The industry’s dirty little secret is that any of the Augmented Reality, or AR, glasses from the major brands are very good. You can nitpick things in all of them, and some certainly do specific things better than others, but in terms of raw image quality and simply displaying content from other devices, they all do roughly equally well. So how do you distinguish something like the RayNeo Air 4 Pro AR glasses? Well, for starters, you make it a surprisingly low price compared to other options, without sacrificing image quality. And in fact, you add a display enhancement, like HDR support, that others lack. While it may not have some of the other bells and whistles, like native 3 Degrees of Freedom (3DoF) tracking, RayNeo Air 4 Pro, as a head-mounted 201-inch virtual TV, nails the core of what makes video glasses so compelling.

Price and what’s included

The standard RayNeo Air 4 Pro, available on Amazon or from the RayNeo website, comes in at an aggressively priced $299 MSRP, significantly undercutting its premium rivals. If you want to channel your inner Dark Knight (Batman) or Clown Prince of Crime (Joker), the limited Justice and Chaos Editions, respectively, carry a slight premium at $319.

Inside all editions, you get the Air 4 Pro glasses themselves, two nose pads, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a felt carrying case, a cleaning cloth, a magnetic frame sample for prescription lens inserts, a standard plastic light blocker (lens shade), and paperwork. The $20 premium for the limited editions nets you the exclusive, swappable “Bat Shade” or the “Joker Shade” for the Chaos model, a Batman-themed lens shade display stand, and two pairs of sound tubes. The latter are acoustic waveguide accessories that help to reduce sound leakage, and normally cost around $15 when sold separately. That alone makes these limited editions even better values. Even the box unfolds in a clever way and is a great way to store all of the goodies.

Features and design: A huge virtual HDR cinema display in your pocket

The Air 4 Pros feature a SeeYa 0.6-inch micro-OLED display with a 2D resolution of 1920 x 1080, 3D resolution of 3840 x 1080, and a refresh rate of 60 or 120Hz. It simulates a 201-inch TV viewed from 20 feet away. The display also allows for HDR10, the first such glasses to do so, with a peak 1200 nits of brightness and 10.7 billion possible colors. There are four built-in speakers for semi-private listening via the Bang & Olufsen-tuned audio system.

The glasses themselves weigh only 76g, with good balance when worn. You can choose between one of the nose piece sizes and physically adjust the left and right temples for best fit and display centering. Unlike some other glasses, there are no digital display adjustments.

The USB-C port is on the rear of the right temple. On the underside of the right temple is the brightness button. On the underside of the left temple is a combination volume and audio mode button. The audio mode switches between Standard and Whisper, the latter of which tries to minimize sound leakage from the speakers. Below the volume and audio mode button is a menu button.

Double-pressing the brightness and volume and audio mode buttons at the same time on the left and right temples, respectively, switches between 2D and 3D modes. You can only do this type of switching in Projection mode, and the refresh rate switch is not supported when viewing 3D content.

As with other such glasses, the Air 4 Pro draws power from the device it’s plugged into. This means that, for instance, if you’re plugging the glasses directly into a recent iPhone, it will drain its battery by roughly 5% every 10 minutes of usage. Of course, there are plenty of ways around that, including simultaneously using a wireless charger with your mobile device. Similarly, if you want to use the glasses with a device that doesn’t support DisplayPort video over USB-C, like a Sony PlayStation 5 or Microsoft Xbox Series X, you’ll need some type of HDMI adapter like the RayNeo HDMI 2.0 Adapter. In short, there are lots of options for supporting just about any modern output device out there, although you’ll want to make sure these accessories support the max 120Hz refresh rate and HDR to best take maximum advantage of the glasses.

