Xreal is on a mission to bring its augmented reality glasses to everyone. And now it is unveiling an Android mobile companion device called Xreal Beam Pro to make it easier to use AR glasses.
The Beam Pro will bring the Google Play Store’s apps to the 3D space when viewed through Xreal AR glasses, which adds a spatial touch to the mobile internet.
As the ultimate companion device for Xreal glasses, Xreal Beam Pro gives users a simple way to access all their favorite apps, social media content, streaming entertainment, professional needs, and gaming platforms in a stunning 3D-aware AR environment, all powered by a Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm and Android 14. The Beam Pro costs about $200.
Xreal has sold hundreds of thousands of its AR glasses to date, and it has a lot of funding. Most recently, the company raised $60 million in January.
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Beam Pro is not a smartphone but it runs Android
And while it is Android-based, the Beam Pro is not a cellular phone. It can give you Wi-Fi or 5G access, but you won’t make a phone call over a cellular network. Rather, you could use something like a Wi-Fi-connected What’sApp to make a call via the Beam Pro instead.
“We didn’t call it a phone, and we don’t want it to make phone calls as well. We don’t want people to [use this to] replace their phone with us,” Xu said. “We’re intended this to be a small like a tablet. When you plug your glasses into it, this becomes like your controller.”
The interface for that controller is the familiar Android user interface.
In the past, consumers had to plug their Xreal glasses into either an Android smartphone or a battery pack. But the Xreal Beam Pro has two USB-C ports so you can plug it both into the mobile device as well as a battery pack or wall charger, said Chi Xu, founder and CEO of Xreal, in an interview with GamesBeat.
Responding to consumers’ desire to capture their favorite moments in the most lifelike format, it also features dual 50 megapixel 3D cameras that allow users to create their own high-definition spatial videos and 3D images. The company is showing off the Beam Pro in a talk today at the Augmented World Expo 2024 event today in Long Beach, California.
“AWE 2024 is the perfect backdrop for us to reveal Xreal Beam Pro globally, a groundbreaking mobile device that gives everyone the chance to create their own stunning spatial video content, as well as the opportunity to enjoy a full range of popular entertainment and gaming platforms when paired with the world’s best-selling AR glasses,” said Xu. “For Xreal Beam Pro we chose a uniquely simple design that features a familiar Android mobile experience to open the door to a new world of spatial computing that everyone can enjoy. Working with companies including Qualcomm Technologies, Nvidia and others, we see the mobile internet evolving to the spatial internet and foresee Xreal Beam Pro plus Xreal glasses becoming one of the most powerful AR solutions to explore millions of apps in 3D space.”
Asked what this accomplishes for AR, Xu said, “This is finally the first time you can control this end to end user experience. And that is important. Before you look at AR glasses, it’s more like an accessory to some other computing device and running on an individual operating system. This is finally the first time we can optimize a platform for our AR process. And this is like a tailored version of the Nebula OS built on top of Android 14. It just looks like a cell phone interface. And you can download applications there. You can even store some of the movies.” there is a phone as well. But when you plug into the AR process, this is a tricky issue of AR space, very similar to my apple vision problem, or our nebula luxury four.
And C, do you recall how long you worked on this one as well.”
Xu said the team decided to make the Beam Pro in September, and so it took about nine months to get it done.
Xreal Beam Pro: Make it spatial
Utilizing a custom spatial UI built on Xreal’s NebulaOS, Xreal Beam Pro makes it easy to enjoy millions of 2D apps in an optimized 3DoF (three degrees of freedom) or 6DoF spatial environment by connecting to Xreal’s AR glasses.
The user interface breaks beyond simple screen mirroring, presenting users with access to mobile apps in a spatial canvas where up to two apps can be opened, positioned side-by-side in a notebook array and placed in 3D space. Navigation and control of the spatial canvas happens by simply using Xreal Beam Pro as a pointer and touchpad.
To add more control and further enhance the experience, the virtual screen can be fixed in position using Xreal’s Body Anchor mode, popularized with the first generation Xreal Beam. Alternatively, users can select Smooth Follow mode to keep the content in front of their eyes and in gentle sync with the movement of their head.
Xreal Air, Air 2 and Air 2 Pro glasses offer a 3DoF environment out of the box when paired with Xreal Beam Pro, while Xreal Air 2 Ultra offers a 6DoF environment out of the box when paired with Xreal Beam Pro thanks to Xreal Air 2 Ultra’s advanced dual 3D environment sensors.
Designed to create as well as enjoy spatial content, Xreal Beam Pro features dual 50MP 3D cameras, allowing users to create stunning spatial videos of all their favorite moments. The cameras support video recording at 1080p at a 60fps, a significant leap in quality compared with competing, less affordable devices on the market which remain limited to 1080p at 30fps.
All recorded spatial video content from Xreal Beam Pro can be re-lived and enjoyed on a massive virtual screen and in 3D, offering a magical way to enjoy any scene. That virtual screen is like watching a 100-inch television inside your AR glasses.
