The transparent Android XR headset ships in weeks with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and a $1,499 model follows.
Xreal has opened pre-orders for the Aura, the first transparent Android XR glasses, which it built with Google. The headset starts at $1,279 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and a second configuration with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage costs $1,499. Meta’s VR Glasses cost $20 more.
Both devices overlay virtual objects and desktops on the real world, and each weighs around 100 grams because the Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite chip and battery live in a separate compute puck. The Aura runs Android XR and offers a 70-degree diagonal field of view, while the Meta VR Glasses run Horizon OS and rely on passthrough vision for a more immersive image.
For builders, the split means two distinct targets: Android apps inside the Aura and Quest titles inside Meta’s glasses. Input models also differ, since the Meta VR Glasses use eye tracking with pinching gestures while the Aura pairs a touchpad on the compute puck with hand-tracking for virtual laser pointers. Both headsets support peripherals and USB-C DisplayPort video input.
The Aura is weeks away for buyers who placed a reservation. Meta’s VR Glasses are not due until spring 2027, which leaves Xreal with a long head start. Neither device has undergone independent review, and Android XR remains largely untested after Samsung and Google shipped the $1,799 Galaxy XR last year without providing a review unit.
What matters
- Xreal opened pre-orders for the Google-built Aura glasses at $1,279, with a 16GB and 512GB model at $1,499.
- Builders now target two rival platforms: Android XR on the Aura and Meta’s Horizon OS on the VR Glasses.
- Meta’s VR Glasses are not due until spring 2027, so independent reviews will decide this matchup.
Why it matters
Meta’s VR Glasses are not due until spring 2027, so independent reviews will decide this matchup.
This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by The Verge. Source reference: https://www.theverge.com/news/1006207/google-xreal-aura-glasses-price-release-date-preorder.
Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.