{"id":1878701,"date":"2026-04-10T16:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1878701"},"modified":"2026-04-10T16:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:00:50","slug":"these-299-glasses-are-like-an-hdr-tv-on-your-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1878701","title":{"rendered":"These $299 Glasses Are Like an HDR TV on Your Face"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/bd0325e3f4edc15fb5951412c4b05810242e3bd4\/hub\/2026\/04\/09\/f90290d3-3965-41e7-8066-224051f844fa\/rayneo-air-4-pro-1.jpg?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=675&amp;width=1200&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-a6da3738-a0a6-4544-9810-8b4e7b2208f3\" class=\"c-pageArticle_body sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-6 lg:u-col-start-2\">\n<div class=\"c-pageArticle_content\">\n<div class=\"u-grid-columns\">\n<article class=\"c-ShortcodeContent c-ShortcodeContent-theme:default sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-12\">\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p1\">No one needs a TV they can wear on their face. But it&#8217;s fun. I&#8217;ve been living with display glasses for years now, and I&#8217;m pretty shocked with how good they&#8217;re getting. It&#8217;s also made me curious about how comparatively good different models can be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p2\"><span><span>Xreal<\/span><\/span> and <span><span>Viture&#8217;s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0latest glasses look like 1080p big-screen TVs floating in front of your eyes, with impressive clarity for their size. But there are competitors making more affordable options, too. TCL has a budget alternative: the $299 RayNeo Air 4 Pro, notably easier on the wallet than Xreal ($449 and up) and Viture ($399 and up). Of course, they also leave some key features out of the mix.<\/p>\n<p>First, though: Display glasses aren&#8217;t exactly the same as other <span><span>&#8220;smart glasses.&#8221;<\/span><\/span> Unlike <span><span>Meta&#8217;s Ray-Bans<\/span><\/span>, which take photos and act like headphones while also being infused with camera-connected AI, display glasses are really just plug-in wearable monitors, with headphones built into the arms and largely AI free. They work with just about any device that has USB-C video out, from iPhones to laptops to PC gaming handhelds such as the\u00a0<span><span>Steam Deck<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>I was curious how good RayNeo&#8217;s Air 4 Pros could be &#8212; and whether they&#8217;d make me forget about the fancier Xreal and Viture glasses. The short answer is no, but these RayNeos do have an HDR-capable micro-OLED display of excellent quality, meaning they can show images with higher contrast between bright and dark parts of the picture. If that&#8217;s all you care about, consider these. But they&#8217;re missing the extras that make higher-end glasses much more useful.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ef18b77a635f127638826d498d28c25df904cbd0\/hub\/2026\/04\/09\/43bb465a-20e8-4c54-82e1-8c9da4d3861a\/rayneo-air-4-pro-2.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses with prescription lens inserts added in\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>I had prescription lens inserts added to my pair, which you&#8217;ll need if you wear glasses already. They tend to cost around $50-$60.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Scott Stein\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Similar design, impressive display<\/h2>\n<p>RayNeo Air 4 Pro&#8217;s design is just like all the other glasses on the market, for the most part: Using &#8220;birdbath&#8221; style lenses, these glasses reflect micro OLED displays in the top edge of the frames down into your eyes via prism-like angled lenses. It&#8217;s a cheaper way to get impressive image quality versus trying to refract displays right onto on-lens waveguides (like <span><span>Meta&#8217;s Ray-Ban Displays<\/span><\/span>), but it also means a chunkier, not truly transparent look. These are wearable monitors, not everyday glasses. But they also have optional prescription inserts that you&#8217;ll need if you wear glasses and don&#8217;t use contacts. These glasses don&#8217;t fit over your own frames.<\/p>\n<p>In one sense, I&#8217;m impressed by the display quality of these RayNeos, which shouldn&#8217;t be a surprise since TCL already makes great TVs. Technically, these are HDR10-ready &#8212; a rarity for display glasses. While watching movies and YouTube, the difference can be hard to appreciate at times. Colors pop and brightness impresses, but overall these feel equivalent to what Xreal and Viture offer.<\/p>\n<p>The 1080p micro-OLED display runs at both 60 and 120 Hz and can be adjusted to several color tones, including &#8220;film&#8221; and &#8220;eye comfort&#8221; modes. Brightness, rated at 1,200 nits, looks vibrant &#8212; but in HDR mode, it gets noticeably dimmer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/3408d19e31e8f5c0ce2b92e30475021c16b9aa86\/hub\/2026\/04\/09\/eb7bb1ef-d612-488e-9c71-44fd1c593eed\/rayneo-air-4-pro-3.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses seen from the side, with tethered cable attached to the arm\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>I miss many of the extras that higher-end display glasses include, such as lens dimming and more adjustable display settings.