分類: 3C評測

As an enthusiast of VR, AR, and MR, I sincerely believe that Apple Vision Pro’s biggest competitor in the future is XREAL (formerly NREAL). XREAL introduced the XREAL Air product, achieving an ultimate slim design for AR glasses and using a smartphone as the computational solution by a Chinese company.

The XREAL Air display component has a limited field of view (FOV) of only 46 degrees, which falls short of the immersive requirements for VR experiences. The developer ecosystem is not robust enough, and there is no dedicated app store, resulting in a lack of sufficient content for the primary AR experience. However, due to its relatively affordable price, lightweight design, higher pixel density (PPI), and a real background light (non-VR-generated realistic background), XREAL Air serves as a 3 DoF giant screen display with superior clarity and comfort compared to various VR devices. It is especially suitable for watching videos and playing games while lying down.

XREAL Air, as an excellent giant screen, is often used in conjunction with the Steam Deck for gaming or with high-end Samsung phones supporting the Dex operating system for watching videos. You may also consider purchasing the hastily released Beam, the official computing terminal device from XREAL, to upgrade the giant screen from 0 DoF to 3 DoF. However, its performance, image quality, operating experience, and application support are not as good as the former two options.

In addition, the second-generation product, XREAL Air Pro 2, improves comfort, speaker sound quality, and achieves individual color calibration. The upcoming XREAL Air 2 Ultra adds two cameras to support 6 DoF and hand tracking, emphasizing Spatial Computing, taking a step further toward XR, resembling a more affordable and lightweight version of Apple Vision Pro. However, facing Apple Vision Pro’s luxurious hardware, XREAL Air 2 Ultra is noticeably lacking in numerous sensors, raising concerns about its overall effectiveness.

Nevertheless, the simplified hardware architecture of XREAL Air 2 Ultra has increased my expectations for the ultimate slim and comfortable XR glasses. As a user of XREAL Air and Air 2 Pro, I will now compare the hardware advancements in the context of video watching and gaming scenarios.

The improvements of XREAL Air 2 Pro are as follows:

• 10% lighter (72 grams for the second generation, compared to 79 grams for the first generation).
• 20% higher brightness (500 nits for the second generation, compared to 400 nits for the first generation).
• Color calibration on an individual basis, resulting in smaller color deviations.
• More balanced weight distribution in the frame, preventing a top-heavy feel.
• The nearsighted glasses frame is positioned at a more appropriate distance from the eyeballs, avoiding contact between eyelids and lenses.
• Softer nose pad cushions, reducing the likelihood of imprints and discomfort on the nose.
• The Pro version includes electrochromic lenses, allowing for three-stage adjustment of outdoor lighting, providing practical functionality.

The drawbacks are as follows (not officially disclosed by the manufacturer):

• Smaller display components and a reduced pupil distance (PD), resulting in blurred edges of the display, with more pronounced effects for individuals with larger pupil distances. This issue was not present in the first generation.
• Unexplained reasons leading to high-contrast scenes, such as white text on a black background, causing more severe glare compared to the first generation.

身為VR、AR及MR的愛好者，我真心認為Apple Vision Pro，未來最大的競爭者是XREAL(前NREAL)；一間推出XREAL Air產品，把AR眼鏡極致輕薄化，用手機作為運算解決方案的中國公司。

由於XREAL Air顯示元件只有46度的可視範圍(FOV)，達不到VR沉浸體驗的要求，開發者生態不夠蓬勃，也還沒有自己的應用商店，以至於主打的AR體驗沒有足夠的內容。但受益於相對親民的價格、輕薄的體積、較高的像素密度(PPI)，以及真實的背景光(非VR再生成的現實背景)，作為3 DoF巨屏顯示器，畫面清晰度及舒適度都遠勝過各種VR設備，特別適合躺著看影片和玩遊戲。

XREAL Air作為一塊優秀的巨屏(巨大顯示器)，用戶經常搭配Steam Deck來玩遊戲，或使用支持Dex操作系統的三星高階手機來看影片；你也可以考慮購入官方倉促推出的計算終端裝置Beam，將巨屏從0 DoF提升至3 DoF，但其效能、畫質、操作體驗與應用支持，都不如前面兩者。

此外，XREAL二代產品Air Pro 2，提升了配戴的舒適度、揚聲器音質，並做到逐台調色，即將發布的XREAL Air 2 Ultra還增加了兩個攝像頭，以支持6 DoF和手部追蹤，主打空間運算Spatial Computing，讓這個產品進一步邁向XR，頗有Apple Vision Pro輕薄廉價版本的架式。但面對Apple Vision Pro豪華的硬體，XREAL Air 2 Ultra明顯缺乏眾多感測器，其效果令人堪憂。

無論如何，XREAL Air 2 Ultra簡潔的硬體架構，讓我對極致輕薄、舒適配戴的XR眼鏡有了更多期待。最後作為XREAL Air及Air 2 Pro的用戶，我將以看影片與玩遊戲的使用場景，為您比較二代硬體的進步：

Xreal Air 2 Pro進步如下：

• 重量輕10%(二代72克，一代79克)
• 亮度高20%(二代500尼特，一代400尼特)
• 經過逐台調色，色差更小
• 鏡腳有更平衡的配重，不會頭重腳輕
• 近視鏡架與眼球有更適當的距離，避免眼皮碰到鏡片
• 更軟的氣墊鼻托，讓鼻子不容易產生壓痕與不適
• Pro版本還有電致變色鏡片，可以三段調整戶外光線，此功能非常實用

缺點如下（官方未揭示）：

• 較小的顯示器元件及更小的瞳距(PD)，導致畫面邊緣模糊，瞳距大者會更嚴重，一代無此問題
• 不明原因，導致高反差畫面，如黑底白字，會有更嚴重的散光，一代無此問題