OPINION : AR is a mo of a buzzword in 2023 with company like Meta and Nreal releasing headset with a focus on the engineering .

It ’s exciting , but the Nreal Air glasses require a wired telephone set connection andMeta ’s Quest Prois a full - blownVRheadset withARcapabilities . Not quite the legendary slimline AR glasses , then .

I ’ve seen a few AR headsets during my time atMWC 2023 , and all have one thing in mutual ; they ’re not quick for select time just yet . The huge bulk are big , bulky and quite patently not a stock twain of glass , and some – like Qualcomm ’s reference AR headset – even have an extra display in front of the lens system .

For all but the most dedicated techies , this will be offputting to use on a daily basis .

But as I walk the show , disheartened by how little we ’ve achieved in get under one’s skin close to the fabled slimline AR glasses of tomorrow , the Oppo pedestal – and the Oppo Air Glass 2 plane section in special – caught my attention .

The first matter that struck me was just how heavyset Oppo ’s Air Glass 2 concept glasses are . Sure , they ’re still slightly thicker than your average pair of specs , but they ’re nottoofar off . You could possibly essay and pass it off as a conscious style selection , but I ’m not sure I couldquitepull it off .

They also weigh next to nothing , just like a twosome of regular glass , despite a built - in shelling , show and other tech , which mean they felt like a normal duet of glass on the boldness . That ’s not something I can say for any other AR headset I ’ve tried so far , and I ca n’t downplay how telling it is .

So far , so skilful , then . But , the of import question is , how do they perform ?

I was half - expect the glass at the booth to be nothing more than dummies , particularly move over just how lightweight they were , but no , they were in reality functional . Donning the glasses I was greeted with all - green text edition and images like something from a ninety cyberpunk picture , but I imagine this will interchange before the headset comes to market .

Using simple ( and surprisingly responsive ) swipe and tap gesture on the correct branch , you may browse through a menu of features including weather , calendar , teleprompter , map and translation , though the latter two are n’t available to demo just yet .

The calendar and weather are passably ego - explanatory , but the teleprompter could be a great option for those that on a regular basis do introduction . The textbook was easy legible as I talk with an Oppo representative , without the need to awkwardly bet up and to the left like with Google Glass . He also suggested it could also be used to read books hands - free on my morning commute , which I could see myself enjoying as I clamber onto a packed thermionic valve train .

As I discuss in myarticle about AR and ChatGPT , real - meter translation and transcription will be a real boon for AR headsets , allowing you to discourse with someone in another language in real time without the motive for a smartphone translation app . I wish I had that for my time in Barcelona …

Now before you get too activated , the Oppo Air Glass 2 are very much still at the concept stagecoach – though seemingly further along than the majority of the companies showcasing at MWC 2023 . As to when they could appear as a consumer - facing product , that ’s anybody ’s guess .

However , during an audience , Oppo provided a little setting on Oppo ’s construct development process . While the Oppo Air Glass 2 development plan was n’t explicitly outlined , it was explicate that theOppo Find Nwent through six iteration over four years before it was quick to go to mart .

If you read into that , it seems like the second - gen Oppo Air Glass 2 are still a few iterations away from being ready , but depending on how dissolute Oppo knock out those various iterations , wemightonly be a few class by from these glasses coming to marketplace – and I really ca n’t wait .