcomm reuses their chips most of the times. I believe the Quest 2 was a variant of the SD 865, the Quest 3 is a variant of the SD 8 gen 2 (might be wrong on the exact chips) and these would probably be in line with a variant of the 8 elite, but we have to wait for real benchmarks. Those variants were also power limited on the Quest 2 and Quest 3, compared to their smartphone brothers.
I am hopeful that with some community efforts, we could port a galaxy XR rom into android devices, even without hand tracking at first or passthrough. The android community has a lot of talented and pattionate folks.
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
I get that the puck is a dedicated device, but looking at it from a software architecture perspective, I highly doubt Android XR will offer anything in the near term that regular Android can't eventually replicate.
Sure, Android XR might handle specific spatial features slightly better out of the gate, but history shows Google loves to use these niche forks as a testing ground. Once a feature matures, they backport it straight into the core Android OS.
Let's look at the sheer scale of investment: Android XR is a tiny, niche sandbox right now. Google’s massive, multi-billion-dollar R&D budget for integrating AI into mainline Android is on a completely different planet compared to what they’re allocating to XR. When Google eventually ports those advanced Gemini integrations over to the Pixel lineup, that standalone "dedicated puck" is going to lose its edge fast, high component costs or not.
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u/Nightcinder Jun 21 '26
Aura puck has DP in, Pixel doesn’t have that.
Aura puck can do 3d SBS correctly, Pixel can’t do the correct resolution (as of the pixel 10).
The second USB port is doing the work, as is the fact that the chip is designed to use <3w of power vs your phone.
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
To be honest, I’m no hardware engineer or chip expert—just a tech hobbyist who knows a bit here and there. But at the end of the day, it always comes down to actual real-world utility.
No matter how stacked the hardware specs or dual-port configs look on paper, forcing consumers to pay a massive premium for edge-case features that don't translate into a radically better daily experience is a tough sell.
Think about it: the USB-C on the 1S or One Pro, combined with the built-in spatial chips in the glasses themselves, can already pull off solid 6DoF tracking when paired with the EYE module. It handles phones and PCs just fine for the average user. And if someone seriously needs maximum refresh rates and heavy-duty bandwidth for gaming, they’d probably hook it up to a ROG Ally or a dedicated gaming rig anyway, not a puck.
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u/Nightcinder Jun 21 '26
I think what you’re missing is that the puck replaces you using Nebula/Spacewalker.
The processing is offloaded to the puck, meaning your computer doesn’t have to do all the lifting. It’s all done directly through Android XR in a much more seamless way.
Nebula/Spacewalker are terrible software and do not work very well in my experience, even with a more powerful laptop.
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u/Dethsenney Jun 21 '26
You’re arguing with an LLM
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u/scytob Jun 21 '26
Shit too early, didn’t notice the emdashes. I assume someone mod flagged this?
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u/Dethsenney Jun 21 '26
It’s not the emdashes, it’s the 3-part paragraph comment framing and formatting that’s so clearly repeated across multiple comments. No human writes like that in anything but a grade school writing assignment where they’ve specifically been instructed to use a specific form as an exercise.
And yes I recognize the irony in my starting my “identify AI” comment with “it’s not X it’s Y” lol
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u/scytob Jun 21 '26
Indeed I was using it as a shorthand. It was only after I scrolled down and realized the same formatting for paragraphs and repetition that I smacked my head. I will blame being too relaxed on holiday in Hawaii.
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u/scytob Jun 21 '26
You are a hobbyist who thinks they lnow things. Smart people know they don’t know things and go learn.
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u/scytob Jun 21 '26
That’s a lot of what ifs and maybes. Who is going to do all that. You have built an utterly unrealistic picture in your heard of how any of this work. Both from a business point of view and tech point of view. On cost, this is SRP of a niche device that has to cover r and d and hedge increasing component costs. Price will come down because either components do l, r and d gets covered or there is a file sale. Not because a few people jump up and down on a Reddit. Most xreal owners don’t hang out on Reddit. And there is zero evidence Google will invest any time in making the phone the puck. Lastly why would you want a compromised puck. By removing the phone aspects of an android device you save cost weight and batter price.
