Through the looking glass(es): AR glasses at the MWC
2/3/2023
Translation: Megan Cornish
Augmented reality jumps out at me from every corner at the MWC. I gave the most interesting glasses a try.
It’s a touchy subject for people who wear glasses: more glasses? Do I need them? What’s the benefit for me? The glasses I was able to try out at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona are all still concept products. This means they’re not (yet) for sale and may never be. It also means they have a weak point or two. Nevertheless, I’ve put together an initial overview.
Essnz Berlin
The start-up company tooz brought out its Essnz Berlin AR glasses on the Sunday before the MWC. The frame and app are prototypes and are intended to demonstrate example applications.
When I put the glasses on, I see a small neon green screen on the right lens. This is where I can touch the frame or use voice control to display applications such as a music player or a workout with trainer input. The sound is delivered by integrated speakers. Music doesn’t sound all that great, but I can understand the spoken word fine.
Source: Fabian Stieger
Corrective lenses can be added for those who wear glasses. Reflected onto the glass from the right arm, a microLED display provides the integrated image. The image is easy to see, but only overlays the right field of view. It takes a little getting used to, but it’s not too distracting.
Source: Fabian Stieger
The prototype’s battery should last the whole day, which is definitely desirable in practice. tooz hopes companies that buy the glasses will each collaborate on the hardware, software and design for the end product.
Oppo Air Glass 2
Oppo’s AR glasses offer a similar concept to the Essnz Berlin. The Air Glass 2 is lighter at 38 grammes and, by contrast, even projects two microLED screens onto the glasses. Additional dioptric lenses can also be installed. Writing looks more three-dimensional, but a bit far away due to the two-sided view. But I can read the text relatively well.
Source: Jan Johannsen
The device can only be used with a smartphone. Microphones are built into both sides of the temples, so I can listen to music or make phone calls. The music was way too loud for me at first. The speakers are quite powerful. I can control the apps displayed on the right bracket by swiping and pressing a button. The glasses are comfortable to wear, and I imagine the app for navigation would be practical in everyday life.
Source: Jan Johannsen
Lenovo ThinkReality A3
Lenovo shows me an exciting augmented reality concept. The displays on the ThinkReality A3 glasses are connected to the computer via cable and can’t yet be used independently.
When I put on the glasses, I have to squint to see the neon green glowing menu in the top left clearly – you can’t correct the dioptre. They also sit irritatingly far from the face. The glasses recognise my hand and outline it in blue. I can then use it to grab a rendered cube and move it around.
I can operate the menu by «pressing» in the air. I choose the drawing function. I shape my hand as if I had a pen in it, enabling me to draw three-dimensional lines in the air. They’re even rainbow-coloured. Everything’s still a bit jerky and doesn’t always react immediately. The controls are cumbersome. The lines are also somewhat bumpy and pixellated. I don’t exactly draw a masterpiece – but it’s definitely fun. An application with sound wasn’t demonstrated to me, so I’m not sure whether it could play sound.
Source: Jan Johannsen
nubia Neovision Glass
nubia also has AR glasses. The Neovision Glass looks promising. As a glasses wearer, I have a big advantage here: the dioptres can be adjusted independently of each other using the small wheels at the top left and right.
I can see the screen of the connected smartphone via a projection onto the lenses beyond both sides of the frames. The image is pleasantly darkened by the visor. I can see the coloured image clearly and sharply in front of me – almost like using a projector in a dark room. These glasses are the only ones I tested that display a coloured image rather than simple neon green text.
Source: Fabian Stieger
Apart from the dioptres, I don’t have many adjustment options, except that the darkening visor in front of the glasses can be easily removed with a magnet.
Source: Fabian Stieger
From insight to outlook
As concept products, the AR glasses still need some development. Nonetheless, trying them out was an exciting experience. And the constant development might mean I’ll be able to report on AR glasses that are suitable for everyday use at the next MWC.
Header image: Jan Johannsen
In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.
