Google’s Android XR has its first pair of glasses on sale. XREAL AURA, wired glasses that project apps into the wearer’s view while leaving the room visible, went on sale on 28 October at a launch price of $1,099, after being shown on stage at Google’s Android Developer Summit. XREAL’s release calls it “the world’s first wired XR glasses powered by Android XR”, and Google’s XR chief Shahram Izadi used similar words in Google’s launch post.
The launch matters as much for the software as for the hardware. AURA puts Google Play apps, Gemini and a set of apps built for spatial computing into a glasses form factor, with the heavy computing moved into a puck in the wearer’s pocket.
The launch price undercuts XREAL’s own list price by $180
XREAL lists two configurations, both with a limited-time offer that runs through December 2026:
- 12GB + 256GB: $1,279, offered at $1,099.
- 16GB + 512GB: $1,499, offered at $1,299.
XREAL says the offer applies to standalone purchases in all launch markets, not to bundles, and that local promotional prices will appear on its website in each market. Shipping is expected to begin in mid-November. Orders go through XREAL.com/aura and, in the US, Best Buy. Google says buyers must be 18 or over.
The Verge reported that $1,279 was what XREAL charged for early preorders last month, and that XREAL spokesperson Ralph Jodice said those buyers will be refunded the difference automatically.
XREAL and Google give different dates for Japan
The two companies agree on the US, Canada and South Korea, but not on Japan.
| Source | Japan | US, Canada, South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| XREAL release | Orders “starting today” (28 October) | Orders from 28 October |
| Google blog | Orders open on 2 November | Orders from 28 October |
Sources: XREAL release via PR Newswire; Google blog, both 28 October 2026.
The Verge also gives 2 November for Japan. Japanese buyers should check XREAL’s local site before assuming they can order today.
The UK is not among the launch markets in either company’s list, and neither gives a UK price. The Verge reported broader availability next year, without naming countries.
Under 95 grams, because the computer is on a cable
The glasses use transparent, optical see-through lenses, and XREAL says they weigh under 95 grams. The processing and battery sit in a separate compute puck connected by a cable. Google says the puck carries Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Reality Elite platform, which debuts on AURA, and XREAL adds its own X1S chip.
XREAL’s specification list includes a 70-degree field of view, Sony Micro-OLED displays at 1200p and 120Hz, sound by Bose, lenses that can dim electronically, and input by voice, hand tracking, keyboard, trackpad or game controller. The puck doubles as a trackpad.
The feature both companies stress is Wired Mirroring. Plug a laptop or handheld games console into AURA over USB-C and its screen appears as a window that can be resized and placed alongside Android XR apps. Google says no software needs installing on the laptop. Gemini can see what is in view, including the mirrored laptop window, and from launch can highlight what to focus on in the room or on screen, Google says.
XREAL says AURA starts with more than 150 made-for-XR experiences, from an NBA app that shows up to three games at once to Andy Serkis’s Nevatars and medical imaging tools from apoQlar. It is also selling a GameSir controller with a dedicated Gemini key and a wireless keyboard; The Verge reported there is no price yet for either.
“This is a defining moment for XR,” said Chi Xu, XREAL’s co-founder and chief executive.
A cable is Google’s answer to the weight problem in smart glasses
Smart glasses have so far split into two camps. Light, everyday frames such as Meta’s $349 Ray-Ban Meta Audio and Alibaba’s Qwen Glasses focus on audio, cameras and an assistant, with no full display. Headsets offer the display, at the cost of weight and isolation. AURA tries to sit between them by moving the computer off the face, and the cable is the price of that compromise. Whether buyers accept a wire on a device worn on a train or a sofa is the open question.
At $1,099, AURA is a productivity and entertainment screen rather than an impulse purchase. The pitch rests on replacing a monitor or a television in places where neither fits, which is why Wired Mirroring and Gemini’s screen awareness get as much space in the launch material as the games.
For Google, AURA is mostly a test of the software layer. Gemini that reads everything in view fits the wider push to put Gemini at the centre of its products, seen this week in its Connected Apps Platform preview. It also raises the questions any always-watching assistant brings: what is processed, where it goes and who else in the room is in frame. Neither company addresses that in its launch material. Meta’s Brera museum pilot is testing whether assistant glasses can help blind and low-vision visitors; nobody has yet made that kind of case for AURA.
Shipments and Japan come next
The first test is delivery. XREAL expects shipments to start in mid-November, and Japan opens to orders on 2 November by Google’s account. The launch offer runs until the end of December; after that, the list price for the base model is $1,279.
Sources
- XREAL via PR Newswire, “XREAL AURA Launches as the First Wired XR Glasses Powered by Android XR”, 28 October 2026
- Google, Shahram Izadi, “XREAL AURA: Wired XR glasses to watch, work, and play”, 28 October 2026
- The Verge, “Surprise: The Google Xreal glasses debut at a Meta-beating $1,099”, 28 October 2026
Related stories
- Ray-Ban Meta Audio, Meta’s First Audio Glasses, Go on Sale From $349
- Alibaba Starts Selling Its Qwen Glasses N1 and N1 Pro AI Glasses in China
- Google Previews One Platform to Put Apps in Search and Gemini
Follow @tsnmediahub on X for breaking AI news as it happens.
Follow on X