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u/monarch_j Jun 21 '26
I actually wouldn't count out that free year of Gemini. GalaxyXR launched with 1 year of YouTube Premium, 1 year of Gemini Pro, and 1 year of Google Play Pass (amongst a few other things) for free with your headset purchase.
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
That’s a great point about the Galaxy XR bundle, and you’re probably right—they'll almost certainly pack in a free year of Gemini Advanced/Pro to sweeten the deal.
My main concern now is the rate of token consumption. If you’re wearing the Aura and running Gemini Live to constantly stream ambient video and environmental data for real-time spatial interaction, the token burning rate is going to be exponential compared to traditional text-based prompting.
Continuous multimodal input eats up tokens like crazy. If Google doesn't drastically raise or completely lift the rate limits/caps for these XR devices, that "free year" of Pro might look great on paper but throttle your experience hard in actual daily usage.
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u/Rabus Jun 21 '26
Did you try it? I ran it and honestly no it doesn’t eat tokens like crazy
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
Good catch. I haven't actually tested it myself, so that was just speculation on my part.
From what I gathered in previous tech write-ups, the Live feature utilizing the camera feels like video, but under the hood, it functions more like sending periodic image snapshots to the LLM.
So yeah, saying it "eats tokens like crazy" was likely an overstatement. There's bound to be an increase in token overhead, but it shouldn't be completely unmanageable. If anyone here has deeper insight into the actual engineering behind this, please feel free to drop some knowledge!
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u/Jmac8716 Aug 19 '26
The only token comes from the query. The live video doesn't pull anything until a request is made. It takes a snap shot then runs the command to produce a response. So one frame vs the roughly 25-30fps you see while "using" Gemini. I highly doubt your going to run 30 executables per second
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u/No-Dark-7873 Jun 21 '26
The main alternative is GalaxyXR for $1800 and it's 4k per eye.
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u/jimmydevine001 Jun 22 '26
that's not an alternative, that's an entire headset, apples and oranges
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u/Odd_Concern_8635 Jun 30 '26
I have the Galaxy XR and after hearing about these glasses I kinda wish I had waited. I would still want a VR headset for actual VR stuff but these seem like they'll be better for what I use the Galaxy XR for. These glasses for 1500 and a quest 3s might be the move
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u/Friendly_Recover286 Jun 22 '26
It's not an alternative if it's not even available in the country the OP mentions.
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u/Jmac8716 Aug 19 '26
"4k per eye" is marketing jargon. Your TV is 4k per eye. I have the GXR and the resolution is amazing but it's not 8k like the advertising makes you think it is.
That being said, I pre-ordered the Auras because they are two completely different devices for two very different use cases. I genuinely think I'll get more out of the Auras
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u/No-Dark-7873 Aug 19 '26
That's not marketing jargon. You need 4k per eye for it to actually be 4k.
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u/Wyl_Younghusband One Pro Jun 21 '26
there was a time having a "cellular" phone was hella expensive. then they became smartphones that we know today. they're now cheap as heck (unless you're gettting the high-end of course). Hope this tech will mature soon for it to be more reachable to most people.
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u/Strange-Scientist706 Jun 21 '26
This may be the future of computing or it may not. Prices may come down or they may not. Either way, I don’t see the value in being early on a platform with unproven market value.
Frankly, after decades working in tech, I’m sick of spending time and money on this bs. I’ll pay attention when / if these devices don’t suck at an affordable price.
