TechCrunch reviews XREAL’s a01 smart glasses as a relatively affordable wearable display for games, films and television, rather than a fully featured augmented-reality device. The reviewer found the image quality strong and immersive, but questioned whether watching content through glasses is meaningfully better than using a nearby laptop or conventional screen.

Priced at about $300, the cable-powered a01 connects by USB-C to a laptop, phone or handheld gaming device and has no internal battery. Its dual mini OLED displays offer 1080p resolution and up to 1,600 nits of brightness, with XREAL claiming an experience comparable to a 147-inch screen. The glasses may be more useful while travelling with a compatible phone, but they only mirror the source device’s display, which must remain switched on; older iPhones may also require an adapter.