XREAL Beam Pro is supposed to turn my AR glasses into an Apple Vision Pro dupe — it didn't go as expected
XREAL, one of the leading companies in the XR glasses space, designed a phone that's 'not a phone' to help elevate your experience.
Since the Apple Vision Pro had many users screaming "Ouch!", including myself, many companies have been swooping in with the ol' "we're lighter, cheaper, and more comfy" pitch.
XREAL is one of 'em.
It's the mastermind behind AR glasses like the Air 2 Pro and the up-and-coming Air 2 Ultra (which earned Mashable's "Best of CES 2024" award). These bad boys can deliver an Apple Vision Pro-like experience, particularly when it comes to spatial computing.
However, XREAL was honest, telling Mashable that it recognizes there are some glaring issues that hinder it from reaching AR nirvana.
For example, XREAL's glasses come with a USB-C cable, making it compatible with most devices, but some are left out of the fun. Specifically, the pre-USB-C iPhones (i.e., iPhone 14 series and earlier) have Lightning cables, forcing users to purchase an adapter for their spectacles. Some phones have a USB-C port, but they don't support video output. (The Pixel 8 series was a good example of this, but Google recently released a fix.)
On top of that, if you're using your XREAL glasses on your phone, it's sucking up all of your power like an energy vampire, causing battery drain. So what's the solution to all of this? According to XREAL, it's creating a phone-like device called The Beam Pro (but the company insists that it's not a phone).
XREAL Beam Pro price and specs
The XREAL Beam Pro I tested for this review is the cheapest you can get. It starts at $199 and comes with the following specs:
Qualcomm Snapdragon spatial companion processor
6GB of RAM
128GB of SSD storage
There's also a configuration that comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can also choose between a Wi-Fi-only model as well as a 5G variant. (I have the former, so I can't add data to my Beam Pro while I'm out and about.) All models feature expandable storage via microSD.
The Air 2 Pro that I paired with the Beam Pro costs $449 on Amazon.
The Beam Pro is available for preorder now — and it's expected to start shipping some time in mid-July.
What is the XREAL Beam Pro?
The Beam Pro is a "sequel" to an existing device called "Beam," which unlocks a whole new world of spatial computing. Similar to the Apple Vision Pro, Beam lets you affix a TV screen to the air in a virtual plane.
But what differentiates XREAL's glasses from the Apple Vision Pro is that the latter is like wearing a computer on your face, packed with industry-leading internals for premium, top-of-the-line immersion and AR capabilities.
The XREAL glasses, on the other hand, cannot operate alone. It needs something, like a phone, laptop, or gaming console, to mirror to the virtual display that looms before you. (This brings glasses like the Air 2 Pro closer to the likes of the Viture Pro XR glasses, which brought a triple-screen display to my MacBook Air experience.)
Without the original Beam, if you plugged the XREAL glasses into a phone, you wouldn't have much control over the virtual TV inside your glasses. But with the OG Beam, you could resize the TV to as small as a 28-inch screen to as large as a 330-inch display.
You can also unlock three display modes with The Beam:
Body Anchor - virtual screen remains locked into the air, no matter where you look
Smooth Follow - trails your head movements in a seamless manner
Side view - places the virtual screen off to the side in one of the four quadrants
It's essentially a battery pack, too, so you can keep your device topped up while you're using the XREAL glasses. Plus, while you're flying on a plane, you could use Smooth Follow with the OG Beam, allowing you to get rid of the jitteriness that happens with the virtual display due to the aircraft's bumpy movements.
And then XREAL unleashed the new Beam Pro. This one, unlike the Beam, has a screen. And similar to the OG beam, it solves the issue of having your XREAL glasses siphon all of your phone's battery power like a leech. (It also has the aforementioned trio of display modes.)
However, what's different about the Beam Pro is that it's also designed to rectify XREAL's device incompatibility issues. If you're someone who's interested in nabbing a pair of XREAL glasses for yourself, you don't have to ask, "Does my phone have the right port for the XREAL glasses? Do the XREAL glasses support my target device?"
With the Beam Pro, you know it works with the XREAL glasses. (The only downside is, though, is that you're limited to using the content offered by the Beam Pro.) Plus, the Beam Pro has a dual-camera array, allowing you to capture spatial videos (à la the iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Vision Pro combo).
XREAL Beam Pro design
The XREAL rep winced when Mashable's Matt Binder saw the Beam Pro for the first time and said, "That looks like a phone!"
"Oh, it looks like one, but it's not!" the XREAL rep said. That pretty much sums up the Beam Pro. It looks like an off-brand smartphone — but it's not. The all-white backside features two cameras: one is an ultra-wide camera and the other a wide camera (for 3D stereoscopic video recording).
On the bottom-right corner, you'll find the XREAL logo in bold red.
On the right side of the Beam Pro, you'll find three buttons: an orange "Mode" button (lets you toggle between display modes), a volume rocker, and a side key (for turning the display on and off).
On the left side, you'll find a microSD card slot. On the front, you'll find a selfie camera.
But keep in mind that you will not be able to make calls nor text. Because, well, it's not a phone.
I wish the Beam Pro came in black, but it only comes in white. On the plus side, it doesn't appear to get dirty too easily. Still, I'd cool it on eating Doritos while using the Beam Pro.
