XREAL Unveils 'Project Aura' at Google I/O — An Optical See-Through XR Device for Android XR

XREAL is on a bit of a roll lately. Their latest XR glasses, the XREAL One and XREAL One Pro are shipping now and are very well received so far. Now they've announced a huge partnership with none other than Google themselves. As part of that collaboration, they'll be building a new project called Project Aura – their next generation of Extended Reality (XR) devices specifically aimed at Android. Let's get into the details:

Project Aura is the second official device announced for Android XR and marks a major milestone for the platform: the introduction of an optical see-through (OST) XR device. A lightweight and tethered, cinematic, and Gemini AI-powered device, Project Aura brings a large field-of-view experience to the Android XR family — setting a new standard for immersive, wearable computing.

This collaboration also includes Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. who will provide the Qualcomm Technologies' Snapdragon XR chipset to power the device, as well as the applications that'll bring the XR / AR functions to life via XREAL's lightweight XR hardware and Android's XR software stack.

“Google is thrilled to welcome XREAL to the Android XR family and to build great XR experiences on Project Aura,” said Shahram Izadi, General Manager and Vice President of XR at Google. “Android XR is the first Android platform built in the Gemini era, and it will support a rich ecosystem of immersive devices, both Virtual see-through (VST) and Optical see-through (OST). By combining our platform with XREAL’s leadership in portable XR hardware, we’re expanding spatial experiences to OST form-factors that are truly intuitive and accessible, representing a pivotal moment in our ecosystem.”

“At XREAL, we’ve always pushed the boundaries of what XR hardware can do — combining performance, comfort, and design into something people can wear every day,” said Chi Xu, Co-founder and CEO of XREAL. “Partnering with Google on Android XR takes this vision to the next level. Project Aura reflects the power of this collaboration — merging a robust platform with advanced chipsets and our expertise in optical systems. We believe this is a breakthrough moment for real-world XR.”

“Qualcomm Technologies is excited to be powering XREAL’s new Android XR device,” said Ziad Asghar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of XR at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This collaboration marks a significant step forward in the expansion of the Android XR ecosystem. Working with XREAL, Snapdragon allows amazing immersive experiences to come to life in a unique optical see-through product. We are thrilled to see immersive experiences coming to more verticals, opening up new possibilities for both consumers and developers.”

The unveiling of Project Aura marks a call-to-action for developers. XREAL, Google, and Qualcomm Technologies have invited the development community to join them on their journey, creating new and interesting ways to bring Extended Reality (XR) to life, thanks to Google's simplified software stack.

We've just gotten our first look at Project Aura, but we won't see much more about the glasses until we get to Augmented World Expo (AWE) in June 2025, and later this year. Stay tuned right here – I'm a nerd for this type of gear, and this looks like it's going to be huge.