Are AR Glasses a Tax on IQ?

Facing niche products, this is the first question that comes to many people's minds.

From the moment I first came into contact with AR products until now, even though various manufacturers have carried out multiple rounds of product iterations and user education, people still enjoy discussing this topic tirelessly.

From my personal experience, it doesn't deserve to be labeled as a "tax on IQ." It's just that during the process of a new product category evolving from its birth to maturity, various product issues are bound to arise.

For example, AR used to be heavily criticized for the following aspects:

1.With 1.0DoF, the shaking of the screen causes severe dizziness. All previous AR glasses, without relying on external computing power, did not possess the 3DoF function themselves. That is to say, the screen would always follow in front of your eyes, which leads to two serious problems affecting the viewing experience:

• Whether you use AR glasses to play games, watch dramas, or work, when the device doesn't have 3DoF and the screen doesn't support hovering, the slightest tremor of your body will be magnified on the AR screen. It's like watching your phone while sitting in a car driving on a bumpy field path. The screen seems to be all over the place, making your eyes tired and prone to feeling "car - sick."
• When the screen always follows in front of your eyes, it's impossible to clearly see the details at the edge of the screen. Because when you look down, the screen will move down with your head. It's not enjoyable for watching dramas, and it's even more uncomfortable for working.

2.The screen is not clear enough, there is distortion at the edges, the FoV is not large enough, and there is even an obvious color cast. Most people buy AR glasses hoping to use them as a portable screen, but they find too many flaws in the viewing experience after getting them. Their usability is inferior to VR devices or projectors of the same price range.

It's these problems that have kept the usage frequency of AR devices low among users in the past.
However, technology is evolving. So far, based solely on my experience with the XREAL One in my hand, most of the above - mentioned AR problems have been solved. Most importantly, there are more specific usage scenarios. Even compared to VR devices, projectors, and televisions, I may use AR glasses more frequently in the future.

What Can AR Glasses Be Used For?

Based on my recent usage frequency, here are the common uses of AR glasses for me:

1.Watching movies, dramas, and ball games

You may ask why I don't watch on a TV or a projector, but insist on using AR glasses in a pretentious way.
First, the TV is occupied by my child and wife. I almost have no right to use the TV at home, and there is no place to hang another TV.

Second, every time you want to change the viewing location with a projector, you have to readjust the focus. The more trouble it is, the less likely you are to want to turn it on.

Third, AR glasses have, to a certain extent, created a space for me to be alone. In the adult world, it's quite rare to be able to relax without distractions.

So, among various display products, based on my own usage needs, I decisively favor AR glasses.

In fact, previously, the screen of AR glasses had a certain gap compared to TVs and projectors. But after using the XREAL One recently, I found that the display effect of AR glasses has caught up. The MTF>0.86, PPD46, FoV50°. In addition, the X1 chip equipped this time provides the XREAL One with better anti - distortion and color control capabilities. Under such circumstances, AR glasses can already meet most of my needs for watching movies and ball games.

Watching ball games:

Videos of ball games, which have a lot of moving shots, pose a challenge to the screen's handling of dynamic images. The XREAL One performs quite well in this regard, offering a better viewing experience than many projectors priced at 3,000 - 4,000 yuan.

Viewing color:

Color has always been an important part of film aesthetics. Especially when playing vividly colored movie scenes on a large screen, there is a wonderful sense of immersion that pulls you into another world. I can't remember which brand of AR glasses I tried last year, but the screen had a bit of color cast at that time. However, looking at the latest product in the industry in my hand now, the color accuracy is extremely well - controlled.

Watching movies:

I'm quite fond of watching British and American dramas. However, many of them have an annoying trait. Perhaps in pursuit of authenticity, their color tones tend to be rather dark. When I was watching Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings back then, even with the screen brightness turned all the way up, I could only see my own reflection...

So, watching such dramas puts the screen's handling of dark - area details to a tough test. As for the actual performance of the XREAL One, it actually does a decent job with the dark areas. By turning on the three - level electrochromic function, one can see relatively rich details in the picture.

A Portable Space Screen on Business Trips

Apart from pure home entertainment, I've found that the XREAL One has also brought about the possibility of business - trip work in the AR industry this time.

Don't think it's awkward, because you'll change your tune once you've tried it!