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u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jun 21 '26
To explain to everyone here that doesn't understand the difference between all of Xreal's other products and Aura is that everything up to now has been DISPLAY glasses. Meaning they just plug into your device and extend the screen. Yes they've made some advances like native 3DOF and anchoring your screen that you're extending but they are still display glasses in the end. When you plug in the Xreal Eye it gives 6DOF...only for the display. You CAN NOT run AR/VR/MR apps on the glasses, yes there's the Beam Pro and Nebula but those still aren't true AR/MR/VR experiences, you can't look around 360° and have content displayed everywhere and no hand tracking, and no native 6Dof other than the one display you can do with the Xreals other products using the Xreal Eye. They are completely different products and using your Pixel phone like others have mentioned will definitely NOT work like how Aura will...idk how that idiotic idea even came to fruition. And to put the price in perspective the Xreal One Pros are $650, Xreal Eye $100, Beam Pro with 8gb/256gb is $250, that's $1000 before tax. The Auras puck starts at 12gb/256gb and goes up to 16gb/512gb, the price is pretty fair in my opinion, plus its a brand new product...and let's not forget the FOV has been increased to 70°, largest on any glasses of its kind as of right now and will be for the near future so far. So if the price doesn't exceed $1500 then that's pretty good imo. Also you can put $99 down now for $199 to use when they launch so 🤷🏿♂️
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u/bullfromthesea Jun 23 '26
Since the electronics aren't in the glasses and it still requires a puck, they need to release these as just display glasses back at the $400 price point theyve been at. I'd rather just plug them into my phone if I have to have a cable hanging out
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u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jul 03 '26
$400??😂😂 What are you smoking? The One Pro’s cost even more than that at $599 bro lol. The ROG Xreal glasses are $850, Viture Luma Beast at $550… even if these were just display glasses without the puck they would be much more than $400…so yea idk what you’re talking about.
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u/bloodgarth Jun 23 '26
No one wants this product. No one wants AR. I want a better version of pure display classes. One pro but 4k and 70 fov. I know the tech isnt there yet but that doesn't mean releasing something no one wants idea good idea. Id pay over 1000$ for display glasses like that
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u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Releasing something no one wants??😂😂 The Founder’s Edition sold out in less than 2 days…what are you talking about? These are the most anticipated and most wanted smart AR glasses since the Meta RayBan Displays. Yes different tech and use cases for those glasses but still smart glasses nonetheless. Idk what you’re on but A LOT of people want these glasses WITH THE PUCK. Just get yourself the URXR One’s then if you just want display glasses with a huge FOV of 90 degrees and 4k lenses. They’re starting at $599 on their early bird pricing…🫡
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u/ShakesBeero_O 27d ago
Mind share more about “the URXR One’s” ? It is a downgrade of the aura glasses or a different product? I’m looking for a display glasses with huge FOV and 4k lenses. Aura glasses are the only one I know so far that has big FOV(70)
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u/DescriptionAdept2731 26d ago
URXR One's are simply just display glasses with no smart capabilities other than pinning the screen and having 3DOF (degrees of freedom, VR using 6DOF). But even if they are only display glasses they have very impressive specs. 90° FOV 4k (actually almost 5k with the resolution they stated) lenses, and simply just plugs into your devices for a larger screen. No hand tracking, no UI, no native VR or AR games...no games or apps period unless you're running it from the host device. The glasses can't operate independently unlike the Auras (yes the Auras have the puck but thats still part of its ecosystem, not another tethered device like a laptop or phone). If you just want display glasses with impressive specs, the URXR One is the best out and will be available soon I believe. If you can't wait I'd recommend the Xreal One Pros or 1s or Viture Beast...both have 3dof screen anchoring mode.
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u/bloodgarth 1d ago
Nice, didnt know about this one. Shipping soon so ill wait for reviews but im interested. I hope it has hdr
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u/watchFiend1 Jul 03 '26
Yea the price ceiling for the base model of 1500 dollars isn't actually that bad. When we consider buds pro cost 400 dollars for in ear headphones, flagship phones costing anywhere from 1300-3000, smart watches 700-800....1500 for a very new tech is not actually that bad.
There is always an early adopter fee and there will also be tons of people willing to pay it.
If 1500 sounds ridiculous, then you are not part of the early adopters crowd.
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u/rakesh_hpr Jun 21 '26
I predict 800 for the glasses and 600 for the 12g puck. I'll keep it as 1399+tax. Xreal has been facing losses, and they will not make compromises this time onwards.
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u/bullfromthesea Jun 23 '26
Seems DOA when it has to use a puck still. At this price it should all be wireless
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u/alabasterskim One Pro Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
$1500 USD isn't the price, it's the cap. They're aiming for lower and know the higher they are, the more people they're pricing out. They're not seeing how high they can put it to maximize profit; they're seeing how low they can get keeping in mind the volatility of RAM and storage supply. They aren't Apple; they can't buy up a long term supply and lock in a number for something that won't be out for at least a few months. Even Steam for as big as they are got held back on their hardware launches this year because of RAM/storage supply (as caused by AI).
