Finally, after being made available in plenty of territories worldwide Nreal will soon sell its augmented reality (AR) glasses in the UK. Just like in countries such as Japan and the US, the latest Nreal Air will be made available in the UK via a mobile carrier – in this instance an exclusive deal with EE – later this spring.
Nreal Air connects to your smartphone so that users can watch TV or movies on a big virtual screen or utilise its AR functionality with a range of apps. Weighing in at 79g, Nreal Air supports two different modes; “Air Casting” and “MR Space”. The former allows users to mirror their phone screen, enlarging it up to a 130-inch HD virtual display. The latter can position multiple virtual screens for a range of tasks.
The AR glasses contain a micro-OLED chip that can support 49 Pixels Per Degree (PPD) at its maximum, all running at a 90Hz refresh rate. Connection is via USB-C to compatible smartphones (UK devices to be confirmed) using the Nreal Nebula app for the AR operating environment.
“We’re delighted to enter the UK market in partnership with EE and we look forward to building up the AR ecosystem together. At Nreal, we’re passionate about bringing AR into consumers’ everyday lives, which will start a revolutionary transformation just as the internet once did. AR will transcend the current mobile experience, especially when it comes to watching videos, exercising, and playing PC and cloud video games. As we continue to enrich the AR ecosystem with each update and upgrade, consumers will enjoy more mind-blowing digital innovations and experiences blended into everyday life,” said Peng Jin, Co-founder of Nreal in a statement.
Nreal Air Specifications
| Form factor | · 148mm x 52mm x 159mm (opened) · 148mm x 52mm x 60mm (folded) · 3-Position adjustment for optimal gaze angle · Head width from 120-186mm |
| Power | · Up to 5 hours video streaming in Air Casting mode |
| Weight | · 79 grams |
| Display | · OLED · 3840 by 1080 pixels with sRGB 108% colour gamut, 8-bit depth for 16.773 million colours · Up to 400 nits perceived brightness · 100,000:1 contrast ratio · ~46-degree FoV, 49 pixels per degree (PPD) · 130″ at 4m (Air Casting Mode), 201″ at 6m (MR Space Mode) · Fingerprint resistant coating, anti-reflective coating |
| Audio | · 2 open-ear speakers · Dual microphone array, omnidirectional MEMS microphones · Bass boost, virtual rendering · Echo cancellation, noise cancellation, beamforming, speech enhancement |
| Position tracking | · 3DoF head tracking |
| Controls and sensors | · Screen on/off button · Screen brightness adjustment button · Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer · Proximity sensor |
| Accessories | · Detachable cable · Prescription-lens frame · 3 nose pads · Case · Cleaning cloth · Light shield |
“We’re working with the best content providers and the most innovative technology companies in the world to create entirely new experiences for our customers. Nreal are at the forefront of AR, and we’re delighted to be the exclusive UK partner for the launch of their new Nreal Air AR glasses,” Alistair Wilson, Director of Devices and Partnerships, EE adds. “When combined with the power of 5G, it really does open up new possibilities for seamless streaming and access to new types of content on the move – these are really exciting times for mobile.”
EE will launch the Nreal Air AR glasses later this spring, no prices have been revealed thus far. The device arrived in Japan back in March retailing for 39,799 yen ($345 USD) so that would put the UK price around the £270 GBP mark, directly in competition with Ray-Ban Stories, the smart glasses collaboration with Meta.
You can register your interest here for Nreal Air and for further updates keep reading gmw3.