Is the best way to watch a movie on a pair of sunglasses? | TechCrunch

This review assesses the XREAL a01 smart glasses, evaluating their utility as a personal portable movie theater.

Priced around $300, the device functions primarily as a lightweight wearable monitor rather than an independent computing system, requiring a wired USB-C connection to a host device like a computer, phone, or gaming console for power and media input. The testing environment revealed that the dual mini-OLED displays yield exceptionally bright, colorful, and sharp 1080p visuals, simulating the immersive feel of a private theater or home projector. However, the reviewer highlights practical drawbacks, such as the awkward redundancy of needing the connected laptop or smartphone screen to remain powered on and mirrored during playback.

Physical and logistical limitations also impact the overall experience. The headset quickly becomes warm to the touch, producing an uncomfortable warming sensation across the bridge of the nose, which is a common issue for many lightweight heads-up displays. Additionally, connecting to older devices requires adapters, and the glasses lack built-in hand tracking or a native operating system unless paired with an expensive external media hub. Looking ahead, future iterations like XREAL's Project Aura, developed alongside Google and Samsung, aim to resolve these pain points with untethered processing and integrated software. Ultimately, while the current a01 hardware represents an intriguing proof of concept for hardware enthusiasts, standard televisions still deliver a more comfortable and practical viewing experience for casual movie-watching.