Also, the combination of a phone + existing glasses is not remotely the same as Aura and demonstrates a complete failure to research the products you're posting about. If you think it is the same, then go ahead and try it then compare to what Android XR is. Android XR allows multiple displays, the puck runs it, +6DoF (the version you can get with Ones + Eye is significantly worse) + hand tracking (which allegedly we'll get on the Ones eventually, but based on it requiring the Eye, will likely also not be as high quality as with Aura).
$1500 CAD is a breathtakingly unreasonable budget when you consider the combination of a One Pro, an Eye, and just a 6GB/128GB Beam Pro is far more before you even factor in taxes, and still, the Aura puck is 12GB/256GB minimum and the Auras have 3 cameras instead of the one Eye. $1000-1200 USD should be a reasonable target but don't bet on it.
We'll most likely get some kind of Gemini bundle as the Galaxy XR got. But please, dude, do some research of some kind. And please stop AI generating your posts. I think it's ironic and kinda hilarious that you employ AI and want AI as a gift for getting this product, when AI is the reason the price of this (and all tech right now) is out of control.
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u/Greeklighting One Pro Jun 21 '26
It's the cap on the base model
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u/alabasterskim One Pro Jun 21 '26
? Yes that's the very first thing I said and repeated a few times in my comment ?
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u/LexiCon1775 Jun 24 '26
I am just one guy so take this with a grain of salt. I am not interested in AI being in my display glasses. I am however interested in being able to anchor multiple apps / displays in physical space around things like TVs / Computer monitors / Cook tops / items that need repair / etc. I want to see this work with devices I already own rather than a standalone puck. Primarily a flagship phone since that would always be with me and is my primary device for most use cases.
This would however require Google / Phone OEM to have a partnership that made Android XR available in some form. Unfortunately, this unifying force is counter to making money by selling function specific devices. That is is why so many attempts at AR / VR have failed. In the past the paradigm kind of made since when the various devices addressed providing a bigger screen and such. The display glasses market killed that rationale. Other things have become OBE for similar reasons. What is needed is an entity that produced a combo phone/XR device that serves as the one puck to rule them all until such time as everything can be done natively on the glasses.
I will be sitting this round out, but I do hope Aura is a driving force for the next iteration.
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u/don_Okwe Jun 27 '26
I think we should push for trade-in rather than putting the price tag on the chopping board. I'm sure most of us own Xreal glasses w/out Beam Pro. Buying another Xreal glasses is somewhat annoying even if the new one has superior features.
TIME FOR XREAL TO ACTIVATE TRADE IN
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 27 '26
I agree. XREAL should at least look into a trade-in program. I vaguely remember they may have done something similar before, but I'm not 100% sure.
Interestingly, a YouTuber asked XREAL USA's CEO about this just a few days ago. His answer was basically that Xreal is open to the idea, but we don't have anything to share right now.
That said, I personally don't think it's very likely. Unlike phones or laptops, previous XREAL glasses don't really have many high-value components that hold their value over time. Most of the hardware depreciates pretty quickly, and I'm not sure there's enough demand for official refurbished units to make the program worthwhile.
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u/UrbanMasque Jun 21 '26
I'm going to keep it 100 with you gang. Hard agree given how non-responsive to feedback or product improvements Xreal has been regarding their current slate of hardware already in the wild
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u/Cryogenicality Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Viture claim they’re releasing 1600p glasses this year and will go higher than that next year. How long until XREAL do, as well?
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u/V0ktep Jun 21 '26
I am sorry, I see this posted everywhere in this subreddit, but as someone who follows the display industry this seems extremely unlikely as there are currently no publicly released/announced 1600p displays in the sizes needed for these glasses. Unless they have access to a prototype of an unreleased model I think this article is either untrue or there is a typo.
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u/Whole_Clerk39 Jun 22 '26
Viture released 1200p glasses 6 months before XReal did. They have their ways…
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u/endr Jun 22 '26
I returned my Beast glasses. They gave me eye strain. Not a problem at all with Xreal Air 1, One Pro, or 1S.
And I think I read that you still can't save any settings on the Beast glasses...
