GoKawiilis an editor covering deals and gaming hardware. He joined in 2018, and after a two-year stint at Polygon, he rejoined The Verge in May 2025.
I love it when a company challenges itself to make a cheaper version of a beloved product. Xreal’s $299 A01 Plus is a stripped-down version of its $449 1S that’s light on features but with just enough of the 1S’ best qualities. These AR glasses are comfortable, they look good, and the screens are surprisingly bright and contrast-rich for the price.
The new glasses are super lightweight at 62 grams — over 20 grams lighter than the 1S. They’re as light as I wish every model was, but the frame feels flimsy by comparison. Its durability came into question when I adjusted the A01 Plus’ temple arms to center the screens. They require more of a gentle touch, so as to not over-muscle the frame that houses its delicate micro OLED panels and birdbath optics, or pop off its modular eyeglasses shell.
Xreal included an extra modular glasses shell that blocks light on all sides, and it makes the A01 Plus better for outdoor use than the 1S. The A01 Plus look similar in many ways to the 1S, but they’re thinner and significantly lighter.
Speaking of those shells, customization is a big selling point for the A01 Plus. Xreal includes a shell that puts tinted lenses on the other side of its screens, and it can be swapped with other covers, even 3D printed ones in the future. Removing them requires gently tugging on its edges near where the temple arms attach, which feels risky to do until you get the hang of it. The company provided an alternate cover that accentuates the A01 Plus’ bright screens and keeps reflections out of view.
The new AR glasses lack electrochromic lens tech with adjustable opacity, which is standard across most models, but I don’t mind the omission here. The A01 Plus have reflective films covering the back of their optics that are passable at preventing light from disrupting the experience. One of the removable covers included with the review unit is better at blocking out light than the pricier 1S. I held my phone’s flashlight right up to the lens as I wore them and I could barely see it.
I kind of like casually wearing the A01 Plus without a snap-on shell installed because they’re so, so compact.
As with every pair of AR glasses that I’ve tested, I played a lot of games from my Steam Deck on the A01 Plus. First impressions with these glasses were mixed. The 1080p resolution, brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, and contrast looked good, but the screens appeared very blurry. However, Xreal provided a set of HonsVR prescription lenses that drastically improved clarity. The glasses have an IPD range of 54.5mm to 74.5mm, but I can’t guarantee that you’ll have a better experience than I did out of the box unless you buy some lens inserts, which will likely cost around $50.
The screens were fuzzy for me until I snapped in some prescription lenses that Xreal provided. They cost about $50. The A01 Plus include a hard case that snaps shut, just like Xreal’s pricier AR glasses.
Some of my complaints about the A01 Plus come from being spoiled from using the $449 1S. The biggest feature omission here is three degrees of freedom, a feature that gives you the option to lock your virtual screen in position. Xreal aims to bridge the gap between zero and three degrees of freedom with a toggleable stabilization feature that operates kind of like a gimbal. It does a decent job of reducing unwanted screen movements (moving it just a little instead of a lot), but it introduces jitter that’s easy to spot with text. Also, audio quality is decent on the A01 Plus, but they don’t get nearly as loud as the 1S, and they’re comparatively lacking in the lows and mids.
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