Xreal Air and Beam review: a powerful AR combo enhances entertainment everywhere...

Xreal Air and Beam review: a powerful AR combo enhances entertainment everywhere

Xreal Air and Beam review: a powerful AR combo enhances entertainment everywhere

Ward Zhou

posted on July 25, 2023 9:30 pmEditor : Boyuan Wang

It surely gives you a hint on what mixed reality glasses can do before everyone else jumps in the game.

AR glasses have been steadily gaining traction in the consumer market, and they come at a price that is hard to ignore. Lightweight, compact, and versatile - these are the buzzwords often used to describe such glasses.

However, they are not without their hitches. 1080p is still the mainstream resolution, which is relatively low for a display. Among the major hurdles that need to be overcome are restrictive visibility and awkward space positioning for virtual displays.

One major player, Xreal, just recently unveiled a fresh addition to their AR lineup, aiming to enhance the user experience and address some of these limitations head-on.

The new companion device, Xreal Bream, serves as a video signal processing hub, managing video information and featuring both wired and wireless stabilization as well as space positioning capabilities.

After testing the pack of Xreal Air glasses and Xreal Beam for a week, we find it to be an appealing option for certain consumers, offering promising image quality and a less burdensome setup. Furthermore, its connectivity is optimized for specific devices such as the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, significantly elevating the gaming experience.

Here is our major take on the two gadgets in different scenarios.

TL; DR

• Appealing price tags
• Trendy and stylish design
• Comfortable grip with the Beam
• Portable design
• Easy setup with most gadgets
• Promising image quality
• Quality built-in speakers

Against

• Moderate compatibility
• Occasional overheating issues
• Motion blur-like effect when turning your head
• Require re-plugging in to enable active content casting sometimes
• Noticeable delays and stuttering on certain occasions

What “Beams” most

Before the birth of Beam, Xreal Air glasses were unable to accurately track the position of displays on certain devices. When using these headsets, the display would simply move along with your head, which did not align well with human intuition.

The human brain naturally “prefers” to have stationary objects in its spatial environment. Achieving this preference demands advanced positioning technology, which is precisely where Beam comes into play. As mentioned earlier, Xreal Beam was developed to provide three degrees of freedom (3 DoF), making these features possible.

There are three modes available for spatial displays: Smooth Follow, Body Anchor, and Side View. In Smooth Follow mode, the virtual displays stabilize and trail your head's movements. Body Anchor allows users to position a display in a specific location within the space, while Side View functions as a virtual picture-in-picture pop-up.

Personally, I tend to use the first two modes, both of which are adjustable in size. The actual scale of your virtual screen depends on your point of reference. For instance, it could simulate a 32-inch monitor or even span an entire wall in your room.

Another significant enhancement provided by Beam is its superior connectivity, which extends to wireless casting and compatibility with a wider assortment of devices. This, in turn, unlocks more ways to have fun and engage with the technology.

Exclusive enjoyment at Home

Gaming at home is a brilliant scene for such devices, and my overall experience with my Xbox has been positive. However, setting up an Xbox or PlayStation necessitates a unique cable that converts an HDMI signal to a PD signal on the USB C port. This cable needs an extra power source to function. Thankfully, these consoles usually come equipped with at least two USB A ports, which facilitate the power supply for this purpose.

The image quality remains impressive, even at 1080p with a 60 Hz refresh rate, showcasing vibrant colors and a high dynamic range. The lower refresh rate and resolution don’t bother me as much, as most new AAA titles suitable for this console generation run at 60 Hz, with some occasionally dipping to 30 Hz when using the ray-tracing feature. Moreover, most videos run at approximately 30 or 60 FPS.

In my experience playing racing titles like Need for Speed and The Legend of Zelda, the gameplay was enjoyable, and the experience was further enhanced by the larger display.

The sound quality from the built-in stereo system was surprisingly quite good, and the inclusion of DTS X for sound enhancements was a nice touch, though it did lack sturdy bass.

However, the setup is not without its drawbacks. I encountered issues while playing fast-paced games like Hades, with the display experiencing lag and stuttering, significantly impacting my overall enjoyment of the game. Fortunately, these issues seemed less dramatic when playing slower-paced games.

It's not entirely clear whether these problems were caused by cable compatibility issues or system overheating. Interestingly, it seemed to function better when connected to the Nintendo Switch, and the version of the Steam Deck I tried at the MWC exhibition ran smoothly.