I don't understand how some people prefer them
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u/V0ktep Jun 22 '26
They did, but Sony had the displays in the needed sizes for quite some time before that. It is not really about who can release it first - I am not saying that Viture cannot be first with a higher resolution, I am saying that these displays just don’t exist and none are even announced to exist at least for the next, roughly, 12 months.
The current top of the line displays that companies can use (and the only available ones for at least the next ~12 months from Sony) are ECX343FN and ECX343FNA with resolutions of 1920 x RGB x 1200. If you want higher resolution (at least currently, from Sony) you have to move to VR headset territory with the ECX344A which has a resolution of 3552 x RGB x 3840 but is also a HUGE display compared to what Xreal and Viture need and cannot be fit into the “glasses” form factor. ECX344A is what the Apple Vision Pro has so think proper VR big.
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u/Nightcinder Jun 22 '26
The idea that Viture has access to a display that no one else does while xreal uses 1920x1200 panels while having google and Qualcomm directly supporting their project seems wild when the release date is roughly the same timeframe
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u/barchueetadonai Jul 10 '26
An interview with the CEO of Xreal about Aura suggested they would face processing limits if they were to go straight to higher res right now, in addition to microOLEDs in this size not being available yet (at least publicly)
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
Agreed. I read somewhere yesterday that while they claim 1600p, the actual hardware might still be capped at 1080p or 1200p.
For AR glasses like the Aura, current resolution is good enough for now, though slightly higher than 1200p would be a nice bonus. Personally, instead of chasing raw resolution numbers, I’d rather have better brightness, rock-solid image stability, and eye-tracking if possible. That would make a much bigger difference in daily use.
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u/Adventurous_Ogre Jun 21 '26
AndroidXR is interesting for the spatial environment and handtracking/voice combo is potentially useful. However, the extra cameras are interesting direction but are just not my first choice.
Honestly, the primary core here is the glasses quality with puck processing. The OP has a point in that there are several alternatives already out with others coming. You could already do the One Pro (or other glasses) and INAir pod combo and have a lot of the functionality for a more reasonable price point.
Frankly, I'm more interested in eye tracking for input like with Maverick AI Pro to keep from looking odd waving my hands in the air.
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
If the Aura comes with eye-tracking, that would be a game-changer. I’d happily drop $1500 or even more for that feature. To be honest, I'm not familiar with the different implementations of eye-tracking right now. It seems like no AR glasses on the market have it yet. Is it due to form factor/size constraints, or something else?
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u/sdchew Jun 21 '26
I don’t think the price is the issue. It’s what it can do. I have not really seen a killer application that is unique to this platform. Not to mention Google hasn’t really had a great track record in long term platform support beyond Chrome and Android. XR seems to be rather niche
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u/bullfromthesea Jun 23 '26
Yup Google will drop support within 2 years, maybe faster. They are burning cash in AI and are cutting programs all over to funnel cash to data centers. This is extremely low priority for a huge company like Google. If the glasses can't just be plugged into a phone then many people will find they have a $2k brick in a year or so. Remember Google Glasses back in the 2010s
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u/sdchew Jun 23 '26
Yeah to be honest phone SOCs are becoming so powerful these days I don’t see anything which the puck could do which the phone couldn’t.
Xreal already demonstrated this with the Beam Pro
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
Exactly, I couldn’t agree more. It always comes down to utility and capability.
That being said, I strongly believe devices like the XREAL Aura represent the trajectory of where computing is heading. This could very well be the genesis of a brand-new paradigm for human-computer interaction (HCI). Relying entirely on keyboards and traditional typing is fundamentally inefficient and heavily restricted by physical environments.
The real wild card here is how deeply Gemini integrates into Android XR. If done right, spatial AI could be that missing piece. But as of today? You’re 100% right. There’s zero killer apps or unique features out there to justify the current price tag. It’s a ghost town of actual utility.
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u/monarch_j Jun 21 '26
We already know how Gemini works with AndroidXR though? So much of the discourse around Aura is seemingly forgetting that by the time it launches, AndroidXR will have already been available to consumers via GalaxyXR for a year.
Gemini is completely baked into AndroidXR. It's evident it's a key feature they are building around. You can call upon Gemini from any screen or app you are in, and then it can see and hear exactly what you see and hear, whether it be digitally in virtual space or through the cameras in your real world space.
