After one final teaser earlier this month, Xreal has just opened up the reservations for its new Aura smart glasses. The company had promised to try to keep the pricing under $1,500 for the new AR wearables. And now, it has officially been listed for reservations for exactly that amount.
The new Android XR-powered spatial computing glasses will retail for $1,500 for the base model, though this is before tax. It is expected to be released in the fall of 2026. While this isn’t a humble price tag by any means, it still undercuts the competition, which is Snap’s new Specs that are priced just under $2,200.
What are the benefits of reservations?
Xreal is taking a measured step with how it sells Aura. This is just a reservation and not a proper preorder. It is charging a $99 reservation fee that later turns into $199 in launch credit. Meanwhile, the limited $299 Founder Priority Pass has already sold out. The company says all 2,000 Founder Passes were reserved within just 36 hours.
Supported launch regions include the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and a long list of European countries. Final pricing, configurations, and shipping details will arrive closer to launch.
What will the Xreal Aura offer?
Aura is not built the same way as Snap’s Specs. Snap’s glasses are designed as a standalone wearable computer. Xreal takes a split-compute approach, pairing glasses with a dedicated compute puck.
That puck carries the Snapdragon Reality Elite platform, while the glasses use Xreal’s X1S spatial coprocessor. The setup also includes Android XR, Gemini assistance, a 70-degree optical see-through display, 6DoF tracking, hand tracking, electrochromic dimming, and support for prescription lens inserts.
So the cheaper price tag does have a trade-off. Aura is asking users to live with a puck and cable. In exchange, you get better thermals, since the processing is done away from the face, and better battery life. If you are seated, you won’t notice the add-ons for entertainment, productivity, and gaming. But walking around in the street will remind you of the wired connection.