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Scott Stein\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Missing features<\/h2>\n<p>What they lack, though, is audio punch and additional display configurations. The Bang &amp; Olufsen-powered speakers don&#8217;t sound as loud or as good as those in Xreal&#8217;s One series, but in a pinch they&#8217;re fine for casual movie watching or gaming. (I&#8217;d recommend just popping in earbuds instead.)<\/p>\n<p>Also missing is any way to &#8220;pin&#8221; a display in place &#8212; something Xreal and Viture&#8217;s newer glasses (Xreal One, Viture Luma Pro and Viture Beast) can do. I find it makes using a floating display for work far more helpful and natural-feeling, letting me move my head as needed while the display feels like it&#8217;s staying in one spot in my room. With these Air 4 Pros, though, the display&#8217;s just hard-glued to my eyes wherever I turn, following me. The glasses also lack deeper controls to make the screen larger or smaller or adjust the virtual depth. You can adjust the refresh rate to 120 Hz, though.<\/p>\n<p>These glasses also can&#8217;t auto-dim. While other display glasses often have electrochromic lens dimming that activates various shades to help block light or let more ambient light in, these rely on simple sunglass-like overlays. You can also go fully dark with a pop-on plastic shade (without it, some room light still bleeds in).<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s pretty much it. These glasses do show how good HDR can be on display glasses, though. Watching <span><span>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/span><\/span> on them back and forth in comparison with Viture&#8217;s Beast glasses (which I&#8217;ll be reviewing soon), I preferred the Beast for its larger display size and more vibrant image, but TCL&#8217;s glasses did help make darker scenes feel less overlit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In an ideal world, I&#8217;d want HDR on every pair of display glasses. But even so, I&#8217;d prefer paying more for a more fully featured set of glasses rather than choosing the limited Air 4 Pro.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div data-cy=\"articleLinkBlock\" class=\"c-articleLinkBlock\">\n<div class=\"c-articleLinkBlock_blockWrapper\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlock\">\n<h2 class=\"c-bestListLinkBlock_header\">\n    Computing Guides<br \/>\n  <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlock_itemContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_categoryContainer\"><span class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_category\"><br \/>\n      Laptops<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_listContainer\">\n<ul class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_list\">\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Laptop\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Chromebook\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Budget Laptop\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Cheap Gaming Laptop\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best 2-in-1 Laptop\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Windows Laptop\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Macbook\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Gaming Laptop\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Macbook Deals\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlock_itemContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_categoryContainer\"><span class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_category\"><br \/>\n      Desktops &amp; Monitors<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_listContainer\">\n<ul class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_list\">\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Desktop PC\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Gaming PC\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Monitor Under 200\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Desktop Deals\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Monitors\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          M2 Mac Mini Review\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlock_itemContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_categoryContainer\"><span class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_category\"><br \/>\n      Computer Accessories<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_listContainer\">\n<ul class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_list\">\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best PC Speakers\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Printer\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best External Hard Drive SSD\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best USB C Hub Docking Station\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Keyboard\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Webcams\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Mouse\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Laptop Backpack\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlock_itemContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_categoryContainer\"><span class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_category\"><br \/>\n      Photography<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_listContainer\">\n<ul class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_list\">\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Camera to Buy\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Vlogging