XREAL launches $299 a01 Plus AR glasses in U.S. sales

XREAL has opened U.S. sales of its a01 Plus AR glasses for $299, putting a cheaper pair of display glasses into a market that has long been defined by high prices and awkward hardware. The new model is a slightly upgraded version of the original a01, now sold under XREAL’s X By XREAL sub-brand, and it is built around one central pitch: portable screen time without the bulk of a full mixed-reality headset.

The a01 Plus uses dual-layer Micro OLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support, and XREAL says the glasses can create a virtual screen as large as 147 inches. At 62 grams, they are among the lighter wearables in the category. XREAL also added a detachable light shield to keep ambient light from washing out the image, a practical fix that underscores the limits of glasses-style AR as much as it highlights the company’s design effort.

The company is aiming the device at everyday uses rather than developer demos, with movies, travel, handheld gaming and laptop work at the center of the pitch. XREAL says the glasses include an anti-shake mode for moving around, slimmer lenses intended to look more like ordinary sunglasses, and interchangeable front frames. That mix is meant to answer the complaints that have slowed adoption in the category: bulky designs, shaky visuals, uncomfortable fits and eyewear that looks too futuristic to wear in public.

Price is the real test. XREAL is selling the a01 Plus through Amazon, its own U.S. store and retailers including Best Buy, B&H and Micro Center, and the broad distribution suggests the company is trying to reach beyond the usual AR enthusiasts. The sub-$300 tag is still a meaningful purchase, but it sits far closer to mainstream consumer territory than many previous smart glasses and headsets, and it arrives as XREAL continues to push its lineup in multiple directions. The XREAL 1S is listed at $449, the One Pro sits at $599 after a permanent cut from $649, and certified refurbished Air 2 Pro glasses are listed at $199.

XREAL’s own product material describes the a01 line as a more approachable, customizable option with a 50-degree field of view, a 1600-nit HDR10 display and an AI-driven spatial stabilization system that samples head motion 1,000 times per second and renders spatial imagery at 120 frames per second. The company says it designed the glasses using ergonomics data from more than 2,000 people.

The launch also comes as XREAL and Google work on Project Aura, a tethered Android XR glasses project planned for 2026. XREAL chief executive Chi Xu said at Google I/O in May that the smart-glasses business has long been unprofitable, but may be nearing an inflection point. The a01 Plus is XREAL’s clearest bet yet that the inflection will come from utility and price, not spectacle.