This completely new type of device challenges the Vision Pro and it doesn't cost 3,999 euros

© Xreal

When we talk about mixed reality, we naturally think of products from tech giants like Apple's Vision Pro, or Meta's Quest products. However, there are other, smaller companies trying to find a place in this market. And among these, there is Xreal. According to an article from CNBC, this Chinese startup has existed since 2017, and has already sold nearly 400,000 augmented reality glasses. At the start of the year, we mentioned a fundraising that would have allowed Xreal to reach a billion dollars in valuation.

Xreal shifts into high gear

Xreal offers augmented reality glasses that connect to the user's smartphone or PC, in order to project the content of this smartphone onto a virtual screen. Thanks to this system, which uses the computing power of another device to run apps, Xreal can sell augmented reality glasses for a few hundred euros, while competing products cost thousands of euros. This allows you to watch a film on the go, or to work on your computer with an XXL virtual screen.However, as PC and smartphone OS were not designed for augmented reality glasses, the experience was limited. And to remedy this, Xreal also offers a completely new type of device, which allows you to have an immersive experience closer to that you would have on a Vision Pro: the Beam Pro.

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It is quite difficult to place this device in a category. But, in essence, it is a kind of smartphone, which runs Android, which has sensors on the back. The advantage of using this device produced by Xreal, instead of connecting your glasses to a simple smartphone, this is that it allows you to have an interface optimized for augmented reality, and that it allows you to use applications from the Play Store on this interface in 3D.

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An interesting alternative to the Vision Pro

On their own, the Xreal glasses are simple virtual screens in augmented reality. But when combined with Beam Pro and Xreal software, they benefit from a real operating system for augmented reality that allows you to use Android applications. “The user interface goes beyond simple screen mirroring, providing users with access to mobile apps in a spatial canvas where up to two apps can be opened, positioned side by side in a notebook format and placed in a 3D space. Navigation and control of the spatial canvas is done simply by using XREAL Beam Pro as a pointer and touchpad,” explains Xreal in a press release.

To benefit from this sort of augmented reality version of Android, you will have to pay 229 euros (currently on pre-sale), just for the Beam Pro. But Xreal offers packs that include both this device and Xreal Air 2 Pro glasses at 691 euros. This is less than the price of a high-end smartphone and, above all, we are far from the price of Apple's Vision Pro headset. As a reminder, this is sold at 3,999 euros. Otherwise, the other big advantage of Xreal's offering is that it does not offer heavy headsets, but compact glasses that can be worn almost anywhere.

Apple reviewing its plans ?

In any case, it is possible that at this moment, Apple is already aware because its Vision Pro headset is too expensive, even for its loyal customers. According to a recent article from The Information, which cites sources close to the matter, Apple has decided to suspend development of the Vision Pro 2 headset, but is still working on an affordable version of the current model that it could release in 2025. But of course, since this is not official information, caution remains in order.

• The company also a kind of Android smartphone that allows you to enjoy a kind of operating system designed for augmented reality
• Android applications from the Play Store can be used on this interface
• This new device, called Beam Pro, costs 229 euros, but you also need to buy Xreal glasses to connect to it

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