TCL has announced a new pair of wearable display glasses dubbed the NXTWEAR Air. The second-generation glasses are the successor to the NXTWEAR G that arrived in mid-2021.
TCL has improved the Air in two key areas: portability and comfort. It claims the glasses are about 30 percent lighter than before—down from 4.5 ounces to 2.6 ounces. The design has also been tweaked to make the glasses look more like your normal pair of sunglasses from Ray-Ban or Oakley.
Display Glasses With an Immersive Viewing Experience
The NXTWear Air features dual full HD micro OLED displays that combine to deliver a field of view equivalent to watching a 140-inch screen from about 4 meters away.
While impressive, the display specs remain unchanged from the NXTWEAR G, the first-generation smart glasses that TCL first showed as a prototype at CES 2021 and eventually launched in limited quantities towards the middle of 2021.
For customization, TCL bundles two additional front lenses so you can match the style of the glasses with your look and style.
It's important to note that TCL's wearable display glasses are not to be confused with smart glasses. The technology does not offer any AR/VR functionality or voice assistant integration. The glasses are meant to be used as a portable monitor to deliver an immersive and private content viewing experience.
The wearable display glasses feature dual speakers capable of playing back stereo audio with spatial effects. You can also connect your favorite pair of Bluetooth earbuds or headphones for a more private viewing experience.
You cannot use the TCL NXTWEAR Air as a standalone display, and it does not feature a built-in battery as well. Instead, you must plug the display glasses into a laptop or smartphone over USB-C DisplayPort. In its announcement, TCL boasts compatibility with more than 100 smartphones.
TCL's Wearable Display Glasses Are Launching Soon
The NXTWEAR Air will launch in Q1 2022 in select markets, though TCL did not disclose the countries. There's no word on the pricing, though going by the $640 price tag of the first-generation model, the Air should also be priced around the same ballpark.