Nreal launches its Light AR glasses in Korea bundled with either an Galaxy Note 20 or LG Velvet

Nreal looks set to blaze the trail that Magic Leap failed to do in the consumer market with its new AR glasses. The device has launched in Korea on LG-owned carrier U+ and can be pre-ordered at a discounted price when bundled with either the LG Velvet or Samsung Galaxy Note 20. Unlike the Magic Leap, which aimed to be a standalone device with a clip-on computing unit, the Nreal Light connects to a smartphone over USB-C for its ‘brains.’

For the Korean launch, the Light has been rebranded the U+ Real Glass and costs around US$295 when purchased with either the Velvet or Note 20. It also can also be picked up without a smartphone, but this raises the price of entry to around US$590 when it goes on sale in Korean U+ stores on August 21. As with most AR-first headsets, its field of view is relatively narrow at 52-degrees -- most VR headsets offer field of views up to 100-degrees.

That said, the Nreal Light includes a VR Cover that blocks out external light sources to also double as a more immersive VR headset if desired. Perhaps even cooler, the headset and its Nebula UI works with any Android app allowing users to interact with their smartphone in an entirely new way. Any Android app developer can also use Nreal’s APIs to make their app compatible with its hand-tracking functionality.

The Nreal Light will be reaching international markets before the end of 2020, according to a statement made to Engadget.