Google and XREAL have officially launched AURA, a new pair of extended reality (XR) glasses powered by Android XR. The device combines transparent displays, spatial computing, Gemini AI, and a portable computing unit to bring apps, entertainment, and productivity tools into the user’s field of view without completely blocking the real world.

Announced on October 28, 2026, AURA marks an important step in Google’s Android XR ambitions. Unlike traditional standalone VR headsets, the glasses use an optical see-through design, allowing users to view their surroundings while interacting with digital content projected in front of them.

The glasses are also designed to remain lightweight. They weigh approximately 95 grams, while a separate computing puck handles the demanding processing, battery, and connectivity requirements. This split-compute approach allows AURA to deliver spatial computing capabilities without putting all the hardware inside the glasses.

A large spatial display with Android XR

AURA features a 70-degree field of view, giving users plenty of room to arrange digital content around them. Its Sony Micro-OLED displays deliver a resolution of 1,920 × 1,200 pixels per eye, with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and peak brightness of 1,050 nits.

The optical see-through technology lets users see the physical environment directly through the lenses rather than relying on camera-based video passthrough. Five levels of electrochromic dimming allow users to adjust how transparent the lenses appear, making it possible to switch between viewing digital content and staying connected to the surroundings.

Powered by Android XR, AURA supports millions of Android apps available through Google Play, alongside more than 150 applications specifically designed for XR. Users can open multiple applications simultaneously, resize their windows, and arrange them around their field of view.

The experience also supports hand gestures, voice commands, and a touchpad built into the computing puck. Bluetooth keyboards, mice, and game controllers can also be connected for more traditional input.

Gemini brings AI assistance into the real world

Gemini is one of the central features of AURA’s Android XR experience. Google’s AI assistant can understand what users are looking at, both in their physical surroundings and across their digital screens.

Users can ask Gemini questions about documents, applications, or objects around them without constantly switching between windows. The assistant can also help organize open windows, provide contextual information, and highlight relevant details in the user’s surroundings or on their screens.

Google is also introducing visual assistance that goes beyond conventional voice responses. Users can share their view with Gemini, allowing it to highlight what deserves attention in the environment or on a displayed screen.

This integration makes AURA more than a wearable display. It gives Gemini a spatial interface where AI assistance can work across applications and the physical world.

Turn any space into a portable workstation

AURA is designed to support productivity as well as entertainment. Users can open a browser, work documents, and music applications simultaneously, arranging everything around them like a virtual multi-monitor workspace.

Pairing a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse creates a more conventional desktop experience, while the computing puck’s integrated touchpad provides another way to navigate the interface.

One particularly useful feature is Wired Mirroring. Users can connect a laptop to AURA through a USB-C cable that supports video output, bringing the laptop’s display into the XR environment as a resizable window. No additional software installation is required.

The mirrored laptop display can sit alongside Android XR applications, allowing users to combine their computer’s existing workflow with spatial applications. Since the display is visible only to the wearer, it also offers a more private way to work with sensitive documents in public spaces.

Gemini can work across the mirrored laptop window, too, helping users interact with and organize the content they are viewing.

A personal theater for movies, videos, and games

Beyond productivity, AURA aims to make entertainment more immersive. Users can watch content from YouTube, Google TV, and other streaming services on a large virtual screen positioned wherever they prefer.

The adjustable lens transparency makes it possible to dim the surrounding environment for a more private viewing experience. The lenses can also become transparent again when someone enters the user’s view.

AURA supports immersive 180-degree and 360-degree videos, as well as 3D movies. Its Spatial View feature can convert supported videos, photos, and games into 3D experiences with a tap.

Google Photos is also getting a spatial gallery experience later this year, allowing users to explore their photo libraries in an immersive environment. Users will be able to navigate through memories using hand gestures and revisit selected moments in 3D.

Gaming is another part of the experience. AURA can run thousands of Android games through Google Play, while Wired Mirroring allows users to bring games from a handheld device or PC into their virtual display. Gemini can even provide gaming assistance when users get stuck.

Google is also bringing new XR titles to the platform, including Fallout Factions and Project Hail Mary: Journey Among the Stars.

Snapdragon-powered computing puck handles the heavy lifting

AURA’s computing system is separated from the glasses, with a portable puck connected through a cable. It houses the battery, processing hardware, and other components required to run Android XR.

The computing puck uses Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon Reality Elite platform, making AURA the first device to introduce this platform. It also includes an XREAL X1S spatial coprocessor integrated into the glasses, which handles positional tracking and always-on AI visual processing.

The hardware includes two world-facing tracking cameras, a high-resolution RGB camera with a privacy indicator, and support for six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) spatial anchoring and hand tracking.

Audio is handled by spatial speakers tuned by Bose, positioned near the ears to deliver immersive sound while keeping the ears open. A four-microphone array captures voice input for conversations and commands.

The computing puck also includes Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.3, a 4,455mAh battery, and two USB-C ports. One connects to the glasses, while the other supports charging and DisplayPort input.

AURA is available in two hardware configurations: 12GB of memory with 256GB of storage, and 16GB of memory with 512GB of storage.

Google and XREAL AURA pricing and availability

XREAL AURA is available to order starting October 28 in the United States, Canada, and South Korea. Orders in Japan are scheduled to open on November 2, 2026.

The launch pricing starts at $1,099 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration. The higher-end 16GB RAM and 512GB storage model costs $1,299.

These are limited-time launch prices available through the end of 2026. The original prices are $1,279 and $1,499, respectively.

Customers can order AURA through the official XREAL website. In the United States, the glasses are also available through Best Buy, with shipments expected to begin in mid-November.

With AURA, Google and XREAL are taking a different approach to spatial computing. Rather than asking users to wear a bulky headset and shut out their surroundings, the companies are bringing Android XR into a lightweight pair of glasses backed by a separate computing unit. The combination of Gemini, Google Play applications, laptop mirroring, and immersive entertainment gives AURA a broader purpose than simply acting as a wearable virtual screen.