It took a hot minute, but the Google-fied Xreal Aura Android AR glasses are around the corner. First teased in December 2025 ahead of its announcement in May, the Xreal Aura glasses are up for pre-order — in the US. Xreal’s efforts have a habit of coming to South Africa, and we have no reason to suspect it won’t do so again.
The problem isn’t getting it here. The problem — as with everything these days — is the price. Xreal is punting these as a more affordable alternative to Apple’s Vision Pro headset, just without the bulk and six-figure price. That doesn’t mean we’re all that thrilled by the R21,350 ($1,280) starting price, even if it is cheaper.
Puck, puck, goose
Xreal’s certainly gone all out here, most notably when it comes to the inner displays. Two micro-OLED displays sit inside, featuring 1,920 x 1,200 pixels of resolution per eye, both topping out at 120Hz. On the outside lie two cameras with 6DoF spatial anchoring and hand tracking for controls.
The displays, built by Sony, feature transparent lenses, allowing the wearer to see (mostly) everything around them while also keeping Subway Surfers going in the background. If you’re looking to conk out for good, the lenses can be dimmed. Xreal reckons it’ll allow for up to five virtual monitors around the wearer at once.
It may not look like it from the images, but the Aura specs aren’t running everything on the glasses. Instead, they’re powered by a ‘Computing Puck’ that’s running Snapdragon’s Reality Elite platform. You’ll get your choice of RAM and storage — with a cheaper 12/256GB model on one end and a 16/512GB model on the other.
It’s thanks to the puck that Xreal has kept the weight to a minimum (95g). On top of the bits that make it go ‘brrrr’, it also houses the 34.8Wh battery. The puck also houses a built-in fingerprint reader for extra security. If you need a little extra vroom in your smart AR glasses, the 16/512GB model goes for about R25,000 ($1,500).
