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I'm comparing two of the most cutting-edge smart glasses on the market, XReal One Pros and RayNeo X3s, not to determine which is better, but to illustrate the difference between them. They might seem similar at first glance—they're both high-tech display smart glasses—but I've tested both fairly extensively, and they're very different products that serve very different needs.
Display glasses vs. computer glasses
XReal One Pros are primarily display glasses. While they have some augmented reality capabilities—spatial content placement, passthrough augmented overlays, and some untethered uses—their core design is as a portable monitor. You plug a cord into anything with USB-C video and can see a huge, high-def monitor floating before you. The AR features are a cool opening act, but the headliner is definitely an immersive screen on demand (and it is an amazing screen). XReals aren't designed to be worn all the time, but to be slipped on if you need an extra monitor or you're taking a long flight.
RayNeo X3 smart glasses are a self-contained device designed to be worn all day. Instead of acting as a screen for another device, they are the device. The display is smaller, less highly defined, and more contextual. You technically could sit down and watch a movie on them, but they're really designed so you can glance at directions, take a quick picture, and get notifications layered onto the real world. Another impediment to watching movies on X3s is the less-than-stellar battery life: You'd have to recharge during the second act.
How well each pair of glasses does its job
Both of these pairs of glasses do what they promise, but there's a fairly big caveat with the RayNeo glasses: the battery life. It's very, very short, meaning you can't really use them to provide constant augmentation to your life. XReal One Pro glasses don't have a long battery life when they're not plugged in, but since most people will be using them while connected to a device, they only run out of batteries when your phone does.
Limited battery life isn't a problem native to RayNeo glasses; it's a problem with the whole class of AR powered glasses. It takes a ton of juice to run AR apps and projectors that display graphics. RayNeo glasses are capable of technological feats that sometimes feel like a sci-fi movie, they just can't do it for long. Overall, it reminds me of the "cheap, fast, or good; pick two" constraint. Cheap doesn't enter the equation for either glasses, so it's more "independent, powerful, or long-lasting; pick two." XReal Ones are powerful and long-lasting, but require a second device. RayNeos are powerful and independent, but don't run for long.
Finished vs. future-looking
Overall, the XReal Ones feel like a finished product. They do a specific thing very well and are predictable in the best way: you plug 'em in, you get a big, sharp display that runs as long as you have power in your laptop or phone. There's no sense that you’re beta testing a new gadget. They feel futuristic at first, but soon become a useful tool.
The RayNeo X3s feel like a device from the future that escaped into the present a little early. They’re genuinely impressive. Look at this video I captured:
A map floating in your field of view, live translations of written and spoken language, and information appearing when you need it is sooo cool, but when you get over the wow factor, you're left with a device that requires a level of power babysitting that could negate the usefulness. Is a map overlay really so much better than just glancing at your phone if it means you can't walk for more than 40 minutes without your map dying?
Cost comparison
As you'd probably guess, neither of these glasses are budget-friendly. XReal's have a list price of $769. A pair of RayNeos lists for $1,299. While the winner of "most affordable" seems to be the XReals, these prices are a bit misleading, because in order to fully upgrade your XReal glasses, you'd need a $99 Eye device for improving the AR and adding a camera, and a $300 Beam to run it all optimally. That adds up to $1,169, very close to the price of a pair of RayNeos. But let's be real: neither device is made for people who are pinching pennies.
Who are these smart glasses actually for?
If you have the cash and you want something likely to fit into how you already use technology, XReal One Pros are the move. They solve a problem—"I need a big screen"—and they solve it well. They’re very good for gaming and some kinds of productivity, and absolutely great for traveling, plus they don't require you to change existing habits much.
The RayNeo X3s are designed for someone who’s less interested in replacing a screen and more interested in experimenting with what comes after the smartphone. If you’re excited by the possibilities of an information-rich life with on-demand computing delivered with no gadget encumbrance, these glasses provide a look into that future (even if the battery life ensures it's a fleeting look).
Ultimately, these glasses represent different answers to the question of what smart glasses should be. XReal is refining something we already understand. RayNeo is reaching for something we don’t fully have yet. Neither approach to the future is wrong; it's just about which fits into your life now.
