The future is all about the metaverse and it’s already here; we even got concept legs in VR! At least that’s what Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seems adamantly to want everybody to know. For a concept as vague as the metaverse, the experience from the major Big Tech metaverse advocates is unconvincing at best for a platform they aim to get adopted for all day use. Headsets are either bulky, expensive, not consumer focused or a combination of those. 

So much so that even at Meta, a company that has reportedly spent billions in R&D in this sphere and rebranded itself to push forward the idea, employees aren’t much adopters of the company’s flagship Horizon platform themselves. 

Unfettered by such reluctance, Meta is forging ahead in its forceful (and, frankly, inorganic) push to lead the metaverse and recently announced its $1500 Quest Pro headset with mixed reality capabilities. This time it’s focused on enterprise and developer adoption rather than gaming and general consumers. Will this make the metaverse feel even more accessible, tangible and omnipresent? Time will tell but Mark Zuckerberg is certainly hoping so.

If you look past the hype from Big Tecch, you’ll come to notice that there are smaller companies that have, in parallel, been working on more compelling approaches to the “next computing platform”, which the metaverse arguably aims to be. Rokid, Mad Gaze and Nreal are some of the companies that have been working on smartphone-powered augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) headsets in the last couple of years, with a focus on consumers for a new approach to interact with digital media. AR and MR has been relegated to enterprise use by big players such as Magic Leap and Microsoft Hololens whose headsets sell for several thousands of dollars. These consumer headsets in comparison are sub-$1000 devices and often pair with a smartphone to operate, enabling the glasses to be lighter and more streamlined.

Nreal in particular has released a compelling consumer use case for augmented reality glasses when it first launched its Nreal Light headset. It followed this up with the recent launch of the $379 Nreal Air which packs less tech than the Light in favour of a more socially acceptable aesthetic (read: no cameras and fewer chances of getting tagged as a glasshole). In lieu of being a high tech pair of smart glasses laden with sensors, this sleeker model aims to boost adoption by focusing its use as a massive portable screen for browsing the web and streaming videos (and yes, games too).

Currenlty available in the UK, US and Japan, the Nreal Air comes packed with the following items:

• Traveling Case
• Nreal Air
• Nosepads
• Light Shield
• Prescription Lens Frame
• USB-C Cable
• Cleaning Cloth

  

And bears the following specs (Nreal Light vs Nreal Air Specs, image courtesy of Nreal):

 

From the other AR glasses that I’ve tried, the Nreal Air is by far the most fashionable, good looking and inconspicuous of them all. All of its accessoires, including the smart glasses, fit in the hard carry case included in the package. The quality is also very premium. Even if the body’s shell is plastic in nature, its matte finish and black palette endows it with a nice, classy feel and is as sturdy as my regular glasses. I grew so fond of its look that I’ve used them exclusively as my summer shades and wore them while on a trip to London a couple of months ago; and have adopted them as my go-to shades for sunny days. 

One of the reasons I could use the Air as my summer shades is because it comes with prescription lens inserts. Enamoured by its look, I went ahead and ordered prescription lenses from a local optician’s based on the lens frame included in the Nreal AIr package. They then securely clip onto the glasses itself and can permanently stay on, should you wish them to. With my lenses fitted, I could use the Nreal Air as regular sunglasses without attracting any weird looks (as far as I could tell in bustling London and other cities I’ve worn them in). 

Another feature of these smart glasses that makes it inconspicuous is that it packs a detachable USB-C cable. When you don’t need to use the AR features, you can simply unplug the cable from the glasses and they’ll blend in as normal glasses. This aspect is really a winner when it comes to using smart glasses in public and can really help with their wider adoption. In addition, this enables the user to replace the cable should it be misplaced or damaged. Users can also further adjust the Air for a custom fit with the differently sized nose pads included and by adjusting the inclination of the arms.

