The holiday shopping season is in full swing right now with deals and discounts at almost every store. And as always, electronic devices are a sought-after commodity. Phones, hearables and consoles are usually at the top of the wish list, but one item I particularly recommend is smart glasses.
I know. I know. The whole concept of putting on glasses that are supposed to look like Ray-Bans but still scare anyone nearby with flashy cameras still makes many people uncomfortable. But Meta isn’t the only label out there making smart glasses – with its sordid privacy history. And not all of them are equipped with a camera.
The category of smart glasses is actually quite diverse. Some only come with an integrated speaker, a camera and a virtual assistant – like the Meta Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. Some are just embellished earbuds with a blue light filter lens, like the Razer Anzu. Then we have the variant with an integrated screen, such as the Meta Ray-Ban Display, RayNeo X3 Pro and Viture Luma Pro. I’ll focus on the last two.
RayNeo X3 Pro – A look into the future
These are the most stylish (and normal) smart glasses I’ve tried so far. They go together so well that, for the first time, my very fashion-conscious brother agreed to wear them in public without cursing me. These look damn good, but also have probably the most advanced display technology stack on the market compared to Meta.
These are real augmented reality (AR) glasses. Each lens is equipped with its own display unit, which is equivalent to a 43-inch display right in front of your eyes. The display waveguide is powered by the world’s smallest optical engine ever seen in this form factor. It can produce over 16 million colors but is about the size of a tiny bean.
And here’s the best part. Although the display unit is extremely bright, it is completely transparent, so your view of the world around you is never affected. But despite all that stuff, these glasses only weigh 76 grams and function independently without a cable dangling from the sides.
Speaking of cameras, there are two 12-megapixel units on the front that can record videos in 4K resolution. The quality is good enough to post on social media, especially as first-person vlogs. The built-in battery lasts for almost five hours of content capture, but if you move the display in AR overlay mode, the battery life only lasts for about two hours. However, when watching videos, it absolutely only lasts half an hour.
This is mainly because the screen’s peak brightness of 3,500 nits is well within the range of the flagship smartphone and even exceeds that of the OLED panel of the iPhone 17 Pro. However, to provide a discreet but well-lit viewing experience tailored for outdoor use, a compromise had to be made without sacrificing wireless operation. Fortunately, the battery can be charged in just over half an hour.
But that’s only half the appeal. Unlike Meta’s Ray-Ban display glasses, which limit you to Meta’s locked software, the RayNeo X3 Pro actually lets you run Android apps. And I’m talking about the entire Android experience, from your usual everyday utility apps like WhatsApp and TikTok to more experimental apps like emulators for games.
By default, they run RayNeo’s own AI-driven software layer, which provides access to multimodal Google Gemini features. This means you can have a casual conversation with Gemini, learn to understand the world through the onboard cameras, or simply receive your answers as text right in front of your eyes.
Convenient real-time voice translation, transcription and teleprompter modes are also available. Every display element that appears in your view, from the linked phone’s notifications to the Google Maps overlay, does not block your view. Additionally, the swipe and touch controls on the temples work quite well.
The RayNeo X3 Pro offers the first practical insight into AR smart glasses where you are not limited by the operating system. And you can still enjoy full spatial tracking without feeling detached from the world around you.
Gemini, one of the world’s smartest AI assistants, is the real spark here. Whether you’re reading a book, repairing a bike, or working on a desktop, you can pull it up and the AI assistant will answer all your questions just by taking a look at what’s currently in view of the onboard cameras.
All information is either presented visually on the screen or whispered in your ear. Speaking of whispers, the speakers on these glasses are some of the best I’ve ever experienced. Above all, this is a truly worthwhile glimpse into the future of wearable computing. And if you like being at the forefront of consumer tech innovation, these are your best bet.
Viture Luma Pro – A computer companion in your pocket
These belong to a different type of smart glasses. From the outside, they look like stylish gear you’d wear on a casual stroll. However, if you look behind the external lenses, you’ll see two discrete display units in front of each eye. The model I’m wearing right now is the Viture Luma Pro, but there are also competing options from RayNeo and Xreal for anywhere between $400 and $600 apiece.
Now I like to refer to them as cinematic external screens that also enable 3D viewing and discrete computing. The best part? They are plug and play ready. Whether it’s a Mac, iPad or Windows PC, you simply plug it into a USB-C port and instantly gain access to 152 inches of screen real estate before your eyes. There are no operating system restrictions, which is extremely liberating.
By the way, you can connect it to consoles like Nintendo Switch and have a lot of fun playing. But I absolutely love her for work. When I wear it, I can access multiple desktops on a flat or curved screen. I usually arrange three virtual screens next to each other, but occasionally I stack them vertically.
The best part is the head tracking. You can either make these virtual screens follow your head movement or anchor them in space at a fixed distance, angle and perceived position. And these displays are bright enough to work in well-lit rooms and even outdoors. For maximum immersion, the tint of the front glass lens can be electrochromically adjusted to block the passage of light.
The display units support a refresh rate of 120 Hz and can handle 3D videos quite well. What I like most is the dial on each display that allows you to adjust myopia and get the best possible vision without having to wear corrective lenses or custom-made eyeglass inserts.
But most of all, I love the convenience of always having a pocket-friendly and fashionable external display with you. Whether it’s a cramped airline seat, an airport lounge, a beanbag chair at home, or a co-working space, you’ll never have to worry about screen space. Or speakers that blast lo-fi music into your ears.
The Viture Luma Pro and its peers are one of the most rewarding combinations of work-and-play devices on the market. And if you’re looking for immersive entertainment and a distraction-free work environment, these display-equipped smart glasses should definitely be on your Christmas list next year.
