Xiaomi’s Wireless AR Glasses Cop a ‘Retina-level’ Adaptive Display

By Shubhendu Vatsa - News Published: 13 Mar 2023, Last Updated: 8 Apr 2023

AR/smart glasses are miles away from being mainstream and for most of us out there, these still feel gimmicky and something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Despite having no big or life-changing real-world applications, tech companies aren’t shying away from pouring big money into mixed reality glasses. The latest one is Xiaomi, who recently lifted the curtains on its first augmented reality headset, dubbed Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, at the ongoing MWC 2023 conference in Barcelona.

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Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition | Image: Xiaomi

Even though these new wearable AR glasses are still in their concept phase, Xiaomi has left no stone unturned, fitting them with what appears to be the latest and greatest there is. The company has somehow even managed to squeeze all the high-powered tech into a relatively normal-looking, ordinary pair of glasses, which is no mean feat. That said, these look anything but low-key.

Xiaomi’s Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition is fairly lightweight, weighing just 126 grams and is crafted using “a range of lightweight materials” like magnesium-lithium alloy and carbon fibre parts. As per the Chinese tech giant, “the glasses have been calibrated with precision, taking into account details such as the centre of gravity, leg spacing, angle, nose rest, and other factors that contribute to a superior experience.” Cutting you from all ties and restrictions, Xiaomi has gone full wireless with these and is emphasizing a great deal on the AR glasses’ “cord-free design.” The Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition takes advantage of a “self-developed silicon-oxygen anode battery,” but the company didn’t delve into any detail surrounding the battery life or charging.

Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition | Image: Xiaomi

Under the somewhat sleek-looking chassis, these AR glasses are powered using Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chip and even feature Xiaomi’s proprietary low-latency communication link. They can be paired wirelessly with either a Xiaomi 13 phone or another Snapdragon Spaces-ready device, with Xiaomi promising, “the latency of as low as 3ms1 between the smartphone device to the glasses, and a wireless connection with full link latency as low as 50ms2 which is comparable to wired solutions.”

The glasses even support gesture control, thanks to the onboard low power-usage AON camera, allowing users to control the whole and interact with surroundings by simply waving their fingers. Xiaomi has fitted the headset with a pair of MicroOLED displays which the company says are “retina-level” display with an “industry-leading” pixel per degree density of 58, making it dense enough that the human eye will no longer be able to spot the pixels. The MicroOLED displays take advantage of “free-form, light-guiding” prisms to help “achieve a clear picture display.”

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Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition | Image: Xiaomi

The company says that you’ll experience less brightness loss than with other close-up displays, and can output a peak brightness of 1,200nits. The front of the lenses are electrochromic and dim automatically, for full-on immersion, allowing the wearer to pay attention to the virtual world in front of their eyes. “These lenses enable a blackout mode that offers an immersive experience when viewing content, while the transparent mode produces a more vivid AR experience that blends reality and virtual elements,” says Xiaomi in a statement.

Xiaomi is clearly making some big moves with its debut AR glasses and its debut concept AR glasses not only seem practical but also powerful and portable. However, we still aren’t sure whether most regular people would want a screen hanging in front of their eyes at all times. The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition is still in its concept phase and there’s no official word surrounding its price or availability. However, the company says that these AR glasses will be available in titanium and with three different nosepieces.

Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition | Image: Xiaomi

Shubhendu Vatsa

Shubhendu Vatsa is an experienced reporter specialising in video game, eSports and technology coverage. A BTech IT graduate, Shubhendu has previously written for entertainment-based publications such as GiveMeSport, Touch, Tap, Play, Attack of the Fanboy, EssentiallySports, Twinfinite and The Load Out.

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