RayNeo's latest smart glasses cut the price and deliver substantial upgrades
It feels like I just reviewed the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, but the company is already back with another impressive new release aimed at the $300 price segment. The RayNeo GT is a much simpler name with notable design and spec boosts, making it a solid entry into what has become the most competitive price segment in smart glasses.
Despite the same $299 price as the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, the new GTs are 8g lighter and feature a new native 3DoF spatial tracking chip, plus the same Vision 4000 chipset that provides SDR-to-HDR conversion and a top-notch 3840Hz PWM dimming rate. Like all glasses in this segment, it sports a 47-degree FoV, but RayNeo has upgraded several parts of the experience that make it more competitive this time around.
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android CentralThat starts with three different IPD sizes to accommodate more people. I've been largely ok with RayNeo glasses in the past since my IPD is 64, but anyone with a wider IPD was out of luck if they didn't want to go cross-eyed. This time around, you can choose from small (63 and lower IPD), medium (64-67 IPD), and large (68+ IPD). You can also adjust the screen size within the glasses, which helps you better scale specific content. Neither feature is standard at this price range.
RayNeo GT is far more comfortable for me than any previous RayNeo glasses. The initial fit put the display too low for my eyes, but I just widened the nosepiece, and that perfectly centered the screen. That, plus the impressively low-flicker display, meant I could wear these for a long time without any discomfort. Plus, the included temple pads meant they didn't fatigue my ears or temples.
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central
Nicholas Sutrich / Android CentralThe new 3DoF tracking works incredibly well and lets you choose between steady, anchor, and follow (0DoF) modes with the click of the button on the top of the right temple. The 0DoF Follow mode is best if you want the most flicker-free experience, since any 3DoF or 6DoF mode introduces low-persistence flickering, also known as black frame insertion, which can easily cause headaches for anyone who is flicker-sensitive.
RayNeo also packed this one with native 10-bit displays and software support for 12-bit Dolby Vision content. You'll need to pair it with RayNeo's Pocket TV device, which is a dope little remote that turns your glasses into a full-fledged Google TV that fits in your pocket. It works perfectly as a streaming device, although it has significant limitations for offline downloads, so you're better off using your phone as a remote if you need offline playback.
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
I was also very impressed with the audio quality of the open-ear speakers. They don't ship with the sound tubes as the RayNeo Air 4 Pro did, but you can buy them separately if you want more direct audio to your ears. Still, I found the open-ear 4-speaker design to be impressively high quality and plenty loud without the sound tubes.
The biggest issue with RayNeo GT is that the lenses have no tinting and no electrochromic dimming, so while the micro-OLEDs are plenty bright, they can easily get drowned out by ambient lighting. This probably won't be an issue in a dim airplane, but likely will rear its ugly head everywhere else. Definitely order a glasses cover if you're picking up a pair.
All in all, these are a fantastic pair of glasses for the price and are among the most competitive I've yet seen from RayNeo. If you're looking for more customizable glasses, Xreal XBX A01+ are the ideal pair since they're designed to be modular.