Camera\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Tripod\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Waterproof Camera\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Action Camera\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Camera Bag and Backpack\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Drone\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlock_itemContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_categoryContainer\"><span class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_category\"><br \/>\n      Tablets &amp; E-Readers<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_listContainer\">\n<ul class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_list\">\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best E-Ink Tablets\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best iPad Deals\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best iPad\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best E-Reader\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Tablet\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Android Tablet\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlock_itemContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_categoryContainer\"><span class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_category\"><br \/>\n      3D Printers<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_listContainer\">\n<ul class=\"c-bestListLinkBlockItem_list\">\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best 3D Printer\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best Budget 3D Printer\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best 3D Printing Filament\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"g-text-xsmall g-outer-spacing-bottom-small\">\n          Best 3D Printer Deals\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-pageArticle_content\">\n<div class=\"u-grid-columns\">\n<article class=\"c-ShortcodeContent c-ShortcodeContent-theme:default sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-12\">\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p1\">No one needs a TV they can wear on their face. But it&#8217;s fun. I&#8217;ve been living with display glasses for years now, and I&#8217;m pretty shocked with how good they&#8217;re getting. It&#8217;s also made me curious about how comparatively good different models can be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p2\"><span><span>Xreal<\/span><\/span> and <span><span>Viture&#8217;s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0latest glasses look like 1080p big-screen TVs floating in front of your eyes, with impressive clarity for their size. But there are competitors making more affordable options, too. TCL has a budget alternative: the $299 RayNeo Air 4 Pro, notably easier on the wallet than Xreal ($449 and up) and Viture ($399 and up). Of course, they also leave some key features out of the mix.<\/p>\n<p>First, though: Display glasses aren&#8217;t exactly the same as other <span><span>&#8220;smart glasses.&#8221;<\/span><\/span> Unlike <span><span>Meta&#8217;s Ray-Bans<\/span><\/span>, which take photos and act like headphones while also being infused with camera-connected AI, display glasses are really just plug-in wearable monitors, with headphones built into the arms and largely AI free. They work with just about any device that has USB-C video out, from iPhones to laptops to PC gaming handhelds such as the\u00a0<span><span>Steam Deck<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>I was curious how good RayNeo&#8217;s Air 4 Pros could be &#8212; and whether they&#8217;d make me forget about the fancier Xreal and Viture glasses. The short answer is no, but these RayNeos do have an HDR-capable micro-OLED display of excellent quality, meaning they can show images with higher contrast between bright and dark parts of the picture. If that&#8217;s all you care about, consider these. But they&#8217;re missing the extras that make higher-end glasses much more useful.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ef18b77a635f127638826d498d28c25df904cbd0\/hub\/2026\/04\/09\/43bb465a-20e8-4c54-82e1-8c9da4d3861a\/rayneo-air-4-pro-2.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses with prescription lens inserts added in\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>I had prescription lens inserts added to my pair, which you&#8217;ll need if you wear glasses already. They tend to cost around $50-$60.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Scott Stein\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Similar design, impressive display<\/h2>\n<p>RayNeo Air 4 Pro&#8217;s design is just like all the other glasses on the market, for the most part: Using &#8220;birdbath&#8221; style lenses, these glasses reflect micro OLED displays in the top edge of the frames down into your eyes via prism-like angled lenses. It&#8217;s a cheaper way to get impressive image quality versus trying to refract displays right onto on-lens waveguides (like <span><span>Meta&#8217;s Ray-Ban Displays<\/span><\/span>), but it also means a chunkier, not truly transparent look. These are wearable monitors, not everyday glasses. But they also have optional prescription inserts that you&#8217;ll need if you wear glasses and don&#8217;t use contacts. These glasses don&#8217;t fit over your own frames.<\/p>\n<p>In one sense, I&#8217;m impressed by the display quality of these RayNeos, which shouldn&#8217;t be a surprise since TCL already makes great TVs. Technically, these are HDR10-ready &#8212; a rarity for display glasses. While watching movies and YouTube, the difference can be hard to appreciate at times. Colors pop and brightness impresses, but overall these feel equivalent to what Xreal and Viture offer.