I got the product last Wednesday. Coincidentally, I was on a business trip over the weekend, so I took it with me. And then I discovered that this thing is simply a big - screen wonder for business travelers. Let me share some small scenarios where I thought it worked really well:

Reviewing materials for an impromptu meeting:

Sometimes, at the airport, high - speed rail station, or even in a taxi, I'm suddenly pulled into a meeting. I really don't feel like taking out my laptop, but it's very uncomfortable to view meeting documents on my phone. So, I gave this pair of glasses a try and discovered a whole new world.

First of all, there's no more embarrassment of fumbling with a laptop. I can just take out the glasses from my pocket and put them on.

Secondly, the screen is really clear, clearer than VR devices and projectors. Moreover, with a 50° FoV, the field of view is quite large, and it's great to view documents on this high - definition big screen.

Finally, using AR glasses for work provides a high level of privacy. For example, when working in public places like on a high - speed train or in a coffee shop, I sometimes worry that others might see my work content (even though there's no national secret, there's still an uneasiness that my personal information might be exposed). But when using AR glasses to view materials, I don't have this kind of uneasiness at all.

The text display is very clear. Although it can't compare with a 4K screen, it's more than sufficient for reading documents while on the go.

In addition, the XREAL One glasses themselves support 3DoF hovering. So you can fix the screen at any position in space. Even if you're sitting in a slightly bumpy vehicle, the screen remains completely stable, which is much more comfortable than looking directly at a phone or computer.

Temporarily acting as a portable secondary screen:

Still thanks to the 3DoF hovering technology, the XREAL One can be directly plugged into a computer and then set as an extended screen, treating the XREAL One as a second screen (it is recommended to turn on the electrochromic function to the first level, which makes it more convenient to look back and forth between the screens). If you need to compare documents back and forth, or write document B while referring to the data in document A, this function can save you a lot of trouble when you're out and about.

Watching movies on planes and high - speed trains: I travel frequently on business. Besides handling work when necessary on planes and high - speed trains, most of the time I'm just scrolling through my phone. But constantly looking down at the phone for a long time can cause neck and back pain. That's where AR glasses come in handy.

Take the XREAL One as an example. It has a large screen that can hover. Coupled with the sound quality tuned by the joint algorithm of Bose, when you connect it directly to your phone, it becomes a simple portable mini - cinema. Thanks to the hovering function, the screen remains stationary. So even if the vehicle you're on experiences slight jolts, it won't affect your viewing experience at all.

Lean the seat back, put on these glasses, lie on your back, and what you see is a high - definition picture, and what you hear is immersive sound quality. When you get tired of watching, turn the electrochromic function of the XREAL One to the highest level, and it  becomes a pair of light - blocking sunglasses. If you find some ASMR content, it turns into a hypnotherapy tool during your business trip.

Looking at it this way, AR glasses are starting to show their practicality. That's why I said earlier that even someone like me, who used to frequently criticize AR, has become more positive. Because during the over - one - week use of the XREAL One, I clearly felt that AR glasses are no longer a product that forcefully creates demand, but a functional product that can meet users' needs to a considerable extent.

After using it for a long time, what about the picture, sound quality, weight and other aspects of the XREAL One? Is it a product that allows people to use it for a long time?

Overall experience

In the past two days, I used it to:

• Finish a forty - minute meeting.
• Watch Pegasus  again in one go on the ultra - wide screen.
• Assist in my work for two hours, mainly to view reference documents (I think the maximum one - time wearing time for this thing is two hours; any longer and it gets tiring).

So from my personal experience, it is now a product that allows users to use it for a long time (at least within two hours without any discomfort) and won't end up gathering dust. Because with the addition of 3DoF, there are so many scenarios where it can be used.

Picture effect

The picture effect has actually been demonstrated before. The color and clarity are the best among AR devices. And due to the increase in FoV and the picture size adjustment function added based on the X1 chip, although not officially promoted, the XREAL One can actually achieve an ultra - FoV effect (although the picture is cropped when in the ultra - FoV effect, the impact is minimal, and the visual experience is still quite impactful).

The ultra - FoV effect can't be captured by a mobile phone camera, but it's quite obvious to the naked eye.

Is it too heavy? Is it a product that can be used for a long time?

When I browsed some review comment sections before, I saw many users expressing concerns about the weight. They wondered if the 82 - gram weight would press on the nose. As I said before, everyone's perception of weight is different. Personally, I felt okay. I used the AR glasses for office work for two hours in the morning.

