XReal is launching a $200 device that lets you use Android apps with AR glasses

In the United States, XReal has largely gone unnoticed. The Beijing-based company’s Air 2 Pro AR glasses gained widespread popularity late last year, but the product is rarely mentioned by Metas, Apples and HTC when discussing mixed reality.

This week at the AWE (Augmented World Expo) conference in southern California, the company is showing off the Beam Pro. The $200 device looks like an Android phone and quacks like an Android phone, but it’s not actually an Android phone. Instead, it is a mobile device designed specifically for Xreal glasses.

Essentially, the Beam Pro is designed to deliver Google Play apps to the glasses in a “3D space.” Xreal writes: “As the ultimate companion device to Xreal Glasses, Xreal Beam Pro gives users simple access to all their favorite apps, social media content, streaming entertainment, professional needs and gaming platforms in a stunning 3D-enabled AR environment. “

The Snapdragon-powered device runs Android 14 and comes with a pair of 50-megapixel cameras for taking 3D photos and spatial videos, but it has been designed extremely purposefully and is not intended to replace a phone. It’s certainly a unique approach – harkening back to a bygone era when people had iPod Touches in addition to iPhones. There’s some Amazon Fire Phone DNA there via 3D cameras, but the less said about it the better.

“The average user will immediately recognize the smartphone-like design,” the company writes. “In terms of connectivity, the Xreal Beam Pro offers two USB ports for simultaneous use of the Xreal glasses while charging. 27W fast charging means battery anxiety while watching movies or gaming is a thing of the past.

Other specs are what you’d expect from a $200 device. This includes a 6.5-inch display (2400 x 1080), 6 or 8 GB of RAM, and 128 or 256 GB of storage – not exactly flagship numbers. There’s a Wi-Fi-only option, as well as a 5G version, so we’re basically talking about a phone at this point.

Xreal has built its own NebulaOS software layer on top of Android. The skin is designed to deliver 2D applications in 3D while offering a unique way to communicate with the system.

“It’s exciting to see companies like XREAL bring new devices into the ecosystem, making AR more accessible,” Qualcomm senior director Sahil Bansal said in a statement. Other notable brands include Nvidia offering CloudXR technology beyond devices and Amazon Web services.

Beam Pro is now available for sale in the US, China, Japan and parts of Europe via the Xreal website. It hits Amazon next month.