<\/p>\n<p>The 1080p micro-OLED display runs at both 60 and 120 Hz and can be adjusted to several color tones, including &#8220;film&#8221; and &#8220;eye comfort&#8221; modes. Brightness, rated at 1,200 nits, looks vibrant &#8212; but in HDR mode, it gets noticeably dimmer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/3408d19e31e8f5c0ce2b92e30475021c16b9aa86\/hub\/2026\/04\/09\/eb7bb1ef-d612-488e-9c71-44fd1c593eed\/rayneo-air-4-pro-3.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses seen from the side, with tethered cable attached to the arm\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>I miss many of the extras that higher-end display glasses include, such as lens dimming and more adjustable display settings.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Scott Stein\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Missing features<\/h2>\n<p>What they lack, though, is audio punch and additional display configurations. The Bang &amp; Olufsen-powered speakers don&#8217;t sound as loud or as good as those in Xreal&#8217;s One series, but in a pinch they&#8217;re fine for casual movie watching or gaming. (I&#8217;d recommend just popping in earbuds instead.)<\/p>\n<p>Also missing is any way to &#8220;pin&#8221; a display in place &#8212; something Xreal and Viture&#8217;s newer glasses (Xreal One, Viture Luma Pro and Viture Beast) can do. I find it makes using a floating display for work far more helpful and natural-feeling, letting me move my head as needed while the display feels like it&#8217;s staying in one spot in my room. With these Air 4 Pros, though, the display&#8217;s just hard-glued to my eyes wherever I turn, following me. The glasses also lack deeper controls to make the screen larger or smaller or adjust the virtual depth. You can adjust the refresh rate to 120 Hz, though.<\/p>\n<p>These glasses also can&#8217;t auto-dim. While other display glasses often have electrochromic lens dimming that activates various shades to help block light or let more ambient light in, these rely on simple sunglass-like overlays. You can also go fully dark with a pop-on plastic shade (without it, some room light still bleeds in).<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s pretty much it. These glasses do show how good HDR can be on display glasses, though. Watching <span><span>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/span><\/span> on them back and forth in comparison with Viture&#8217;s Beast glasses (which I&#8217;ll be reviewing soon), I preferred the Beast for its larger display size and more vibrant image, but TCL&#8217;s glasses did help make darker scenes feel less overlit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In an ideal world, I&#8217;d want HDR on every pair of display glasses. But even so, I&#8217;d prefer paying more for a more fully featured set of glasses rather than choosing the limited Air 4 Pro.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<article class=\"c-ShortcodeContent c-ShortcodeContent-theme:default sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-12\">\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p1\">No one needs a TV they can wear on their face. But it&#8217;s fun. I&#8217;ve been living with display glasses for years now, and I&#8217;m pretty shocked with how good they&#8217;re getting. It&#8217;s also made me curious about how comparatively good different models can be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p2\"><span><span>Xreal<\/span><\/span> and <span><span>Viture&#8217;s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0latest glasses look like 1080p big-screen TVs floating in front of your eyes, with impressive clarity for their size. But there are competitors making more affordable options, too. TCL has a budget alternative: the $299 RayNeo Air 4 Pro, notably easier on the wallet than Xreal ($449 and up) and Viture ($399 and up). Of course, they also leave some key features out of the mix.<\/p>\n<p>First, though: Display glasses aren&#8217;t exactly the same as other <span><span>&#8220;smart glasses.&#8221;<\/span><\/span> Unlike <span><span>Meta&#8217;s Ray-Bans<\/span><\/span>, which take photos and act like headphones while also being infused with camera-connected AI, display glasses are really just plug-in wearable monitors, with headphones built into the arms and largely AI free. They work with just about any device that has USB-C video out, from iPhones to laptops to PC gaming handhelds such as the\u00a0<span><span>Steam Deck<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>I was curious how good RayNeo&#8217;s Air 4 Pros could be &#8212; and whether they&#8217;d make me forget about the fancier Xreal and Viture glasses. The short answer is no, but these RayNeos do have an HDR-capable micro-OLED display of excellent quality, meaning they can show images with higher contrast between bright and dark parts of the picture. If that&#8217;s all you care about, consider these. But they&#8217;re missing the extras that make higher-end glasses much more useful.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ef18b77a635f127638826d498d28c25df904cbd0\/hub\/2026\/04\/09\/43bb465a-20e8-4c54-82e1-8c9da4d3861a\/rayneo-air-4-pro-2.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses with prescription lens inserts added in\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>I had prescription lens inserts added to my pair, which you&#8217;ll need if you wear glasses already. They tend to cost around $50-$60.