At CES 2026, Xreal announced an upgraded, slightly more affordable version of its entry-level AR glasses: the $449 Xreal 1S. And this time, you can also convert 2D videos to 3D without any extra apps, software, or proprietary players.

At a glance, the Xreal 1S don’t look much different from the Xreal One or One Pro. (Or even the forthcoming Project Aura glasses that Xreal’s developing with Google.) The main hardware changes are essentially an “S”-year spec bump. Namely, resolution increases from 1080p to 1200p Full HD, brightness goes up from 600 to 700 nits, and the field of view is now 52 degrees instead of 50 degrees. The aspect ratio has also increased from 16:9 to 16:10. The maximum refresh rate remains at 120Hz. There’s also a reinforced USB-C port and a new travel case. While this isn’t a revolutionary update, perhaps the nicest “upgrade” is that the glasses are $50 cheaper than last year’s One glasses.

The 1S supports Xreal’s modular Eye camera. As in, it’s removable and optional.

Xreal is primarily known for making AR glasses — portable, sunglasses-like devices with a wire that allow you to project a larger, private screen from your laptop or phone. They’re not quite like the Ray-Ban Meta or other AI glasses, which tend to forgo displays in favor of cameras and built-in AI assistants. (Though the 1S supports Xreal’s detachable Eye camera if you do want to take POV photos or video.) Functionally, they fit in an in-between niche for people who want immersive content or a second monitor, but without a bulky headset.

Again, Xreal’s been doing this for a while. But one change is the company is adding a Real 3D feature, which converts any 2D video content into 3D using the device’s X1 spatial computing chip. (This will also be available for One Pro owners via a software update.)

I got a chance to demo this while playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch 2, as well as a few YouTube videos over the past few weeks. There’s obvious appeal for gaming. The 3D effect wasn’t super obvious in Mario Kart, but I could definitely tell there was added depth. It was more hit-or-miss with YouTube videos. If you’re looking at a panoramic view or car videos, the effect can be a fun extra. Watching K-pop boy band performances, you can see occasional uncanniness in upscaled 3D choreography.

While discreet, the 1S can look a bit funky from the side when you’re in public.

If you’re big into immersive video, the main benefit is you don’t have to do anything besides enable the 3D effect in settings. You can just open up YouTube, Netflix, or perhaps your Plex server, and whatever video you pull up is 3D-ified. I don’t happen to be a 3D evangelist, as I have a tendency to get motion sickness. That said, I didn’t experience any while testing the 1S, since I mostly kept my testing to shorter videos. It’s definitely something to be aware of, however, if you plan on long 3D viewing sessions or watching motion-heavy content.

I probably wouldn’t upgrade from the Xreal One to the 1S. The bumps in resolution are nice, but not that noticeable unless you’re a power user. And like I said, the 2D-to-3D conversion is convenient but iffy for certain types of content. Still, as far as portable immersive screens go, the 1S offer a nice mix between price, features, and function.

The Xreal 1S are available starting today *for $449. *

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

• Victoria Song