A first look at Google’s Project Aura glasses built with Xreal
TL;DR
Google's Project Aura, developed with Xreal, is an Android XR device set for 2026. It resembles chunky sunglasses with a battery pack and trackpad, blurring the line between smart glasses and headsets.
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Teased at Google I/O, Project Aura is a collaboration between Xreal and Google. It's the second Android XR device (the first being Samsung's Galaxy XR headset) and is expected to launch in 2026. Putting it on, I get why the term "smart glasses" doesn't exactly fit.
Is it a headset? Smart glasses? Both? Those were the questions running through my head as I held Project Aura in my hands in a recent demo. It looked like a pair of chunky sunglasses, except for the cord dangling off the left side, leading down to a battery pack that also served as a trackpad. When I asked, Google's reps told me they consider it a headset masquerading as glasses. …