Xiaomi has pulled back the curtain on its latest AR smartglasses concept, the Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, at Barcelona's MWC 2023 tech expo.
It's been just under 18 months since we witnessed the company reveal its last AR glasses - the Xiaomi Smart Glasses - and, now, it's following them up with a lightweight, goggle-like design that features the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 used in the Meta Quest Pro.
As the name suggests, the 126g device is also wireless, with Xiaomi crafting it from magnesium-titanium alloy and carbon fiber. The company is also touting the "retina-level" Micro-OLED displays, one for each eye, that can deliver visuals at a peak brightness of 1,200 nits.
Boasting a retina-level near-eye display for AR glasses, Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition delivers a truly immersive visual experience. Moreover, our self-developed Xiaomi AR Gesture Control empowers effortless control between virtual and real space. pic.twitter.com/EipqBWxkpW
— Lei Jun (@leijun) February 27, 2023
Three forward-facing cameras are present, too, and are used to overlay things over the wearer's immediate vision. As you would expect, hand tracking is also part of the experience, allowing users to easily navigate around the virtual world's apps and also interact with the world around them.
As we mentioned up top, however, these are just a concept - at least for now. Xiaomi is debuting the smartglasses at MWC 2023, but there's no official line on pricing or availability.
Still, the company does at least appear to be slightly ahead of the pack of big companies gunning to deliver the AR device that pushes the market forward.
Progress has been incredibly slow over the last few years since concepts like this one began emerging, though the potential arrival of Apple Reality Pro, Samsung Galaxy Glasses and even Google smartglasses in the near future could help give the space the shot in the arm it needs.
Time will tell whether Xiaomi - and a device like the Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition - will be one of the first to truly move the needle.
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Conor moved to Wareable Media Group in 2017, initially covering all the latest developments in smartwatches, fitness trackers, and VR. He made a name for himself writing about trying out translation earbuds on a first date and cycling with a wearable airbag, as well as covering the industry’s latest releases.
Following a stint as Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint, Conor returned to Wareable Media Group in 2022 as Editor-at-Large. Conor has become a wearables expert, and helps people get more from their wearable tech, via Wareable's considerable how-to-based guides.
He has also contributed to British GQ, Wired, Metro, The Independent, and The Mirror.