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Scott Stein\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Similar design, impressive display<\/h2>\n<p>RayNeo Air 4 Pro&#8217;s design is just like all the other glasses on the market, for the most part: Using &#8220;birdbath&#8221; style lenses, these glasses reflect micro OLED displays in the top edge of the frames down into your eyes via prism-like angled lenses. It&#8217;s a cheaper way to get impressive image quality versus trying to refract displays right onto on-lens waveguides (like <span><span>Meta&#8217;s Ray-Ban Displays<\/span><\/span>), but it also means a chunkier, not truly transparent look. These are wearable monitors, not everyday glasses. But they also have optional prescription inserts that you&#8217;ll need if you wear glasses and don&#8217;t use contacts. These glasses don&#8217;t fit over your own frames.<\/p>\n<p>In one sense, I&#8217;m impressed by the display quality of these RayNeos, which shouldn&#8217;t be a surprise since TCL already makes great TVs. Technically, these are HDR10-ready &#8212; a rarity for display glasses. While watching movies and YouTube, the difference can be hard to appreciate at times. Colors pop and brightness impresses, but overall these feel equivalent to what Xreal and Viture offer.<\/p>\n<p>The 1080p micro-OLED display runs at both 60 and 120 Hz and can be adjusted to several color tones, including &#8220;film&#8221; and &#8220;eye comfort&#8221; modes. Brightness, rated at 1,200 nits, looks vibrant &#8212; but in HDR mode, it gets noticeably dimmer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/3408d19e31e8f5c0ce2b92e30475021c16b9aa86\/hub\/2026\/04\/09\/eb7bb1ef-d612-488e-9c71-44fd1c593eed\/rayneo-air-4-pro-3.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses seen from the side, with tethered cable attached to the arm\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>I miss many of the extras that higher-end display glasses include, such as lens dimming and more adjustable display settings.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Scott Stein\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Missing features<\/h2>\n<p>What they lack, though, is audio punch and additional display configurations. The Bang &amp; Olufsen-powered speakers don&#8217;t sound as loud or as good as those in Xreal&#8217;s One series, but in a pinch they&#8217;re fine for casual movie watching or gaming. (I&#8217;d recommend just popping in earbuds instead.)<\/p>\n<p>Also missing is any way to &#8220;pin&#8221; a display in place &#8212; something Xreal and Viture&#8217;s newer glasses (Xreal One, Viture Luma Pro and Viture Beast) can do. I find it makes using a floating display for work far more helpful and natural-feeling, letting me move my head as needed while the display feels like it&#8217;s staying in one spot in my room. With these Air 4 Pros, though, the display&#8217;s just hard-glued to my eyes wherever I turn, following me. The glasses also lack deeper controls to make the screen larger or smaller or adjust the virtual depth. You can adjust the refresh rate to 120 Hz, though.<\/p>\n<p>These glasses also can&#8217;t auto-dim. While other display glasses often have electrochromic lens dimming that activates various shades to help block light or let more ambient light in, these rely on simple sunglass-like overlays. You can also go fully dark with a pop-on plastic shade (without it, some room light still bleeds in).<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s pretty much it. These glasses do show how good HDR can be on display glasses, though. Watching <span><span>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/span><\/span> on them back and forth in comparison with Viture&#8217;s Beast glasses (which I&#8217;ll be reviewing soon), I preferred the Beast for its larger display size and more vibrant image, but TCL&#8217;s glasses did help make darker scenes feel less overlit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In an ideal world, I&#8217;d want HDR on every pair of display glasses. But even so, I&#8217;d prefer paying more for a more fully featured set of glasses rather than choosing the limited Air 4 Pro.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;http:\/\/cnet.com\/tech\/computing\/these-299-glasses-are-like-an-hdr-tv-on-your-face\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/bd0325e3f4edc15fb5951412c4b05810242e3bd4\/hub\/2026\/04\/09\/f90290d3-3965-41e7-8066-224051f844fa\/rayneo-air-4-pro-1.jpg?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=675&amp;width=1200&#8243;] No one needs a TV they can wear on their face. But it&#8217;s fun. I&#8217;ve been living with display glasses for years now, and I&#8217;m pretty shocked with how good they&#8217;re getting. It&#8217;s also made me curious about how comparatively good different models can be. Xreal and Viture&#8217;s\u00a0latest glasses look like 1080p [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[67,226],"class_list":["post-1878701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-cnet-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1878701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1878701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1878701\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1878701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1878701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1878701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}