Augmented reality company Xreal has unveiled its latest product targeting the emerging spatial computing market: the Air 2 Ultra AR glasses. With a price tag of $699, the Air 2 Ultra model aims to compete directly with Apple‘s rumored Vision Pro headset and Meta‘s recently released Quest 3 by bringing advanced features like full six degrees of freedom tracking to lightweight sunglasses-style glasses.

Slated to begin shipping to developers in March, the Air 2 Ultra looks similar to Xreal’s existing $399 Air 2 glasses but packs upgraded hardware under the hood. Dual 3D cameras, one on each temple, enable real-time positional tracking that allows the glasses to map the surrounding environment. This opens up immersive “mixed reality” apps that blend digital objects into the real-world, beyond just showing 2D screens.

The added cameras and sensors do come at a slight cost — the Air 2 Ultra weighs 80g, a bit heavier than the 72g Air 2. But they also enable advanced capabilities like hand tracking, bringing the glasses closer to a fully-fledged spatial computing platform. Xreal claims the glasses offer a 52-degree field of view and up to 120Hz refresh rate, with each eye seeing a 1080p micro OLED display producing 500 nits of brightness.

Like Xreal’s previous products, the Air 2 Ultra can connect to computers, phones, and other devices to drive the AR experience. Support spans macOS, Windows, the latest Samsung phones, and even the iPhone 15. This flexibility aims to make them accessible to a wide range of developers.

The launch comes on the heels of Xreal announcing 350,000 AR glasses sold to date across its lineup. In 2024, the company plans to expand availability of its consumer-focused Air 2 model into even more countries. But for now, the Air 2 Ultra seems squarely targeted at developers, with pricing and features designed to compete blow-for-blow with emerging spatial computing platforms from Apple and Meta.

If Xreal’s bet pays off, the Air 2 Ultra could become the standard development platform for mobile AR — one that conveniently packs everything into a standard pair of glasses instead of requiring bulky goggles. With the product shipping in a matter of months, we’ll soon find out if its combination of sophisticated tracking and portability adds up to the best development environment for augmented reality.