CONFIRMED
Google and XREAL have launched XREAL AURA, a pair of wired Android XR glasses with a 70-degree field of view. Google announced on its Keyword blog that orders opened Oct 28, 2026, with launch pricing starting at $1,099 and shipments beginning in mid-November.
What we know
Google calls AURA the first wired XR glasses powered by Android XR. In its Keyword post, Google confirms a 70-degree field of view and Gemini integration built into the experience.
Orders opened Oct 28, 2026 in the U.S., Canada and Korea. Japan follows on Nov 2. Google says buyers must be 18 or older, and orders go through XREAL’s own Aura store page or, in the U.S., through Best Buy’s website. Shipments start in mid-November.
On pricing, a discount figure has been circulating that does not match the official numbers. XREAL’s pricing announcement on PR Newswire says the entry $1,099 model drops from $1,279, which is $180 off. Both models are discounted: the higher-tier 16GB/512GB model gets $200 off, falling from $1,499 to $1,299. Google says the $1,099 launch pricing runs through the end of the year.
XREAL’s product page fills in the hardware. AURA runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Reality Elite platform paired with XREAL’s own X1S spatial coprocessor, in what XREAL calls a dual-chip split-compute architecture. The display is a 70° optical see-through panel, there is a world-facing sensor array, and a DP-in connection lets you plug the glasses into a PC, laptop or handheld console.
The road here was long. Google and XREAL first showed Project Aura at Google I/O in May 2025, and TechRadar and Tom’s Guide reported that XREAL detailed the 70-degree field of view and tethered compute puck at AWE 2025. Tom’s Guide reported that on Oct 7, 2026, XREAL announced the $1,279 starting price but limited pre-orders to people who had already paid a reservation deposit. XREAL’s product page described that earlier phase as an early reservation rather than a pre-order, with a $99 launch credit worth $199 toward the final purchase. Android Headlines reports XREAL announced the general launch on stage at Google’s Android Developer Summit.
What we don’t know yet
The launch materials we have do not give battery life, weight or a full app list for Android XR on AURA. We also do not know what the price becomes once the launch window closes at the end of the year, beyond the $1,279 and $1,499 list prices XREAL has published.
Broader retail is still a 2027 story. Android Authority reports wider availability, including select Google Store locations, is planned for next year, but no specific date or store list has been given. There is also no confirmed timing for markets beyond the U.S., Canada, Korea and Japan.
What it means
AURA is the first real test of Android XR on glasses you can actually order, and the spec sheet reads more like a compact headset than a simple display dongle. The split-compute setup, sensor array and Gemini hooks suggest Google wants this to run spatial apps on its own, while DP-in keeps it useful as a big private screen for a laptop or handheld.
At $1,099 it sits in serious enthusiast territory. If you are weighing it against Meta’s glasses or Quest headsets, the honest answer is that Google and XREAL did not frame AURA against Meta in these launch materials, so a fair head-to-head has to wait for hands-on testing. The key difference on paper is form factor: optical see-through glasses with a wire, rather than a fully enclosed headset.
For early reservation holders, check how your $199 credit applies at checkout. For everyone else, the practical deadline is the end of the year, when the launch pricing expires.
