Chinese AR Glasses Makers Ramp Up Push Into Korean Market

Xreal, a Chinese augmented reality (AR) glasses company, is aggressively targeting the Korean market with its latest product. The company's strategy is to achieve mass adoption of AR glasses through marketing tailored to Korean consumers. Competition among Chinese companies seeking to dominate the smart glasses market is also expected to intensify. Xreal held a press conference in Gangnam, Seoul on Tuesday and announced the domestic launch of its new product, the Xreal 1S. The key feature of the device is its ability to convert two-dimensional (2D) content into 3D in real time. Users can connect the AR glasses to a phone or laptop via a USB-C port without installing a separate application, allowing them to watch YouTube and over-the-top (OTT) streaming content in three dimensions. The company also addressed dizziness, a longstanding limitation of AR glasses. Conventional AR glasses move the display in sync with the user's head movements, causing motion sickness during prolonged use — a major barrier to mainstream adoption. The new Xreal model allows users to pin the screen to a fixed position within the AR virtual space. "The most common feedback from users was that they liked the large screen but were concerned about motion sickness and wished the display could be fixed in space," Xreal said. "Solving this problem was the core goal of the new product, and we achieved it through our proprietary spatial computing processor, the X1 chip." The display inside the AR glasses offers an ultra-wide 32:9 aspect ratio screen. Sound is delivered through output devices embedded in both arms of the glasses, developed in collaboration with premium audio brand Bose. When the animated film "Kung Fu Panda" was played on a smartphone and viewed through the glasses, the characters appeared to move with vivid depth right before the viewer's eyes, creating an immersive experience akin to sitting in a movie theater. Xreal plans to leverage these features to execute marketing customized for the Korean market. The product is priced at 650,000 won ($480), and Korean consumers can purchase it on platforms such as Naver and Coupang. The company's sales target for the Korean market through the end of this year is 10,000 units — double the sales volume of its previous model. Industry observers expect Chinese companies to flood the market with smart glasses products this year as they race to establish dominance. Beyond Xreal, Rokid has launched glasses equipped with AI and AR functions, while Rayneo has released glasses that reduce dependence on smartphones. Meizu is targeting lifestyle-oriented smart glasses demand with its ultra-lightweight AI glasses series. According to data from market research firm IDC, Chinese companies are projected to account for 45% of global AI glasses this year. While glasses have been identified as the next-generation device to succeed smartphones, no single company currently dominates the market. That gap is precisely why Chinese firms are concentrating their efforts on smart glasses. "Compared to the U.S. and China, the customer base for AR glasses in Korea has been limited to segments such as gamers," Xreal said. "We will significantly expand our Korean office staff and collaborate with domestic content partners to provide experiences optimized for Korean users."

Chinese AR Glasses Makers Ramp Up Push Into Korean Market

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