I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot in 2025, and on every journey I have had one constant companion: my AR glasses.
These aren’t the interactive AR specs Snap, Meta, and Google are promising – the likes of Meta Orion. No, these are AR glasses which connect to a compatible phone, laptop or handheld to virtually suspend your screen in space in front of you.
They transport you into a personal movie theater of sorts, with a giant virtual screen only you can see, and are perfect whether you’re flying away on vacation or catching a train for your morning commute.
Which should you buy? Well, here’s my personal recommendation…
Keeping it Xreal
My current glasses of choice are the Xreal One specs, which I combine with the Xreal Beam Pro, and a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
You can read more in my dedicated Xreal One review, but long story short the glasses offer top-notch visuals while the Beam Pro is a handy Android-powered smartphone-like you can connect the glasses to.
The Beam Pro is the star of the show, thanks to its ability to access a plethora of popular streaming services that I can download content from ahead of time. Plus, it acts as a handy alternative to my smartphone, but one which I don’t mind completely draining the charge from.
And when it does run low on juice it has a second USB-C port dedicated to recharging the device even while it’s being used for XR experiences.
I also love how small these AR glasses are.
Even when I’m travelling light, with just a single carry-on, I can always find space for the slim glasses’ carry-case and Beam Pro – even if I have to rely on my trouser and jacket pockets as a last resort.
Lastly, these specs feel especially handy for flights, as they allow you to cut yourself off a little more from the aircraft.
You can still spot flight attendants as they walk past, thanks to the translucent outer lenses, but they make it a little easier to forget you’re flying compared to using the screen on the back of the seat in front of you.
Ideal for more nervous fliers.
Different realities
Of course VR headsets offer many of these benefits too.
For relaxation and entertainment they’re arguably even better, given the higher-resolution displays offered by many of the best VR headsets. However, the overall package of a VR headset is undeniably more inconvenient (as I discovered first-hand), thanks to their bulk and the fact that they’re more power hungry (which can add insult to injury if it not only takes up significant space in your bag, but also runs out of charge before you land).
That’s why these entertainment-focused 3-degrees-of-freedom (3DoF) AR glasses are such a winner. They offer many of the same benefits and fewer disadvantages.
You don’t need to pick up a pair of Xreal glasses either, if cost is a concern. The RayNeo Air 3S specs, which also feature on our best smart glasses list, are a superb and affordable option.
So if you want an in-flight entertainment system that boasts a private home cinema-like experience, gives you more freedom over the shows and films you can relax with, is compact and easy to carry with you, and will help you forget you’re on an aircraft you need a pair of AR specs.
I’m never flying again without mine, and you won’t want to either.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