For its AR features, the Nreal Air operates in a similar fashion to its predecessor the Nreal Light and competitors Rokid Air and MAD Gaze GLOW Plus. It plugs to a smartphone’s USB-C port, displays images on the lens through a series of mirrors and is controlled using the phone as a remote. Nreal has an official list of supported devices and recently launched an adapter for iOS devices as well. However, you can luck out by trying it out with USB-C equipped phones not on the list that include video output. For instance, the Air works well with the Black Shark 4 Pro when I tested them, even if it is not on the official list. 

Simply plugging in the glasses to your phone will mirror the latter’s screen in a heads-up, static display fashion. However, this mode is what I term lamAR (get it? lame-AR? lamAR?). Surely having a front-facing, static mirror of your screen can have certain use cases for a hands-free mobile experience (such as when following a recipe) but it’s not as compelling of an experience. The real experience is fleshed out with 3DoF, floating windows. This emulates a holographic experience where the virtual window stays in place, even if you move your head around. Luckily you can have access to such a sci-fi-esque experience with the Nreal launcher, Nebula. 

Since I first tested the Nreal Light, Nebula has undergone some changes and improvements. When booting it up, you can choose to either enter AR Space or Air Casting (static window). In the latter, you can also have a smaller version of your phone’s screen mirrored so you can view more of your actual surroundings. This can be handy when cooking or baking while looking up recipes online.

The real deal is with AR Space. Its UI has been revamped to welcome the user with a side-scrolling panel which is operated by using your phone as a laser pointer. The controls are fluid and the images are crisp and detailed. There’s even a tamagotchi-like feature where you have a companion pet that can follow you around (no need to feed it though). The video below gives a glimpse of Nebula’s AR space in action. Bear in mind that the video content are superimposed on your actual environment when wearing the glasses (not captured here as the Nreal Air doesn’t feature any cameras).

AR Space includes a fitness app of sorts where you can view landscapes from different parts of the world while working out on a spin bike. It gives details such as the time spent and estimates the calories burnt.

There’s also a gallery where you can look at your pictures and play some videos. I’ve used this feature while travelling with limited internet access to view videos offline. I watched Cyberpunk Edgerunners (probably the most cyberpunk way to do so)  and House of the Dragon this way on a 3h+ bus trip as well as while lying in bed and this proved to be of great entertainment value.

With internet access, you’ll be able to access the built-in browser and search the net and stream videos or even games. You can adjust the size of the holographic window and being 3DoF really makes an impressive experience as they emulate the feeling of watching a 201" screen at 6m that stays in place even if you move your head. This is in contrast with the aforementioned lamAR where the static window follows your head movement and breaks the illusion of viewing a holographic display.

Through such a setup, YouTube videos on mobile never looked any better and yes, you can even have access to cloud-based video game streaming platforms should you wish to. Nreal also has a guide to access your Steam and Steam VR library It is a bit finicky to set up and requires a VR-ready PC which I didn’t have access to and couldn’t test. But it is encouraging to see the company expanding the capabilities of the device.

This streaming feature is what the Nreal Air was designed for and it executes it impeccably. The massive, portable and adjustable virtual screen expands what is physically possible with a phone and is hands-down the best way I’ve experienced mobile video streaming and web browsing. The images are crisp and the brightness is adjustable with the rocker on the right arm to make images viewable in different lighting conditions. There’s also a button to switch off the display should you wish to only be in touch with actual reality. If your environment is still too bright, you can just clip on the Light Shield and have a VR-like experience without having your surroundings interfere with the images. 

Even if the field of view is limited to 46 degrees, you can adjust the screen size to fit your field of view without breaking the immersion. And for a device of this size, the visuals it delivers is already quite impressive.

However, given the open nature of the speakers, in loud environments, the audio, although of quality, might not be loud enough. I found that when playing videos from my gallery in AR mode, the volume was considerably lower than when doing other things. On that note, a dedicated video player with the features such as viewing subtitles and changing the dub would be handy.