XREAL Beam Pro display
The XREAL Beam Pro has a 6.5-inch, 2400 x 1800-pixel display. And yes, you can totally run your favorite streaming apps on it sans the Beam Pro.
I ran Netflix on it, playing Perfect Match, and the screen was colorful, crisp, and sharp. On my XREAL Air 2 Pro, Netflix looks just as good, maybe even better, with the connected Beam Pro. The image is crystal clear, with vivid, punchy colors.
There is one problem, though. When I'm looking at the Air 2 Pro with the Beam Pro connected, sometimes, the virtual display would drift off to the side unprompted. Even while I'm using a display mode that should keep the display fixed in my virtual environment (i.e., body anchor), it continues to drift.
XREAL is aware of this issue and has told Mashable it's working on a fix.
XREAL Beam Pro ports
The Beam Pro has two USB-C ports on the bottom of the phone-like device.
There's one for plugging in your XREAL glasses and another for charging it.
XREAL Beam Pro keyboard
I love the haptic keyboard on the Beam Pro. I was able to fire up Google Docs to the left on my virtual display with YouTube playing on the right. The Beam Pro immediately recognized that I had an intent to type on the virtual display, so the Beam Pro's keyboard popped up. My fingers were flying on the keyboard, tapping on each key like graceful tap dancer, to type on the fresh Google Doc page.
The haptics, giving a satisfying vibration with each tap, made typing on the Beam Pro a lot more comfortable than I expected.
XREAL Beam Pro 'touchpad'
After plugging in the Air 2 Pro into the Beam Pro, the virtual version of NebulaOS appears right before my very eyes. This turns the Beam Pro screen into a touchpad of sorts, allowing me to navigate NebulaOS.
It's a bit janky, but only because it doesn't operate in the way you might expect it to. For example, intuitively, I just want to move my finger across the "touchpad" to move the virtual cursor. However, there are times it's easier to just move my entire hand, with the Beam Pro in it of course, to get to my desired target before clicking.
At the time of this writing, the virtual cursor doesn't respond to my desire to pause the Netflix app. I spoke to an XREAL rep about this issue and the company is working on a fix. However, play/pause functions work with other streaming apps just fine.
From the touchpad, you can also grab screenshots and capture screen recordings, which is ideal if you're a content creator who wants to share "in-game" experiences with your audience.
XREAL Beam Pro audio
The Beam Pro's internal speakers aren't that great. It feels like it's booming from somewhere on the left side of the phone (while held horizontally).
It sounds slightly scratchy, too.
However, the Beam Pro isn't meant to have sweet-sounding audio. The XREAL Air 2 Pro glasses have speakers on them, too — two open-air ones, to be exact. But they aren't any better. They're passable, but the don't have the best bass. And they sound a bit tinny.
Fortunately, you can pop in some better-sounding earbuds, like the AirPods Pro, via Bluetooth.
XREAL Beam Pro cameras
The Beam Pro has two 50MP cameras (ultrawide and wide shooters).
You can use the dual-camera setup to take spatial and 3D videos, which you can use on your XREAL glasses. (You can also use it on the Apple Vision Pro.)
I captured a few spatial videos myself. I opened up the Camera app, tapped on the "spatial video" option, and recorded a few 3D videos. I was able to visit them through the "Photos" app inside my Air 2 Pro glasses, plugged into the Beam Pro of course, and I saw all of my captured videos in a glorious, 3D spatial format. In one shot of my backyard, it's as if the foreground jumped slightly forward from the background, with the garage appearing to "pop," while the trees and the moon appeared to be pushed backward.
This is probably the most badass feature of the Beam Pro.
XREAL Beam Pro battery life
The Beam Pro's battery life is shockingly long. Even after all-day use, the Beam Pro ended up just being at 75% at the end of the day. The Beam Pro is super energy efficient.
We plan to run the PCMark Android battery life test on it. We'll update this section with the results once we have it.
Is the XREAL Beam Pro worth it?
XREAL will capture the hearts of businesses — not the average Joe — with the Beam Pro. The XREAL glasses and Beam Pro combo give companies a way to showcase visual content on "portable display." Some consumers may be wary about a stranger plugging a pair of smart glasses into their phones — and the Beam Pro dashes those concerns.
But do I see the Beam Pro being worth it for the average Joe? I'm not quite convinced. The XREAL Beam Pro has a few slam dunks, including the 3D spatial video recording, the satisfying haptic keyboard, and a striking visual display for streaming. I understand that the Beam Pro alleviates "battery anxiety" in that my phone, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, gets left alone while the Air 2 Pro glasses leeches off the Beam Pro instead.
But I don't love the idea of carrying yet another device alongside my daily driver. I already have to lug around headphones, a smartphone, and a smartwatch. I'm OK with adding XREAL glasses to the mix, but the Beam Pro tests my limit.
On top of that, I'd prefer to use the XREAL glasses while traveling, which means I'd have to get the 5G Beam Pro to stay connected while commuting. In order words, I'd have to purchase a monthly data plan. No, thank you.
If you're looking for a damn-good spatial computing experience that rivals the Apple Vision Pro, check out the Viture Pro XR glasses. Connected to my MacBook, it allowed me to pin three displays in a virtual space. (It supports spatial video, too.)
