Xiaomi unveils lightweight AR glasses with ‘retina-level’ display

Xiaomi, the Chinese technology giant, has unveiled a prototype pair of AR glasses to prove they can sell products beyond smartphones. The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition will be considered on par with the Google Glass Enterprise and Microsoft’s HoloLens if Xiaomi officially launches the product on the AR market.

Xiaomi has stated its AR glasses won’t be on sale yet as it still is a concept technology. However, at the world’s biggest mobile industry trade show, MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona, the announcement highlighted Xiaomi’s ambition to enter the augmented reality space.

Apple, Microsoft, and Google technology giants focus on mixed or augmented reality to feature new experiences to users. The “metaverse” has become part of an idea of whatever important part technology can play.

Tim Cook (Apple CEO) mentioned the previous year: “I think AR is a profound technology that will affect everything.” However, Apple hasn’t officially launched or acknowledged any AR or virtual headset.

Although Bloomberg reported that Apple’s mixed reality headset would be unveiled this spring and at the beginning of fall 2023 with consumer deliveries.

“It’s a widespread view in the technology industry that AR smart glasses could be the next major form of mobile computing after the smartphone,” an analyst at CCS Insight, Leo Gebbie, stated.

Xiaomi AR Glasses Gesture Control

The lightweight Xiaomi AR glasses connect wirelessly to a smartphone and offer a “retina-level display,” allowing users to see virtual objects as clearly as they would the real thing!

Another exciting feature for the headset wearers will be gesture control to carry out tasks. By something as simple as raising your hands in front of the AR glasses and moving your fingers or hands, you can execute certain functions. Xiaomi says, "the thumb sliding on the index finger is used to enter and exit applications.”

Without the need to touch the device, “This kind of interaction showcases one of the directions that Xiaomi believes human-computer interaction will take in the future,” Xiaomi said.

The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition will work with its flagship smartphones like Xiaomi 13, and 13 Pro, said to launch worldwide on Sunday. Xiaomi continues to unlock revenue from other devices and is seen as one of the prominent smartphone players globally. Over recent years the company has become known for launching devices from electric scooters to TVs.

Gebbie stated, “Xiaomi’s new AR glasses feel more like a stake in the ground than a meaningful product launch. Chinese rivals, including Oppo and TCL, have also shown off AR devices, and it’s clear no one wants to get left behind.”

These features sound impressive on paper, but it’s still a prototype. So only time will tell how well the AR glasses will succeed in the real world. Let’s wait and see what the future holds for.

Xiaomi’s new AR glasses, shall we?

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