I love it when a company challenges themselves to make a cheaper version of a popular product. Xreal’s $299 A01 Plus is a stripped-down version of its $449 1S that’s lighter in features but has the 1S’s best qualities. These AR glasses are comfortable, they look great, and the screens are incredibly bright and rich for the price.
The new glasses are significantly lighter at 62 grams – more than 20 grams lighter than the 1S. They’re as light as I’d like for every model, but the frame feels flimsy in comparison. Its durability came into question when I adjusted the A01 Plus’s temple arms to center the screens. They need a more delicate touch, so that they don’t focus too much on the frame that houses its thin OLED panels and birdbaths, or pull out the eyeglass frame.
Speaking of those shells, customization is a big selling point of the A01 Plus. Xreal includes a shell that puts colored lenses on one side of its screens, and can be replaced with other covers, even 3D printed in the future. Removing them requires a slight tug on its edges near where the temple arms attach, which feels dangerous to do until you get the hang of it. The company has provided another cover that highlights the bright screens of the A01 Plus and keeps the screen invisible.
The new AR glasses don’t have electrochromic lens tech with adjustable opacity, which is standard on all models, but I don’t mind the omission here. The A01 Plus has reflective films that cover the back of its interchangeable optics to prevent light from interfering with what you’re doing. One of the removable covers included with the review unit is better at blocking light than the pricier 1S. I hold my phone’s flashlight up to the lens as I’m wearing it and can’t see it.
As with all AR glasses I’ve tested, I played a lot of games on my Steam Deck on the A01 Plus. Initial impressions of these glasses were mixed. The 1080p resolution, brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, and contrast looked good, but the screens appeared very dim. However, Xreal has offered a set of HonsVR prescription lenses that have improved the clarity significantly. The glasses have an IPD range of 54.5mm to 74.5mm, but I can’t guarantee you’ll have a better experience than I did unless you buy the insert lenses, which can cost around $50.
Some of my complaints about the A01 Plus come from the inconvenience of using the $449 1S. The main feature left out here is the three degrees of freedom, a feature that gives you the option to lock your virtual screen in place. Xreal aims to bridge the gap between zero and three degrees of freedom with a variable stabilization element that acts like a gimbal. It does a decent job of reducing unwanted screen motion (moving it a little instead of a lot), but introduces jitter that’s easy to see with text. Also, the sound quality is decent on the A01 Plus, but not nearly as high as the 1S, and lacking in lows and mids.
I understand cutting three degrees of freedom and sound quality to reach a lower price point, but the rest of the output doesn’t make much sense. The A01 Plus has a button layout that is almost identical to other Xreal models, but there is currently no way to adjust the volume on the glasses. You should go to the source of the sound instead. Also, the screen can only display content in one size – the equivalent of 147 inches with a 50-degree field of view that I can’t quite see the boundaries of – and you can’t make it bigger or smaller like other glasses allow. Surprisingly, these are apparently considered too premium to be included in the A01 Plus.
Despite its shortcomings, the A01 Plus glasses are exactly what some people will be: an affordable set of USB-C AR glasses for displaying their games, movies, or full computer screens. They’re light on features, but pack the basics, with bright screens, usable sound quality, and a comfortable, lightweight design. I was actually impressed with everything included for the price.
The features you get for spending $150 more on the 1S may be worth the splurge for some, but in general the A01 Plus is great for first-time buyers who don’t want to spend more than $300 (just make sure to factor in the $50 you might need to spend on prescription lenses).
Photos by Cameron Faulkner/The Verge
