XREAL Project Aura is now XREAL AURA: price, release date and what it is

1. What XREAL Project Aura is, and why it is now called AURA

XREAL Project Aura is a pair of wired Android XR glasses with a separate compute puck, and since launch it has been sold as XREAL AURA. Google’s launch post, dated October 28, 2026, describes AURA as “wired XR glasses powered by Android XR” (checked October 31, 2026). XREAL’s product page and Google’s Android XR page (both checked October 31, 2026) use the name AURA, and neither uses the words “Project Aura”. Earlier coverage and XREAL’s May 19, 2026 blog post used the project name.

9to5Google’s running guide (checked October 31, 2026) uses both names for XREAL’s Android XR glasses without saying it was renamed, so we treat them as one product. UploadVR’s look at the demo clip (December 8, 2025) described a tethered compute puck running Google’s Android XR on a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, with built-in head and hand tracking and a see-through prism-lens design that imitates the look of sunglasses. It called the glasses a lightweight alternative to Samsung Galaxy XR.

In plain terms, from the makers’ descriptions: you wear the glasses, a cable runs to a portable puck that holds the processor and battery, and apps appear in the room in front of you. That is a different product from camera and audio AI glasses, as section 5 explains.

2. Release date: where it stands on October 31, 2026

AURA is open for orders in the US, Canada and Korea, with Japan following on November 2, and Google puts a mid-November shipping start in its BestBuy.com clause. Google’s launch post says orders open the day it was published, October 28, 2026, in the US, Canada and Korea and on November 2 in Japan, through xreal.com/aura or, in the US, at BestBuy.com “with shipments beginning in mid-November” (checked October 31, 2026). The post gives no shipping date for the other countries. Its footnote lists the US, Canada, Japan and Korea as the available countries. Android Headlines (October 29, 2026) reports a mid-November start without that limit and adds that select Google Store locations will carry it in 2027; that is reported, not on Google’s post.

XREAL’s May 19, 2026 post said Project Aura would launch globally in 2026, and the launch pages we read name four countries. None of the maker pages we read says AURA can be ordered in the UK, the EU, Australia or any market beyond those four. For those countries the status is no announcement found (checked October 31, 2026), so ask XREAL before you pay.

3. Price: from $1,099 at launch

XREAL’s product page (checked October 31, 2026) lists two configurations in US dollars and describes the launch pricing this way: “Through the end of the year, XREAL AURA is available starting at $1,099.” Google’s post gives launch pricing starting at $1,099 through the end of the year. Android Headlines (October 29, 2026) says the launch pricing runs through December.

Google’s post does not state a price for after the launch pricing ends, and XREAL’s page shows other figures beside these two launch prices that we do not reproduce here. On October 7, 2026, 9to5Google reported that preorders needed a $199 “Priority Deposit” credited toward the price, and that choosing the medium or large size costs nothing extra. XREAL’s spec table lists an M size for interpupillary distances of 60–66 mm and an L size for 66–72 mm.

Before the launch, XREAL had said AURA would cost under $1,500, according to 9to5Google. The figures above are what the pages we read showed on October 31, 2026. Check XREAL’s store for the price that applies when you order and for what is included: Google’s post (checked October 31, 2026) does not describe what the price includes, and XREAL’s page does not list box contents.

4. Specifications on XREAL’s page

The 70-degree field of view is a figure both XREAL and Google state: XREAL’s page lists it with X Prism optics, and Google says it “gives you plenty of room” for spatial and 2D apps. XREAL’s page gives a battery capacity for the puck and none for the glasses, and Google’s post gives no battery life. The table below is from XREAL’s own page, checked October 31, 2026, plus Google’s weight figure.

On apps, XREAL’s page cites “hundreds of apps designed specifically for XR” on top of Google Play’s mobile and tablet apps, while Google’s post cites access to millions of Google Play apps and “over 150 apps made for XR”. Google’s post also says Gemini on Android XR “understands what you’re seeing and doing”, in the real world and on your screens, and that a laptop connected with a USB-C cable that supports video output can mirror its screen into AURA.

5. How AURA differs from camera and audio AI glasses

AURA carries its own computer: Google says the puck holds the battery and the Snapdragon Reality Elite platform, and the glasses show Android XR apps in a see-through display. Google’s Android XR page (checked October 31, 2026) shows three kinds of glasses. AURA’s card has a Buy now link, the two audio-glasses cards have Learn more links, and the display glasses read “Stay tuned”.

That split matters if you are shopping for “AI glasses”. Audio glasses from Google’s partner brands are covered in our Gentle Monster smart glasses guide and the wider Google AI glasses guide. Google’s page labels them as coming soon. AURA has a Buy now link on that page, and XREAL lists it from $1,099 against $99 at checkout for our M08. It is a different job: AURA is a see-through display for spatial apps and a laptop screen in a resizable window, and the M08 has no display.

AURA does list cameras (see the table in section 4). If you want the background on XREAL’s earlier display glasses, see XREAL alternatives. For how display glasses differ from AR in the strict sense, see augmented glasses explained, and for the other display options on sale, smart glasses with a display.

6. Who it is for, and what to check before you order

AURA suits someone who wants spatial apps, or a laptop screen shown in a resizable window, from a wearable and is happy to carry a puck on a cable. Before you pay, check these points, each taken from the pages above:

• Country.Google’s post lists the US, Canada, Japan and Korea, with Japan opening on November 2.
• Age and account.Google’s footnote reads “Setup required”, “Compatible account required, 18+”.
• The cable and the puck.The glasses are wired to a puck that weighs 265 g on XREAL’s page. Google says the glasses weigh under 95 grams.
• Your devices.XREAL’s page does not mention iPhone, iOS or any phone. Google describes mirroring a laptop over a USB-C cable that supports video output.
• Prescription. XREAL lists personalized prescription lenses and points to compatible lenses and fitting guidance. Ask how they attach and what they cost before you order.
• Reviews. None of the pages we read is a hands-on review of the retail product, and Google gives mid-November as the BestBuy.com shipping start. Wait for reviews of units that have shipped if the price is a stretch.

One more point to hold loosely: this is a launch-week picture. The launch-pricing end date, the country list and the shipping start are as the pages said on October 31, 2026. Google’s Android XR page carries a general footnote, “Products under development and subject to change”, on its line about devices available now; it does not say which products it covers.

7. Where OXIVUE fits: no display, no puck

OXIVUE does not make anything like AURA. Our frames have no display, take no prescription lenses and do not run Meta AI. The M08 ($99 at checkout) is a camera and open-ear audio frame: an 8 MP camera, about 42 g, rated 7 hours of listening and 4 hours of calls, in a sun, photochromic or clear lens. Capture starts only with a touch on the temple, and you should ask before recording people.

The M02C($109 at checkout, about 41 g) adds a voice-activated visual assistant. OXIVUE does not publish which AI model powers the M02C’s voice-activated visual assistant. Both frames translate 40+ languages through the free companion app, with the translated audio heard only by the wearer. Compare every model on the comparison page.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days. International orders take 9–14 business days after shipment. Import VAT or duties outside the US are paid by the recipient. No refunds except transit damage (replaced or refunded); faults are repaired or replaced under the 2-year warranty; change of mind and unmet expectations are not refundable. None of our frames take prescription lenses. Read the refund policy and the shipping policy.

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