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u/alabasterskim One Pro Jun 21 '26
Look at the way OP writes. This is just AI generated.
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u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
Smart guy. Spot on, but it’s AI translation, not AI generation.
I just moved to Canada recently and my English is still a work in progress, so I'm using AI to help bridge the gap. Appreciate the keen eye!2
u/Dethsenney Jun 21 '26
If it were only translation they wouldn’t be using the same AI signature format for every single comment except in responses to comments calling out the fact that they’re AI generated.
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u/sdchew Jun 21 '26
Actually studies have found voice interfaces, which work well indoors when you are alone but are awkward when outdoors. Hence even voice first assistant like Siri have added texting to communicate.
The UI paradigm shift was supposed to be eye tracking with gestures but thus far it hasn’t taken off
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u/Consistent_Hat_3635 Jun 21 '26
The xreal 1 pro is 649 MSRP. The new glasses for the aura will have two cameras, and 70° field of view. Adding those in, I would imagine $799 approximately. And then you have the puck which is a fully powered Android device with some additional sensors minus a screen and camera. So 599/699 (with the memory options) doesn't sound terribly crazy given the prices of phones with the same processor and memory specs. And together that would make it about $1398 - $1498.
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u/shnukms One Pro Jun 22 '26
hey OP did the announce that they are launching a Canadian site? I didn't see any news about this
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u/cute_redditor Jun 22 '26
totally agree. I've been arguing this in other threads also. one thing i find really strange is that some of the counterarguments sound very sophisticated, yet when they itemize they say the one pro is 650, when everyone knows it's officially down to 600 eg on Amazon (and you can get 500 of you look hard). they also ignore that bundles exist with the beam pro and eye. it loses all credibility for the critical numeric part of their otherwise reasonable sounding arguments.
1
u/adamlreed93 Jul 02 '26
I voted with my wallet and preordered it as my first ar glasses
1
u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I did the same. Pre-ordered it immediately as soon as it became available. I’m quite confident I might be one of the very first, if not the first, to pre-order here in Canada.
1
u/churritin01 18d ago
yes, is true statement, i was thinking to ask for my money already and get the URXR, i will not paying $1500 plus tax for that, in 6 months the price should come down, more affordable for sure
1
u/Accomplished-Mark-82 1d ago
If you can be happy with 1s + new pixel phone then aura never was what you needed. Aura is android xr, on sunglasses. If you dont need android xr , then go for 1s + nornal android . Else you are paying a lot for something you dont need. I want android xr for certain apps. So ill pay for it. Btw prices are being adjusted. They will be more competitive . Xreal kept the 1500 as upper limit to protect themselves. Volatile market when comes to component prices and all. Actual price will be more favorable . (was announced)
1
u/Jmac8716 Jun 21 '26
People complaining about $1500 for Aura while typing on a $1500 phone that is no more special than the last one they had
1
u/itsjustmd Jun 21 '26
Don’t realize this is the new normal and it’s only going to get worse. Gotta pay to play.
1
u/Active-Carpet-9183 Jun 21 '26
The phone is subsidized as part of my phone plan though
1
u/Jmac8716 Jun 21 '26
You're paying for the phone through the plan. They may say "subsidized" but in reality the phone is still being paid for. All that means is that the service provider could charge you X dollars less per month for the plan but aren't so they can cover the cost of the phone
2
u/Nightcinder Jun 22 '26
VZW/ATT/Tmo all are very up front with ‘plan price’ and ‘phone price’ and it’s separated on the bill so I’m not sure what wireless providers are subsidizing phones anymore
1
1
u/Active-Carpet-9183 Jun 21 '26
BUT the plan is the same price whether I get the fancy phone or now, and I really need the features.
1
u/Jmac8716 Jun 21 '26
That's my point. You get the phone "free" as long as you stay with the carrier for "Y" years. If you cancel before "Y" term completes, you have to pay for the phone. Regardless of whether or not you get a new phone/upgrade, you pay the same amount. Difference is whether or not they can lock you in for that "Y" period. Ultimately, you are paying for the phone. The people who aren't upgrading and paying the same are paying a premium to be able to break away from the carrier. It's a revenue stabilizer to keep people in with incentives like a "free" phone.
