Most AR glasses on the market have a dirty secret. They promise a 200-inch cinema screen in your backpack, but what they actually deliver is often a jittery, floating monitor that drifts every time you sneeze. Use them on a train, and you might feel sick. Use them while walking, and you might trip.
The XREAL 1S attempts to fix this fundamental flaw. It does not chase higher resolution or absurdly wide fields of view. Instead, it focuses on one thing: keeping the picture still.
I spent a week wearing these. They are not perfect, but for the first time, I could actually work on a virtual screen during a bumpy commute without reaching for a sick bag.
- The Problem Solved: The new onboard X1 chip eliminates the “rubber banding” effect and screen jitter.
- Best Use Case: Commuters and travelers who need a stable virtual monitor in tight spaces.
- The Display: Sony Micro-OLED panels offer excellent contrast, though the 52° FOV is standard.
- Usability: Physical buttons make recentering the screen instant—no awkward hand gestures required.
The X1 Chip: Locking It Down
The marketing materials scream about the “X1 Spatial Computing Chip.” Usually, this is marketing fluff. Here, it actually matters.
This chip handles the 3DoF (Three Degrees of Freedom) calculations directly on the glasses. In plain English, this means the screen stays exactly where you put it. If you pin a virtual movie screen to a wall in your room, it stays on that wall. You can turn your head, look at your phone, or check the door. When you look back, the screen is still there.
Competitors often rely on your phone or laptop to do this processing, which introduces lag. XREAL claims a “Motion-to-Photon” (M2P) latency of under 3 milliseconds. While I cannot verify the millisecond count without a high-speed camera, I can tell you that it feels instant. The screen dragging behind your head movement is gone.
Display: Sony 0.68-inch Micro-OLED
Resolution: 1200p per eye
Brightness: Up to 700 nits (Certified)
Refresh Rate: Up to 120Hz
Audio: Dual linear speakers with noise cancellation
Weight: Approx 82g (lightweight for this category)
The “Gimbal” Effect: Body Anchor vs. Smooth Follow
There are two main modes here that dictate how the screen behaves:
- 1. Body Anchor: The screen is fixed in space. This is excellent for desk work. You can move your head naturally without the monitor slapping you in the face.
- 2. Smooth Follow: This is the commuter mode. It acts like a camera gimbal. The screen follows your head movement, but it smooths out the jitters.
I tested Smooth Follow on a train. Usually, the vibration makes text unreadable on AR glasses. The 1S managed to dampen the shakes enough that I could read subtitles comfortably. It is a subtle difference that prevents eye strain over a two-hour trip.
Resetting the view is also stupidly simple. You hold the red button on the temple. No menus. No hand gestures. It just centers the screen. If you want to lie back and stare at the ceiling, you press the button, and the screen moves to the ceiling.
Visuals and The “Sony Standard”
The panels are Sony 0.68-inch Micro-OLEDs pumping out 1200p per eye. Colors are punchy, and the contrast is infinite (it is OLED, after all). The brightness hits 700 nits, which is plenty for indoor use, though you will struggle in direct sunlight unless you use the included light blocker cover.
The 52-degree Field of View (FOV) is standard for this category. Do not expect total immersion. It looks like a large TV sitting a few feet away, not a VR headset that wraps around your vision. You will see the black edges of the frame.
However, XREAL added a dedicated 2D-to-3D converter on the chip. It is surprisingly competent. Watching standard flat video content gets a decent depth boost. It reminds me of the Nintendo 3DS effect—gimmicky, but fun for a few minutes.
The Real-World Test: Eating Dinner
Here is a specific feature that surprised me. The glasses have electrochromic dimming, allowing you to darken or lighten the lenses electronically.
If you are in “Body Anchor” mode and you look away from the virtual screen, the lenses automatically clear up. I could watch a YouTube video, look down at my plate to find a piece of broccoli, and the glasses would turn transparent so I could see my food. Look back up, and the movie is there. It sounds minor, but in practice, it makes the difference between wearing a tech accessory and wearing a blindfold.
🏁 The Verdict
The XREAL 1S is priced aggressively (around $400 USD, market dependent). It sits in a weird middle ground: it is not a full spatial computer like the Apple Vision Pro, nor is it a cheap portable monitor.
If you travel constantly and hate the ergonomics of a laptop screen in a cramped economy seat, this is a viable solution. The stabilization works. The text is crisp. The headache factor is low. For everyone else, it is still a cool toy looking for a problem to solve. But at least now, that toy won’t make you nauseous.
Pros:
- ✅ Rock-solid screen stabilization (X1 chip).
- ✅ Zero drift during head movement.
- ✅ Excellent Micro-OLED contrast.
- ✅ Physical button for recentering is intuitive.
Cons:
- ❌ 52-degree FOV still feels like looking through goggles.
- ❌ Requires a compatible USB-C device (DP Alt Mode).
- ❌ Still looks slightly socially awkward in public.
- XREAL 1S Review: Finally, AR Glasses Without the Nausea - January 16, 2026
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