There's an Apple Vision Pro rival coming that could be more suited to everyday use

Rik Henderson
·2 min read
Rokid Max 2 AR glasses.
Credit: Rokid

Quick Summary

Chinese AR company has returned with a second-generation pair of tech-packed glasses that you're more likely to wear on your travels.

The Rokid AR Lite are also allegedly the first glasses powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Mobile Platform.

Augmented reality specialist Rokid is back with a new glasses system – said to be the first powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Mobile Platform.

The Rokid AR Lite comprises a second-generation pair of glasses – the Rokid Max 2 – and a Rokid Station 2. Its this latter component that contains the processing prowess, while the glasses themselves boast impressive specifications, especially when you consider that they look more like sunglasses or spectacles than rival devices, such as the Apple Vision Pro.

According to the manufacturer, they weigh 75g, but offer a 1200p resolution per eye through the Sony 0.68-inch MicroOLED display.

The 50-degree optical display field-of-view also means that wearers can see a virtual display that's the equivalent of up to 300-inches.

Up to 120Hz refresh rates are available too, along with support for Spatial Video, including Apple's technology.

An audio system is built into the AR Lite frames.

Rokid Max 2 AR glasses
Rokid Max 2 AR glasses

The Rokid Station 2 is a small, handheld unit that comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. It sports 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage on board, with a 5,000mAh battery providing the power. By housing the battery inside the separate accessory rather than the glasses themselves, Rokid had further kept the weight down.

Owners of the existing Rokid Max AR glasses can also upgrade their system, simply by adding the Rokid Station 2.

Speaking of which, we tested the original Max glasses last year, which we said were a doddle to setup using an Android phone. The second-gen version is compatible with iPhone and iPad too.

Rokid Max 2 AR glasses
Rokid Max 2 AR glasses

Indeed, you can use it with a wide array of devices, including games consoles (for playing games on the virtual screen in 2D). The glasses can also view 3D pictures and videos running off a compatible phone.

As well as the smaller form factor, the Rokid AR Lite system is a lot cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro. It is currently listed for pre-order on Kickstarter, as part of a crowd-funding phase.

You can get yourself the package from $499 (around £393) as part of an "early bird" price. It will usually set you back from $749.

Shipping will start in September this year, it is claimed.