Thank you, TCL, for the RayNeo Air 2, which restored my faith in the potential of AR glasses to deliver a big-screen experience in a lightweight, portable form factor that only works when you plug its C connector into any compatible device. The screen is large and bright and looks clear even in sunlight. The RayNeo Air 2 also has the best looks of its peers, but it’s still too bulky to be mistaken for sunglasses.
New TCL RayNeo Air 2 video smart glasses for a big screen experience on the go.
Screen extenders were all the rage at CES 2023 last January. It looks like AR is going to enter most consumers’ lives as an expensive smartphone accessory optimized to deliver a big-screen experience. That’s what all of these do. It’s all they’ll ever do, so looking and sounding great is their only job. It shouldn’t surprise us that China’s TCL, which has been making low-cost TVs for decades, has gotten this part right.
Use the case illustration for the TCL RayNeo Air 2 AR smart glasses.
The $379 RayNeo Air 2 weighs just 76 grams while packing a pair of 1080p 16:9, 120Hz Sony Micro-OLED displays that equate to a 201-inch screen viewed from six meters away. The glasses have a decent 46° FOV, 49 pixels-per-degree (PPD) and 108% sRGB color gamut. It also features what they call “a fully upgraded dynamic stereo sound system, complete with a whisper function for privacy.” The sound is good, but not great. Smart audio glasses like the Bose Frames put their money’s worth on sound. TCL spent its money on displays. I say they made a good call here. The Whisper feature is a nice touch though.
Lens view of the special hinge that makes the TCL RayNeo Air 2 so pleasant to wear.
My biggest beef with every other pair of AR smart glasses is that I can’t get them to sit properly on my face. All have adjustable nose pads, but these alone don’t. The RayNew Air 2 is the only one that works for me because it has a special hinge where the wing meets the frame that allows the user to adjust the angle. It seems like a detail, but along with a bright, clear screen, it makes all the difference.
Now the not so good part. RayNeo Air 2 only supports DisplayPort or USB-C Alt mode. For older iPhones with a Lightning port and other devices that don’t support USB-C Alt mode, you’ll need a $99 MiraScreen adapter. Make sure you check for compatibility or you could be making a major buying mistake.
If you or someone on your list has an iPhone 15, the TCL RayNeo Air 2 will make their day. A lot of thought has gone into these. They are nice to wear.