I'm a high - myopia with 600 degrees and 50 - degree astigmatism, so I had to wear them with additional lenses. But surprisingly, I didn't feel the pain on the bridge of my nose that I had worried about. I also let my girlfriend try them on for about half an hour last week, and she thought it was fine too, without any obvious feeling of the glasses pressing on her nose.

PS: A piece of advice. I found that by adjusting the angle of the temple in the vertical direction, the slight feeling of the glasses pressing on my nose disappeared completely. Before adjustment, I still had this feeling. So I'm thinking that some users who complained about the glasses pressing on their noses might not even know that the temple angle of this glasses can be adjusted!!? The manufacturer has a tendency to just do the work without promoting this feature, so many people are discouraged even before getting into using this product.

Is the ultra - wide screen as useful as imagined?

Many bloggers have demonstrated the ultra - wide - screen function, and users in the group are also actively exploring the playability of this feature.

After using it for a few days, I found that the ultra - wide screen is indeed good, but there is one aspect that I really hope can be improved. That is, currently, in the ultra - wide - screen mode, the picture size adjustment is not supported!

First of all, it's extremely enjoyable to watch movies and play games in this mode, and it's very immersive (especially for Horizon). There's no problem at all in this regard!

What I want to complain about is using the ultra - wide screen for office work.

The ultra - wide - screen is useful for writing documents because the document - editing interface allows you to easily enlarge the font with Ctrl. However, it's not so convenient for some interfaces that require communication and message - replying or interfaces where you can't quickly zoom in and out. Because the ultra - wide - screen can't adjust the picture size, for example, the Feishu (Lark) client can't be easily resized. As a result, in the ultra - wide - screen mode, the font of the Feishu client is relatively small. You can still see it clearly, but it's definitely not as satisfying as when the picture is enlarged.

However! Here comes another turn...

I saw in the official user group that in the next version, the picture - size adjustment will be supported in the ultra - wide - screen mode. So, when will the next version be updated? Based on my experience, it's estimated to be next month. It's coming soon. I hope the manufacturer can release this function as soon as possible.

How can myopic people use it? Do they have to get their own lenses?

Yes, you have to get your own lenses. The manufacturer provides a lens - fitting service.

Speaking of which, I saw a lot of people complaining that the XREAL One already costs more than 3,000 yuan, so why doesn't it come with a diopter - adjustment module. If it were before, I might have joined in the criticism. But after I bought the Viture pro, I sincerely advise everyone that it's right not to support diopter adjustment. If you're really myopic, just get a pair of glasses and enjoy a comfortable viewing experience. After using AR glasses with a diopter - adjustment module myself, I found two problems:

• The diopter - adjustment module can only adjust the degree of myopia, not astigmatism. Moreover, when adjusting the diopter, there's no precise degree indication. That is to say, you can only adjust it approximately. So, here's the question. What problems will occur if you often wear glasses with an inappropriate degree? Inevitably, your eyes will feel uncomfortable, and your degree of myopia is likely to increase. So, for the sake of your eye health, it's better to get lenses fitted properly.
• The principle of the degree - adjustment of the diopter - adjustment module is actually to bring the screen closer. The higher the degree, the closer the screen is brought to your eyes. So, here comes another problem. When the degrees of your two eyes are different, the distances at which the screens on both sides are brought closer will be different. Then, this will definitely ruin the final image - combination effect. The intuitive feeling is that your eyes will feel uncomfortable after a while, and you'll feel a pain in your eyeballs.

My prescription is over 600 degrees, and this is how the glasses with the diopter - adjustment module turned out. To be honest, the quality is not as good as that of the glasses I got from my glasses online store (Glasses Magic) regular optician.

So, it's better to get proper lenses. The myopia lenses for AR glasses are small, so they are thin and light, not as cumbersome as you might think. Wearing them is much more comfortable than using the diopter - adjustment module.

Is the XREAL One Worth Buying?

First of all, it should be clear that AR glasses are not a category for discussing cost - effectiveness. This product is like a business laptop. Cost - effectiveness is not the key point; meeting needs is. Therefore, first of all, it must be affirmed that the product power of the XREAL One has surpassed that of similar products by one version. In terms of practicality, it has achieved a score of 75.

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