In addition to the focus on video streaming, there are some other apps that you can download from the Play store for Android users. Nreal itself has released a handful of games such as a maze game that you control by tilting your phone and a Rubik’s cube type one. There’s also other apps such as Teleport which I tried in early access. It “teleports'' you to a new 3D environment but without much interaction involved. These are fun to kill time casually but aren’t killer apps.

About the killer app, Nebula did integrate it in its earlier iteration where it essentially allowed you to open apps already installed on your phone and view them in 3DoF. Yes, this is what I believe to be the killer app for such phone-tethered AR headsets. Having the ability to view apps you’re used to and are already signed in on is a game changer. You’d be able to browse familiar interfaces but through holographic panels which you can place around you. It’s also great for productivity as you could write documents, check your email and browse the net on separate windows which can be positioned based on your preference. This was my experience when I viewed my preinstalled apps on the Nreal Light on a former version of Nebula and it really gave me a sense that AR is ready for consumer adoption and the trick for such adoption is relatively simple.

However, to my dismay this feature has been taken out in the latest version of the launcher. You can still access your social media, online documents and YouTube in 3DoF through the built-in browser but you’ll have to go through the hassle of signing in again. On top of being a privacy concern to sign in to third-party browsers, it means you’ll have to remember all of those passwords that you’ve already input at some point in time on the app that’s already on your phone. Having access to these apps in the AR Space would also remedy some improvements from built-in features such as viewing videos or making a case for productivity. For example, with access to a media player like VLC, I’d be able to use subtitles and change dubs easily; features which aren’t present in Nebula’s built-in gallery.

I really hope Nreal brings back the ability to view preinstalled apps and even games on your phone in the Nebula’s AR Space launcher. Because for now, the app is really just a fancy browser for web searches and streaming. That’s not a bad thing as the mobile streaming experience is vastly superior to what you’d have on your phone with the crisp image quality on a massive screen, expandable to multiple windows and with a hands-free experience. But expanding this experience to apps you’re used to would really up the ante. There are some nice AR apps but these are nice-to-haves rather than must-haves.

To give credit where it’s due, Nreal is nevertheless increasing the compatibility of its headset. It recently launched an adapter to connect the Nreal Air with iOS devices and other HDMI devices, including consoles. But this only mirrors the screen in a static way without 3DoF; and I haven't seen this being highlighted enough by other reviewers. Sure the massive portable screen is handy but it can also be a burden to have the screen just follow your every head movement and the novelty of the effect wears off quickly. It not only breaks the sense of illusion of having an actual giant screen hovering where you want it to but can also be inconvenient when you are reaching out for something (such as a drink or picking up your controller's charger). They should really find a way to integrate 3DoF windows on-the-fly (as opposed to being only accessible via the Nebula app) for a more convincing experience.

More interestingly though, Nreal recently launched a beta ersion of Nebula for Mac devices featuring Apple’s M1 and M2 chips. This provides additional, virtual, 3DoF-enabled windows that expands productivity. Now, I don’t have such a device myself to test but it appears akin to what’s also possible with the Quest Pro and is a compelling use case. I hope Nreal also brings this feature to Windows and Android devices as this could make for a more compelling AR experience for better multitasking and productivity with the Nreal Air.

   

When it comes down to it, the Nreal Air isn’t a bad device at all. It nails the aesthetic by being inconspicuous, fashionable and socially acceptable. It’s also prescription lens-friendly which is a huge personal win, and delivers crisp visuals on a massive, portable screen paired with more than decent audio in a compact form factor.

However, hardware is only half of the equation. While there is some first and third party app support, the killer app, which Nreal did figure out at an earlier point, is somehow missing. Hopefully it is brought back in a future update. 

As of now, this device still feels more like an early adopter type of device for viewing videos, browsing the web or streaming games online in a novel way. The Nreal Air handles this very well in a sleek, highly portable and comfortable form factor than any Big Tech “metaverse” proponent’s device, enabling it to be easily worn for a whole day. However, the hardware is capable of much more, especially for on-the-go productivity, and this potential needs to be exploited further.