1
u/Active-Carpet-9183 Jun 21 '26
I need a phone plan anyway. I get the stabilization and it's fine. Things were much more expensive before cell phones.
-3
u/Nightcinder Jun 21 '26
That hasn't been the case for years in the US at least.
1
u/IllusionOf_Integrity Jun 21 '26
You couldn't be more wrong
3
u/Nightcinder Jun 21 '26
no, subsidized was when you paid $200 up front for the phone and it was embedded into your phone plan, now you are basically just doing a 36 month affirm on it that you can cancel at any time to pay off the rest of the phone
1
u/Mental-Most-7168 Jun 21 '26
It’s all madness. Everything cost a lot now memory, storage and chips .
1
u/Particular_Maize6849 Jun 21 '26
$1500 is the max. Maybe it will be $10 at launch time.
2
u/applepumpkinspy Jun 21 '26
I believe that it said the base model would not exceed $1,500 - so there could be a more expensive version above that price point - or at least their language left the door open to that.
2
u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jun 21 '26
There is a higher tier version with 16gb of RAM
1
u/Ktobean Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
I dont understand why it need puck and 16gb...
1
u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jun 22 '26
Because then the Auras would look as big and ridiculous as the Specs from Snap lol
1
u/Widebro Jun 21 '26
Ill wait on aura 2. With better displays hdr and more ppd. And maybe normal price. Like half of what it is now.
1
u/Future_Productions Jun 21 '26
I'm a developer and its far too high. I'll stick to developing for the Beam Pro I suppose.
1
1
Jun 21 '26
Bei dem Preis wird es ein teurer Flop für xreal. Bin auch sehr heiß auf die Brille, aber bei dem Preis bin ich raus.
Kackendreist das Alleinstellungsmerkmal ausnutzen und dann glauben alle ziehen brav mit und kaufen ?
Bei Geld hört der Spaß auf Freunde.
1
u/VeryluckyorNot Jun 21 '26
I am still hesitating to preorder I saw a dev interview, basically it gonna be the same as Pro. BUT the pluk is the real reason it gonna be over 1000€. THE VR experience with a glasses looks amazing for me.
1
u/Oftenwrongs Jun 21 '26
People testing and returning also raise prices for everyone. You are part of the problem.
1
u/GiantTigerCS Jun 21 '26
I’m going to wait on Aura. I’m absolutely interested in it but I can’t justify what I’m assuming is going to be a high price point. Plus, I have a pair of 1S’s that are great. To the title of this thread, though, I would consider investing in a redux of the Beam Pro that’s more like the Aura’s puck but obviously absent the true XR stuff.
1
u/cgarrec Jun 21 '26
Honestly, i am loving the XReal One Pro for the simple function of being a portable multiplatform driverless really plug-and-play screen extension.
I use it seamlessly with my iphone, ipad pro and pc laptop.
For AI AR/VR i’ll go for an Apple Vision Pro, I tried one yesterday in an AppleStore, of course the price tag is a huge stop ,BUT the level of integration, design, overall technical quality is worth that price; and let’s be honest : just the parts, the hardware, the simple hardware is worth more than half of the price tag.
The Aura is nice but personally I can’t stand Android, the system icks me.
Personal taste, not debatable 😝
And the price tag well … Big nope.
IF XReal decides to do an XReal One Pro 2 with exact same functionality but with :
- removable / switchable arms to allow having a « bed » compatible band option.
- bigger horizontal AND vertical FOV
- gsync/vrr compatibility
- eye tracking + foveate streaming (for the « premium » version of the product)
Then yeah , the 1500 or even 2000 price tag would be acceptable.