Upgraded mobile gaming

When wearing such glasses, my biggest concern is style. After all, nobody wants to be burdened with clumsy accessories. Thankfully, Xreal has nailed the aesthetic with two sleek devices. The Air model mimics the sleekness of sunglasses, boasting a bold black and geometric frame that exudes sophistication. Even the connection cable is coated in black fiber, perfectly complementing the overall design.

The Beam also showcases modern elegance. Its tactile, light purple surface hides a highly accessible layout of primary keys.

The display brightness is excellent for outdoor use owing to the dark glasses covering the display modules. However, the speaker volume may be a tad soft. To enhance the audio experience, Bluetooth earbuds are a recommended companion.

In terms of battery life, it is quite acceptable. With 3.5 hours of battery life, you can easily watch a long movie or tackle a chapter in a game without worrying. It also supports 27W fast charging.

The combo works beautifully when stationary, but it can feel a bit cumbersome when on the move. Extra movement may trigger the Beam and the glasses’ frame to emit a fair amount of heat. This is most noticeable outdoors, but even with the AC cranked up indoors, the Beam can still reach a scorching 50 °C.

Luckily, you don’t really need to hold the device constantly once it's set up, and it comes with a built-in fan to maintain the temperature and prevent overheating.

When wearing the glasses outdoors, you can maintain clear vision of your surroundings at all times.

I decided to put its connectivity to the test during my commute, pairing it with my iPad mini 6. I launched an RPG title, Gris, with its masterful artwork and captivating sound. The Xreal Air glasses flawlessly projected the game's allure, making the gaming experience truly immersive.

What impressed me further is that the glasses support AirPlay and can connect with most mobile devices through the universal screen casting protocol. This wireless option has become my go-to for binge-watching videos or playing casual games on smartphones or tablets—it's not only convenient but also highly travel-friendly.

A standout feature is the support for Nintendo Switch connectivity using a USB C cable. Its unique strategy requires power supply trickery to enter TV mode and send video signals to external devices. This is where the Xreal Beam truly shines, with its special optimization to seamlessly work with the Nintendo Switch.

However, there was one minor letdown. When using the Switch in TV mode, it refused to utilize hooked-on Joy-Cons, prompting me to detach them for use. Additionally, I encountered some issues when connecting my iPad mini 6 and iPhone via Xreal Beam, but it worked perfectly fine without the companion device.

Xreal assured us that their team is working for a better experience.

Work on desk

Xreal presents software that promises up to three spatial screens for your Mac, but unfortunately, it falls short of the anticipated power, exacerbating the cons of the two devices.

Delicate tasks demand superior display quality with minimal lag or noticeable stutters. The content displayed should always be clear and sharp. However, the two devices from Xreal still fall short of this requirement.

Mouse pointer movements aren't seamless, making work with volumes of text overwhelming. Additionally, proper text rendering demands a higher resolution. Regrettably, this is another weakness of the Xreal Air glasses.

One point of contention is the irritating motion blur effect caused by head movements during usage, which leads to physical discomfort. This "feature" takes time to get used to.

Currently in beta for Macs running on Apple silicon, the software Nebula is slated for a Windows release soon but is incompatible with macOS 14 beta 4 at the moment. This is due to an essential API Xreal used to provide this feature, which Apple plans to eliminate.

In quieter settings, you might also hear the humming of the Beam fan, which sounds quite similar to a central air conditioning system.

Xreal releases new firmware at a fast pace, and some issues can be relieved by turning off the Spatial Display Enhancement option. However, doing so also means losing a key feature of adjusting display distance. So, it becomes a matter of prioritizing what works best for you.

Conclusion

The Xreal Air glasses and Beam have clear pros and cons. They successfully address some crucial issues in connectivity and spatial displays, yet still leave room for improvement, such as dealing with delay and overheating.

This indicates that these products may cater to specific target audiences - those seeking high portability and large screens. If you lack space for a projector or TV, or if you frequently move and travel, Xreal can cater to these needs admirably.

Setting gaming aside, the combination of a large screen and impressive sound effects is a dream come true for movie lovers.

However, for hardcore gamers who prioritize precision and low latency, the next generation of Xreal’s products may be worth the wait.

Oh, and did I mention the attractive price tags? The Xreal Air glasses retail for $379, while the Beam costs $119. Considering the display quality at this price point, they easily rival some TVs and projectors.

The Apple Vision Pro may appear fancy and powerful, but it is expensive. In contrast, the $488 price for the Xreal combo is low enough to overlook some of its shortcomings.