TCL’s latest AR specs let you watch films on a virtual 215-inch screen

While Apple’s Vision Pro is dominating headlines at the minute, there’s still a lot going on in the AR space. AR glasses connect to your smartphone to let you enjoy your content on a larger, virtual display. And the latest in the game is TCL’s new Nxtwear S Plus. They’re a pair of AR specs that improve massively on the brand’s first-gen effort.

• Read more: CES showed us AR is moving along to a place where you can ditch your phone, and I’m here for it

TCL’s Nxtwear S Plus specs connect to a range of compatible devices (such as smartphones and consoles) with ease via a USB-C Display Port or extra adapters (though those will cost you a bit more). You can set your eyes on your favourite content on a virtual screen up to 215-inches from the comfort of, well, anywhere. These specs support crisp Full-HD resolution for 2D and a whopping 3840 x 1080 pixels for 3D content.

TCL didn’t just slap a “Plus” on the name for show – they’ve seriously upped the game. The brightness has been cranked up to 600 nits, leaving both its predecessor and rivals like the Xreal Air 2 Pro AR specs in the dust. The 120Hz refresh rate makes for buttery-smooth visuals, making us almost forgive the fact that there’s no 4K resolution. Plus, these specs will rest light on your face (take note, Apple) at just 87g. You won’t get that “I’m wearing tech on my face” feeling.

Noise leakage has been a thorn in the side of smart glasses. But, TCL claims the new Whisper Mode keeps things hush-hush. Time will tell if these glasses can truly offer a private listening experience without sharing your tunes with the room. There are a set of 0.5mm stereo speakers packed inside the frames, so you can hear what’s going on. Since the content’s coming from another of your devices, you can still connect a pair of headphones if you’d rather.

When it comes to forking over your hard-earned cash, the TCL Nxtwear S Plus AR glasses start at $399/£399/AU$699. It’s a fair ask for stepping into the world of AR, but you won’t find another set of decent specs for much less. You can pick up a pair from TCL directly, or from EE in the UK.

• Related: I was disappointed with the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, but Xreal’s new AR specs give me hope

Connor Jewiss

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around six years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home