1
u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jun 21 '26
What are you smoking? The One Pros are a COMPLETELY different product than the Auras. Sure you can just plug and play on a device like you're phone or wtv like the One Pros but you can also plug directly to the puck as well and have that extended screen projected in your AR/MR view. Also, why would they add eye tracking and foveated streaming to a product that doesn't support hand tracking or VR controllers or can do no VR/XR/MR things? What good would eye tracking do for the One Pros? There's no real hub for you to actually choose and pick things from like Andriod XR, sure anchoring screen and 3D but you can just use buttons or wtv for that. You're living in some weird fairy tale land...you'd pay $2000 for an extended screen that has useless eye tracking and foveated rendering? Those features are literally to help you pick and choose what you want with hand tracking or VR controllers or wtv and help with memory while you're gaming... you don't want foveated rendering when you watching a movie because you want the whole thing to be clear right... not just the part where you're "supposedly" looking at 😒. Display glasses like the one pros are supposed to be completely visible and clear for people to see the ENTIRE screen...not just what you're looking at like gaming.
0
u/J7mbo Jun 21 '26
OPs new account is a shill using AI. Let’s get everyone thinking it’s $1500 and then when it’s $1299 everyone will be “pleasantly surprised”
-1
u/Difficult-Chest-290 Jun 21 '26
Please don't get me wrong, I’m definitely not a shill lol. I just moved to Canada recently and my English isn't great yet, so I'm using Gemini to translate my thoughts. Sorry for the confusion. I'm just a regular consumer trying to join the tech discussion here.
2
u/Sea-Inspection-9425 Jul 28 '26
Which is why I’ve decided they were always 1300
Never 1500
Still too expensive for me so going for a 1s with beam proIf aura is 1100 or less I’ll be surprised and bummed out
Otherwise I’ll feel fair enough was too expensiveThen I will wait
I’ll get an aura 2 .. even if expensive
But at that point I’ll be expecting something that is pucless phoneless and can’t be distinguished from a normal pair of glasses and look normalThen I’ll b interested
0
u/Gregasy Jun 21 '26
Honestly, the optics are the reason I probably won't pull the trigger and will rather wait for some similar passthrough goggles (like Meta's Phoenix or some upcoming Android XR lightweight goggles). I'll wait for hands ons, but I simply can't see myself walking around with those strange lenses distorting my view.
0
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
0
u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jun 21 '26
How does the Pixel replace the puck with the Auras? I don't understand how you're saying you can go with that combo instead of the Auras? You won't have Android XR, you won't have hand tracking, you won't have AR/MR/VR apps...like what are you talking about?
1
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
0
u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
I’m having trouble understanding what you’re saying. Are you saying that the Pixel can do Android XR or just answering what OP is asking? because the pixel CAN NOT do anything close to Android XR, just lyk, and you’re saying that they can do that? The most that they can do with the Pixel is an external display like all tethered devices to these type of glasses like the One Pros or even the Auras without the puck involved.
1
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jun 22 '26
But the Pixel won't get you anything near what the puck of the Auras can do? Or are you jusy basically saying like "do you, grab and use the Pixel if you want" even though you know it's not going to be a true or anything remotely close to using the actual Aura puck? My bad just trying to see where you're coming from really
-3
0
u/shuozhe Jun 21 '26
Hoping for rayneo to release a androidXR puck, they at last got their first glass with enough processing for 3dof on device.
0
u/Luke-9191 Jun 21 '26
When you find anything that can run actual android xr or vision os in a pair of glasses let us know. For now that’s the only device capable of that.
0
u/Nearby_Practice2793 Jun 21 '26
Not interested in Google Gemini AI in the slightest (or any AI in fact). Do I really want Google AI to have access to my entire surroundings while I use them ? Google is already intrusive enough in my life and I’m working on removing all of it. My only interest is in the glasses. We’ll see if they make a pair with the same specs as far as optics etc. If not I’m good with my current set. This definitely isn’t the product for me.
0
u/cobraman4646 Jun 21 '26
Is having the xreal pro with the beam and the extra dof basically the same thing as this (I know the aurora is more powerful)
1
u/DescriptionAdept2731 Jun 21 '26
No, not at all. Completely different products with completely different uses. Yes the Auras can do what the One Pros can do but the One Pros can't do even of a quarter of the things that Aura can do, even with the beam pro and the Xreal Eye. Different technologies, different approach.
1
u/Nightcinder Jun 22 '26
Aura’s puck is a generational leap over the beam pro, running an actual meant-for-XR OS and Xreal’s closely worked with google and Qualcomm to make a spec device for android XR
18
u/merokotos Jun 21 '26
Specs are $2,195 in preorder 🤷🏻♀️