Xreal One review: smart glasses that could actually replace my monitor

The new Xreal One smart glasses bring several significant improvements over earlier models. Most notably, a built-in processor that lets me resize and reposition the virtual screen to optimize the experience without any accessories or apps.

The best smart glasses are light enough to wear comfortably for a few hours while providing a bright, vivid display and good audio. The Xreal One does all that and more, changing how I use them and which devices I’m most likely to connect.

In this review, I’ll share some insights about what’s new and why Xreal One might be the game-changing smart glasses you’re looking for.

Specs

What’s new in Xreal One?

The great thing about technology is that it keeps improving and each new generation of smart glasses boasts a larger field of view (FoV) and brighter displays without sacrificing comfort. If you liked last year’s model, you’ll enjoy this year’s even more.

The question remains whether the Xreal One is a big enough upgrade to justify a purchase if you already own glasses that can double as a TV or monitor. Display and audio specifications show increases across the board as expected. 600 nits of perceived brightness beats last year’s Xreal Air 2 by 20%, and the Xreal One expands the apparent screen size by 9% to a generous 50-degree FoV.

The base model of Xreal One includes electrochromic dimming, a pro feature for the Air 2 series. That means I can use them indoors and outdoors with no loss of image quality. There are three dimming levels, one more than the Viture One smart glasses.

With dimming off, I could see a large virtual window hovering in front of me over a darkened view of my surroundings, as if wearing lightly tinted sunglasses. The next step makes the sunglasses effect much stronger. At full dimming, the Xreal One lenses darken to near-black so what I’m watching won’t be visible on the front of the glasses, known as eye glow.

The biggest change is the Xreal X1 chip embedded into the glasses that lets me resize and reposition the virtual screen without installing apps or connecting accessories. I could maximize to a wall-sized TV, choose a large, curved ultrawide monitor, or scale down to a screen the size of a phone. The range of options is impressive. Beyond screen scale and location, I could also adjust the color temperature, text sharpening, toggle 3D mode, and more.

The X1 chip tracks head movement, scales and positions incoming video, and handles the Xreal One user interface. However, there’s room for more than one pair of smart glasses for daily use. The Xreal One aren’t AR glasses that can replace your phone and don’t compete with the smart glasses that feature heads-up displays.

How I used Xreal One

I knew immediately that Xreal One raised the bar for next-gen smart glasses but I was blown away with the ultrawide mode when I connected them to my MacBook Air. Compared to the Xreal One’s curved 32:9 display, the 13.3-inch MacBook screen was tiny. While the giant virtual screen hovered at eye level, the top of my MacBook Air screen barely stood 8 inches high, making me tilt my head to see it. The ultrawide mode also works with my Windows PC.

Xreal’s solution is rock solid and has much lower latency, just 3ms, an order of magnitude faster than competing solutions. I never lost tracking and there was no lag or drift when using Xreal One. I knew there wasn’t a real monitor, but there were no glitches to remind me of that or to interfere with my work. Viture offers an ultrawide mode also but I had to install an app to use it and the display can drift, requiring periodic recentering.

When I paired the Xreal Air 2 smart glasses with Xreal’s Beam Pro accessory, it became an ultra-portable mobile multitasking device, in some ways matching the Apple Vision Pro experience without the bulk and expense. The Beam Pro can run two Android apps side-by-side, which is great for research and comparison.

The Xreal One also works with the Beam Pro, and the combination provides bigger, brighter displays and audio improvements via Sound by Bose. 3D videos captured with Beam Pro look and sound great in the Xreal One. I keep a podcast running on one screen while browsing on another.

The new design and X1 chip don’t support Xreal’s Nebula desktop or mobile apps. I can still connect the Xreal One to my Samsung phone and use it with Dex or mirror any device with Display Port over USB-C.

On my computer, I prefer Xreal One’s ultrawide mode to Nebula’s three-window display. However, I miss having the option of a multitasking view for mobile devices.

Since Xreal was named as a hardware partner for Android XR, this could signal that Xreal will concentrate on hardware solutions in the future and leave software development to Google. I’m looking forward to Xreal’s Android XR device which could arrive later this year or early 2026.

Is Xreal One right for you?

Xreal overcame technical barriers to create smart glasses that could actually replace my computer monitor, a surprisingly challenging task. I finally have an ultrawide monitor that I can fit in my pocket and connect to almost all my devices.

That makes the Xreal One a great choice for use with a laptop, providing plenty of desktop space while traveling light. While it no longer works with the Nebula app on computers or phones, I prefer ultrawide mode. I get just as much desktop space without wasted space between the virtual windows.

Competing smart glasses like the Rokid Max and Viture One, offer diopter adjustment, which makes sense given myopia is increasingly common. Xreal hasn’t ignored this need, partnering with HonsVR for optional prescription lenses that fit inside the Xreal One. Xreal also sells $15 lens frames that serve as a template for your local optometrist.

Viture One lets me share movies on a virtual screen via its Pro Mobile Dock. It also has built-in sharpness adjustments for each eye. Each has unique advantages, so it’s worth shopping around to find the best solution for your needs.

Xreal will soon ship the Xreal One Pro which boasts even brighter screens and larger FoV. 2025 will be an exciting year for XR with plenty of new products attempting to change how you interact with technology in the future.