The RayNeo X2 Lite 3D AR glasses were demonstrated for the first time at CES 2024 in Las Vegas last week. Weighing just 60 grams (2.1 ounces), the sleek eyewear was lauded for its microLED optical waveguide display and standalone form factor, which does not require tethering to a computer or smartphone. The RayNeo X2 Lite, releasing in Q3 2024, and the Ray Neo X2, which had a limited launch in China but has not yet been released to the rest of the world, are anticipated as the first microLED display augmented reality glasses which will be available in the United States.

RayNeo, which was incubated at Chinese electronics giant TCL, announced at CES 2024 a prelaunch for the RayNeo X2, called “the world’s first binocular full-color MicroLED optical waveguide AR glasses” in the company’s press release, which adds that “the RayNeo X2 is slated to launch globally on Indiegogo in February 2024.”

When TCL announced the RayNeo X2 at CES 2023 it used its name as part of the branding, an effort that seemed minimized this year.

Since TCL Electronics Holdings, which trades on the Singapore stock exchange, has a market cap of more than $7 billion, UploadVR was among those puzzled by the crowdfunding effort, writing that it “couldn’t determine the exact relationship between the companies.”

Specifications for the forthcoming RayNeo X2 Lite and latest RayNeo X2 glasses are mostly the same. The main difference appears to be the weight (with the X2 weighing 88 grams) and the Qualcomm chips powering each, with the X2 getting the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1, engineered to unite 5G and AI with extended reality and VR capabilities, and the X2 Lite using the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1, the first Qualcomm processor designed exclusively for smart glasses.

Both boast 1,500 nits of brightness and display 3D content at 640 by 480 pixels per eye. UploadVR describes the X2’s camera as 16MP and says it has 128GB to store material, while PC Magazine says the X2 Lite’s is 12MP, with 32GB of storage. Both can capture 1080p video at 30fps. While no word on the RAM in the X2 (trotted out as a concept piece at last year’s CES), the X2 Lite has 4GB.

Each comes with a dedicated AI chatbot, and provide live translations and enhanced navigational displays on the lenses to direct wearers who are out and about. The X2 Lite’s “adjustable nosepad for all-day comfort” was, when joined with the light weight, enough to prompt PC Mag to call them “the antithesis of Apple’s large and heavy Vision Pro headset.”

“The glasses are controlled by touch controls on the temples, voice commands, or a RayNeo Ring that acts as a 3DoF rotational laser pointer,” according to UploadVR. The outlet provides an informative “field of view comparison” chart that includes the RayNeos, Xreal, Magic Leap 2 and Meta Quest 3 (this last comparing most favorably with the human eye).