Xreal’s Beam Pro is a new budget spatial computer that doesn’t quite land
The Xreal Beam Pro offers much of what spatial computing is still missing in AR glasses.
It finally turns your Xreal Air or Xreal Air 2 specs into a complete XR package rather than just a portable display. The handheld, smartphone-like device adds much-needed features like easy spatial photo capture without the need for an iPhone 15 Pro and useful design touches like dual USB-C ports. Plus, it’s super affordable at just $199 / £189 for the base model from Official Xreal Store.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t solve all the problems that plague AR smartglasses, while also introducing a few annoyances that are unique to this currently imperfect product.
There’s a lot to like about the Xreal Beam Pro. For people who use their Xreal glasses regularly, it’s almost a must-have accessory. But it doesn’t quite transform the AR smart glasses into a mainstream spatial computing gadget like I’d hoped.
Almost everything I wanted
Starting with what makes the Beam Pro fantastic are its spatial imaging cameras, which sit on the back of the device, an XR convenience I didn’t know I needed. This dual-camera setup can record 1080p 3D video at 60 FPS or take a 50MP 3D photo, and the results look fantastic.
As our own Lance Ulanoff noted when viewing three-dimensional images with the Vision Pro, they’re a lot better than flat snapshots, and I couldn’t agree more. So much so that I now carry the Beam Pro with me, even without my Xreal glasses, so I can capture memories in their full 3D glory.
The other big convenience is the second USB-C port. Wired AR Glasses can drain the battery of your connected device – it’s an issue I’ve had when using any brand’s wired specs with a smartphone – so the ability to charge your Beam Pro while you’re using it is a benefit that shouldn’t be underestimated.
Beyond that, the Beam Pro’s strong points are its simplicity and price. Thanks to hardware quirks, XR glasses aren’t compatible with every product you might think they are, and buying adapters (if they exist) can be confusing, even for the tech-savvy. The Beam Pro cuts through this chaos as the only add-on you’ll need to complete your XR setup – with connecting your AR glasses to other tech now relegated to an extra rather than a necessity. What’s more, at $199 / £189, the Xreal Beam Pro is a lot cheaper than the phones it’s imitating, with plenty to offer.
That being said, it is sometimes a technical issue.
Strange sacrifices were offered
The base model (which I tested) has 128GB of storage, which is fine. The 6GB of RAM is disappointing, however, and can lead to some sluggishness. Opting for the upgraded 256GB model, which comes with 8GB of RAM for just $249 / £239, seems like a more than worthwhile upgrade to me.
The screen also seems to struggle, perhaps due to a lack of processing power. When using the next mode – where the screen moves so that it’s always in front of you – the image flickers occasionally and noticeably lags behind my head movements. Meanwhile, the body-anchor mode – which is supposed to keep the screen in one fixed place, as when using a virtual TV – doesn’t always work as intended, with the screen steadily drifting from its set position. That said, things have improved in this area thanks to software updates over the past day or two, suggesting that the Nebula OS may also be in need of some fine-tuning.
For the low price, some sacrifices are to be expected, but when you consider that a full Xreal Air 2 headset and Beam Pro package will set you back at least $598 / £588 (more than a Meta Quest 3), I’d like something with a bit more punch – at least 4K visuals and 8GB of RAM as a starting point.
The software has its own annoyances. While the VisionOS-like app layout is aesthetically pleasing, the app management is frustrating – on the level of the early smartphone days.
The apps within this virtual layout appear to have no particular order, and trying to rearrange the chaos by dragging and dropping icons is fiddly to say the least. An option to easily disable apps for this XR menu, so you don’t just see everything installed on your Beam Pro, would go a long way toward making it less unwieldy. Next steps should include easier icon rearranging tools (even an option on the Beam Pro, allowing you to drag and drop apps using touch controls) and the ability to create grouped folders of apps, but it remains to be seen how comprehensive and frequent Xreal’s OS updates will be.
To wrap up my complaints, the Xreal Beam Pro is too big. If this were a phone, the extra screen would be a blessing, not a curse, but the Beam Pro (despite its appearance) is not a phone. Its purpose is to be a wearable accessory and controller for your Xreal glasses, and thanks to its 6.5-inch screen it struggles a bit in that department—it protrudes noticeably from the back pocket of my jeans, and when using the controller I constantly have to adjust my grip (or use both hands) to reach every icon.
The Xreal Beam Pro isn’t a standalone product, and as such doesn’t need features like a large 2K LCD display, while it can get away with something smaller and lower fidelity. I’d go so far as to say this thing doesn’t even need speakers – I’d happily lose them for more RAM or just a lower price.
Is the Xreal Beam Pro Right for You?
If you are looking for a portable smart TV for your AR glasses and a spatial photo capture device at an affordable price, the Xreal Beam Pro will not disappoint you. In this regard, the Xreal Beam Pro is almost perfect.
But as a spatial computing device, it’s not powerful enough or refined enough (at least not yet) to be a standout winner. I’m curious to see what improvements Xreal makes to the Beam Pro’s software in the coming months, and what hardware comes next.