For anyone moving on from the comfort of console gaming, or searching for a portable companion to a laptop, the XREAL Air remains an intriguing prospect. It is worth attention – so long as one keeps its boundaries in mind and expects no miracles.

Unboxing the XREAL Air: A Look Back at a Modern Classic

Released in 2022 for about three hundred dollars, the XREAL Air arrived with grand intentions: to replace the familiar monitor, to serve as a personal cinema, or to bring games closer to one’s vision. Now, paired with the Lenovo LOQ 16IRH8 – armed with a 14th-generation i7 and RTX 4050 – the question is not what it promises, but whether it endures.

Within the box, the contents are plain and orderly: the glasses, weighing a modest seventy-nine grams; a detachable USB-C cable; a carrying case; cleaning cloth; adjustable nose pads; and a frame for prescription lenses. There is an austerity to the arrangement, as though nothing were added that need not be.

Once connected to the Lenovo through USB-C with DisplayPort support, the device awakens instantly. In a world cluttered with headsets demanding endless software and sign-ins, this small act of simplicity feels like a quiet victory.

Everyday Use and Visual Experience

When connected to the LOQ, the XREAL Air displays a clean 1080p window which appears to be floating in mid-air- enough to write, browse, or the silent command of light editing. The text is clear and unblurred, the image reacts and is smooth. In the daily routine of work it does its job without grumbling or procrastination. 

The display is at its limit at about four hundred nits, which is enough to trouble in daylight or under bright lamps, and which is soon pale in comparison with a modern laptop display. The field of view – about forty-six degrees – implies breadth without grandeur; it gives one the impression of a big wall on the stage seen a few feet away, not the absorbing immensity of a theatre. 

The glasses become charming when used to stream, be it Netflix, YouTube, or local files. The colours of the micro-OLED panels appear to be clean and intentional and the light and dark contrast is dramatic. 

Sound, though, remains modest. The miniature speakers can be serviced to pass, but those who want to get the real presence will resort to headphones. Nevertheless, the XREAL Air remains an experience that is convenient and strangely engaging.

XREAL Air Gaming Performance with Lenovo LOQ

Combined with the LOQ 16IRH8 and its RTX 4050 graphics card, the XREAL Air is a machine that can be admired due to its stability. In practice the results are superior to what one would have imagined of so light and unimposing a machine. 

• Fortnite: The frame rate was frequently over a hundred with the DLSS Quality option on, with only the most hectic scenes reaching lower frame rates. 
• Call of Duty: Warzone was no different, as it was ranging between eighty and a hundred frames, with the typical short stutters as the screen was flooded with smoke and movement. 
• Gears of War: Reloaded, which ran free at a rate of more than a hundred frames during the majority of the campaign, the machine appeared to be proud of its work. 
• Even the recalcitrant Hogwarts Legacy maintained between sixty and ninety frames at 1080p with ray tracing off and DLSS on. 

The action is direct and definite through the XREAL Air. Motions are gentle, the intention accurate and the feeling of input delay virtually nonexistent. It is in the quickest sequences only that one is aware of the slight blur at the edges or of the boundaries of the smaller field of vision. But in the case of most types of play, a match in the evening, a short play after work, it is an efficient and surprisingly enjoyable system.

Should You Buy the XREAL Air in 2025? Final Verdict

Yes – so long as one’s hopes are measured, the XREAL Air holds its ground. For those who want a light, well-made display to extend their laptop for work, film, or the quieter side of gaming, it still offers uncommon value. It was never meant to rival the grand illusions of modern headsets, nor to replace the enveloping presence of something like the old PlayStation VR. Yet judged by its price and simplicity, it remains among the most practical of the affordable AR screens still in use.

Connected directly to the Lenovo LOQ through USB-C with DisplayPort, the glasses function without a hint of resistance. But those seeking greater freedom might turn to the XREAL Beam, a small transmitter that serves as both bridge and battery. It introduces wireless casting, HDMI support, and minor image corrections for devices that meet its demands. Its own charge adds several hours of viewing, allowing films or presentations to continue without drawing on the laptop’s reserves.

In practice, the Beam works well enough, though its convenience comes at a cost. The delay between motion and image grows noticeable in games, even if it scarcely matters when streaming a film or writing a report. It is also an awkward object to carry – solid, rectangular, and strangely reminiscent of an old music player.

Conclusion

The XReal Air is not a revolutionary one- it never claimed to be. These lightweight glasses have been silently surpassing most of the newer competitors just because they refuse to complicate things three years into its existence. To productivity warriors and even the casual gamers, it provides good performance without emptying your wallet or need to have an engineering degree. 

The XReal Air is a superpower in a business that is obsessed with pushing boundaries, and the ability to know its limitations and own them. It will not take you to another dimension, but it will get you through your Monday through Friday comfortably- and that is worth something.

FAQs

Q1: How do these perform for gaming?

Not bad, assuming that you do not expect it to be out of this world. Combined with a good hardware, you are getting 60-100+ frames in most titles without the immersive headset experience. 

Q2: How are the built-in speakers?

They are sufficient to handle dialogue-heavy content but shamefully ineffective to anything that needs audio. The headphones make the experience not just acceptable, but truly involving.

Q3: Is XReal Air worth buying in 2025?

To certain consumers – laptop users, casual gamers, movie lovers – yes. To any person anticipating an immersion of the future or a monitor upgrade, save your money. The XReal Air manages to triumph because it manages expectations so well instead of breaking them in a spectacular fashion.