What to expect from Xiaomi VR glasses: specs, release, price

Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi has created its first wireless augmented reality (AR) headset, the Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition. Here in a couple of minutes you will learn what these smart glasses are made of and what they can do.

What is the Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition?

The Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition was first shown at Mobile World Congress 2023 in February 2023. The augmented reality glasses include many innovative features, such as finger tracking, an adaptive retinal-level electrochromic display, lighting control, Snapdragon Spaces tethering… If you are already exited with all this and want to buy these glasses, then we must disappoint you a little. These Xiaomi Augmented Reality glasses are experimental and therefore will not be available for sale, at least in the near future. Therefore, it is too early to talk about the estimated price of the device, because it has not yet arrived on the conveyor. And yet, in order to understand in which direction augmented reality technologies are moving, it is interesting to see how Xiaomi VR headset works and what it allows you to do.

What are the specifications of Xiaomi smart glasses?

The Qualcomm Snapdagon Spaces platform is becoming the key to developing new solutions in the smart glasses industry, and Xiaomi VR headset were not an exception. It is equipped with the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 processor, the same as in Meta Quest Pro. It is powered by a silicon-oxygen anode battery, which is also a new development of the company. An important detail is the lightweight and compact format of this gadget. Xiaomi AR headset is wireless and very light, weighing only 126 grams, thanks to a lightweight frame made up of carbon fiber and magnesium-lithium alloys. The Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition have a very stylish design, which certainly also makes up a strong side in the eyes of future buyers.

The connection between the glasses and the mobile phone is carried out directly via Bluetooth, that is, no additional devices are needed. According Xiaomi, the delay in transferring data from a mobile phone to glasses is 3 milliseconds, and this is way below today's standard for such technologies.

But the most important characteristics are the displays and the control system. The virtual image is shown on two microOLED displays, with a resolution of 58 pixels per degree (PPD) and a brightness of 1200 nits. They are also equipped with a pair of light-guide electrochromic prisms. This  combination should make the experience as believable as possible.

The company's main point of pride in these glasses is the micro-gesture interaction system, which, as the company claims, recognizes even individual fingers, which gives more control over the details of virtual reality. In addition, you can manipulate augmented reality even with one hand.

So what Xiaomi AR headset can do?

Place physical objects anywhere you want in the physical space. Flip pages by flipping your fingertips. Grab and drag TV images onto the glasses display. Turn smart lights on and off with gestures. This is how the company claims the capabilities of its VR glasses in the promotional trailer.

By creating these glasses, the company certainly wants to promote its entire Mi Share ecosystem in this way. However, in addition, these Xiaomi augmented reality glasses are also compatible with third-party systems such as Qualcomm Snapdragon Spaces, OpenXR and the Microsoft MRTK development environment. It will be interesting to see in the next years what strategy Xaiomi will choose for  developments in the field of smart glasses. The AR Glass Discovery Edition trailer hints that the Chinese concern sees them as a product designed for a wide range of users.

XR Today notes that it is an important factor Xiaomi's cooperation with Qualcomm Snapdagon, making the Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition more universal and integrated with ecosystems of other manufacturers. In addition, direct competitors of Xiaomi, American technological giants focused on more conservative developments in the field of mixed reality. However, despite this, Xiaomi is faced with other rivals, including projects such as the the smart glasses Lenovo Thinkrely A3 Smart Gchenes, which were the first gadget using Snapdragon Spaces. Meanwhile, Qualcomm is expected to release the following and more powerful Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 in 2023, and this has already entrusted Samsung, which also prepares its next XR device. Competition is growing.