At $1,279, Google’s Xreal Aura will go head-to-head with Meta’s VR Glasses
Google and Xreal have launched the Aura AR glasses, priced at $1,279, to compete directly with Meta's new VR glasses. The devices offer different user experiences, with the Aura utilizing transparent lenses while Meta focuses on passthrough immersion.
Why it matters
The competition between Google and Meta in the wearable space signals a significant shift toward augmented and virtual reality as the next major consumer computing platform.
Two weeks ago, journalists in the San Francisco Bay Area got to try two hot new wearables that weigh only around 100 grams: the just-revealed Meta VR Glasses, and the long-awaited transparent Google XR glasses built in partnership with Xreal. It turns out they’re going head-to-head. Xreal has just opened Aura pre-orders starting at $1,279, $20 less than the Meta VR Glasses.
That’s for the Xreal Aura with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage; there’ll also be a 16GB / 512GB config for $1,499. (Xreal couldn’t tell us whether the 16GB of RAM would be important for some apps by publish time.)
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