Smartphones aren’t ideal to plug into because the glasses start to drain the battery of the smartphone. With the two USB-C ports, that problem is solved, Xu said.
“If we pair [the Beam Pro] with the glasses, then we can meet the majority of people’s needs for spatial computing services,” Xu said.
Another problem is a dearth of AR content. To address that problem, the Beam Pro enables you to view Google Play 2D content via the spatial glasses. You can also view your video content on the virtual screen, or you can play cloud gaming services as well on the Xreal glasses and the Beam Pro. You can also use the cameras on the Beam Pro to record your own spatial computing videos or pictures.
“I think is this going to be a really affordable spatial computing experience you can get to right away,” Xu said. “I think Apple Vision Pro really let people see the future of spatial computing. But we’re trying to offer some some options for spatial computing today. People can use the web to be more affordable and more accessible as well.”
Big partners
Qualcomm
Xreal Beam Pro performance is powered by a Snapdragon platform, with up to 8GB of system memory. It uses a Snapdragon Spatial Companion Processor which helps to ensure multiple power-efficient apps run smoothly simultaneously and that the device’s complex spatial computing scenarios can utilize the resources of world-class 5G carriers.
“We are dedicated to advancing the XR industry and we’re thrilled to power Xreal Beam Pro, enabling Xreal to bring new AR innovations to spatial computing,” said Sahil Bansal, senior director of product management at Qualcomm, in a statement. “It’s exciting to see companies like Xreal bring new devices to the ecosystem, making AR more accessible.”
Nvidia
Xreal Beam Pro, powered by Android 14, offers a best-in-class user experience with Nvidia CloudXR technology, which harnesses the power of Nvidia RTX GPUs for high-performance rendering. Xreal users are able to experience photoreal, large enterprise datasets from anywhere on any Xreal device.
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Xreal today also announced its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to empower Xreal Beam Pro with the industry-leading cloud capabilities of AWS. This collaboration will explore ways to leverage AWS’s infrastructure and tools to enhance the processing power and functionality of Xreal Beam Pro, enabling developers to create versatile mobile AR experiences.
All entertainment goes spatial — including cloud gaming
In addition to, support for popular entertainment streaming apps available through the Google Play Store, such as Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and more, Xreal Beam Pro supports popular cloud gaming services.
Xreal said it is committed to making cloud gaming the best it can be on Xreal Beam Pro through cloud gaming services through the Google Play Store or available through browsers. Xreal is dedicating significant effort to ensure that Xbox Cloud Gaming is a first-class experience on Xreal Beam Pro, as an example.
You can also enjoy big-screen gaming through Amazon Luna, Steam Link and other cloud gaming services, making Xreal Beam Pro your new gaming companion for Xreal glasses. Xreal Beam Pro makes it easier than ever for users to enjoy their favorite social media content on a massive virtual screen, as well.
A major advancement from the first-generation Beam, XREAL Beam Pro features a simple and familiar 6.5-inch LCD 2K (2400 x 1080) touch screen display and Android 14 with Xreal’s own NebulaOS on top. The average user will instantly recognize the smartphone-like formfactor. In terms of connectivity, Xreal Beam Pro offers dual USB ports for simultaneous use with Xreal glasses while charging. The 27-watt fast charging means battery anxiety during a binge-watching or gaming session is reduced.
While supporting the latest Wi-Fi 6, Xreal Beam Pro is also available in 5G-compatible models. While Xreal glasses offer both integrated audio and microphone systems, Xreal Beam Pro also features integrated speakers and offers Bluetooth 5.2 support so that spatial entertainment experiences can be complimented by users’ preferred pair of Bluetooth headphones, plus Bluetooth keyboards and wireless gamepads.
Compatible with Xreal Air AR Glasses
Xreaal’s first Beam spatial compute device launched in May 2023 and has achieved an impressive 70% attach rate with Xreal AR glasses customers. Xreal Beam Pro is designed to get the most from Xreal glasses and offers a 3DoF user experience with Xreal Air, Xreal Air 2, and Xreal Air 2 Pro.
Users can experience a full-featured 6DoF experience when using Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses, which feature 3D environment sensors, including gesture controls like pinch-to-select when operating Xreal Beam Pro.
Xreal Beam Pro models and availability
Xreal Beam Pro will be available as both Wi-Fi-only and 5G models. It will come in 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB storage and memory configurations, with expandable MicroSD storage for every model. Pricing starts at $200.
An Xreal Beam Pro Enterprise edition will also be available. More details to follow.
Global pre-orders for Xreal Beam Pro are open now at Xreal.com for the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Czech, China and Japan. Pre-orders open for Korea on July 1st. Xreal Beam Pro is expected to begin selling on Amazon in July; Xreal anticipates Xreal Beam Pro orders to begin arriving for customers in August.
As a bonus for qualifying first-generation Beam owners, Xreal will offer a $50 off limited time offer for those who purchase Xreal Beam Pro by July 10 from Xreal.com.
“This is going to be your one and only spatial computing device. It basically gives you everything you need,” Xu said.