There are multiple display modes. Projection mode, which is the primary use case, displays the output from a device, such as a mobile phone, PC, or game console (with the right adapter). XR mode, which is a 3D space and multi-virtual display experience, is available on Android 8.0 or later devices with DisplayPort functionality, or iOS 17.2 or later devices, and requires the RayNeo XR app. Unfortunately, not all features are available on the iOS side. AR mode lets users interact with digital content directly in their field of view, and works with Android, iOS, and Windows PCs. You can find links to the necessary apps, and firmware updates, on the RayNeo downloads page. Overall, though, apps are not RayNeo’s strong suit, so think of them more as occasional use bonuses rather than daily mainstays. Similarly, the 3D effect is good, but not great, so it’s not necessarily a feature you’d buy the Air 4 Pro for. The Air 4 Pro’s native functionality in Projection mode is really where it’s at with these glasses.

Performance: Elite entertainment, middling productivity

Image quality is very good, with excellent peak brightness and quite a bit of color even when viewing SDR content. If you want to see your environment, you remove the shades, creating an effect of the display just kind of floating there. For a more immersive experience, snap on a shade so the background is completely black. You’ll want to make sure there’s no light source behind you as the lenses will pick up reflections, which I found distracting, but this is true of any such glasses.

Even at maximum volume, the speakers don’t get super loud when connected to some devices or apps, but the surround effect is still impressive. The overall presence is good with no discernable distortion, but you’ll still want to wear good headphones if you want the best audio experience. There’s sound bleed regardless of whether you’re in Standard or Whisper modes. The Sound Tubes, which are included with the limited editions, do help in that regard, although I found them a bit difficult to put on.

Overall, for gaming (thanks to the high refresh rate) and media consumption (thanks to the HDR), I’d say the RayNeo Air 4 Pros are among the very best video glasses. Plugging these directly into a Steam Deck, ROG Ally X, iPhone 16 Pro Max, GPD Duo, or Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra yielded jaw-dropping results. The HDR10 capability is a genuine game-changer for movies thanks to the perceived infinite contrast, with inky black and vibrant colors.

However, it’s important to note the limitations. Unlike, say, XREAL One, the Air 4 Pro lacks 3DoF support. This means the 201-inch virtual screen is fixed in the center of your vision and moves wherever you turn your head. Combined with the industry-standard issue of slightly blurry extreme edges, this can make the Air 4 Pro a bit frustrating for productivity tasks like reading dense spreadsheets or working across multiple floating browser windows. And again, without the ability to adjust the virtual display other than by physically manipulating the glasses, it’s not really customizable, leaving a generous black border due to its 47 degree Field of View (FOV). That’s not the worst FOV out there, but some of the higher-end glasses can go all the way up to a 58 degree FOV.

Should you buy the RayNeo Air 4 Pro AR glasses?

If you’re looking for a multi-monitor productivity powerhouse to lock into a virtual office space, you’ll need to look elsewhere, as well as spend a lot more money. RayNeo also has weak custom apps. If, however, you want a massive private cinema-grade OLED screen that fits in your backpack, the RayNeo Air 4 Pro is one of the best deals out there. Its overall visual clarity, color, distinctive HDR support, excellent audio, and high refresh rate make it a must-have for gamers and entertainment enthusiasts alike. And if you’re going to buy them, definitely consider spending the extra $20 on the value-packed Batman or Joker editions.

Pros:

• Unbeatable Value: At $299, it significantly undercuts premium competitors, while still offering high-end features.
• Stunning Display: First-in-class HDR10 support, 120Hz refresh rate, and 1200 nits of brightness make games and movies pop.
• Surprisingly Good Audio: The Bang & Olufsen-tuned quad speakers deliver clear, immersive sound.
• Lightweight Comfort: Weighing just 76 grams with a well-balanced weight distribution, they remain comfortable for long viewing sessions.
• Plug-and-Play: Effortless setup with any USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode compatible device.
• Fun Special Editions: The Batman and Joker editions offer excellent extras for just $20 more.

Cons:

• No 3DoF (Screen Anchoring): The screen follows your head movements, i.e., you can’t “pin” the display in space.
• Blurry Edges: The perimeter of the display can suffer from chromatic aberration and blurriness, making reading text in those areas difficult.
• Mediocre First Party Apps: Software is not RayNeo’s strong suit.

Score: 7 (out of 10)

[Armchair Arcade and fullSTEAMahead365 review scale]