RayNeo Air 3s Pro AR glasses review: A meaningful usability upgrade for already stellar glasses

I had a chance to take a look at the RayNeo Air 3s augmented reality (AR) glasses last year and was impressed by the upgrades over the prior generation. RayNeo is back again, delivering another round of upgrades with the Air 3s Pro.

The biggest upgrade compared to the Air 3s is a significant boost in maximum brightness, which now measures 1,200 nits versus 650 nits. There are also minor tweaks, like the HueView 2.0 screen technology, but the overall design and features we loved in the Air 3s are still here. Best yet, the price is still attractive, coming in at just under $300.

Design of the RayNeo Air 3s Pro

Aesthetically, the Air 3s Pro looks nearly identical to the preceding Air 3s. The main difference is that the former has a dark grey plastic finish along the temples (with a shimmering, sparkling effect baked in), while the latter is silver. What hasn’t changed is the quality of the materials used on the glasses. The plastic still feels cheap, especially with the graining around the lens frames. However, RayNeo’s efforts to cut costs also mean that the decision has a positive effect on weight – the Air 3s Pro only weighs 2.68 ounces (76 grams), the same as the Air 3s.

The single-piece front lens remains, which sits in front of the two bird bath lenses that reflect the image projected by the two 0.6-inch Micro-OLEDs. RayNeo still doesn’t include a set of plastic light blockers to reduce ambient light, and you won’t find electrochromic dimming at this price point.

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The Micro-OLEDs give you a resolution of 1920 x 1080 per eye, or 3840 x 1080 in 3D mode. Even with the next-generation HueView 2.0 technology, sRGB and DCI-P3 coverage remain the same at 145 percent and 98 percent, respectively. The 3,840 Hz DC+PWM “OptiCare” dimming system also carries over, along with the maximum 120 Hz refresh rate and a native contrast ratio of 200,000:1.

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The temples attach to the frame using a three-position adjustment. The glasses ship in the middle “neutral” position, or you can adjust the temples one click up or down to suit your viewing preference. There’s a volume rocker and a menu button on the underside of the left temple, while a brightness rocker is found on the adjacent temple. The four-speaker sound system is also mounted on the temples, two on each side. The USB-C to USB-C cable, required to connect to a smartphone, tablet, or computer, plugs into the right temple tip.

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RayNeo includes a fair number of accessories in the box, such as a newly designed carrying case. The company has switched from its hard zipper case with a carrying loop to a less substantial felt-style case with a button closure. It’s a step back in quality and is bulkier than the previous case. Other items included in the box are the aforementioned USB-C to USB-C cable, a cleaning cloth, and a frame for prescription lens inserts.

Specifications for the RayNeo Air 3s Pro

Using the RayNeo Air 3s Pro

I typically connect AR glasses to my smartphone to run the bulk of my eyes-on tests, but my iPhone Air infuriatingly doesn’t support video output. As a result, I had to perform testing with a borrowed iPhone 17 (from my wife), an iPad Air (M4), a MacBook Air (M4), a Mac mini (M4), and a Lenovo Legion Go.

The increase in maximum brightness was immediately noticeable in a back-to-back comparison with the older Air 3s. This was noticeable when sitting on my sofa in the den with the window blinds open, to let in natural light. Even when looking directly at the window from across the room, the image on the screen (from the iPad Pro) still came through clearly. I could just make out a hint of light peeking through the blinds, but it was totally manageable. Looking anywhere else in the room with the glasses on only showed a bright, clear image without any additional light bleed-through.

I primarily use AR glasses like the Air 3s Pro indoors, so the increased brightness to 1,200 nits lets me enjoy them with the image displayed directly in front of me. One upside of the increased brightness is that there is less need for a plastic shade over the front lens to block ambient light from spoiling the viewing experience. This is critical because RayNeo doesn’t include a plastic shade/light blocker in the box, and the glasses don’t feature electrochromic dimming. However, light bleed-through is still a problem outdoors, where even the Air 3s Pro's increased brightness isn't enough to overcome sunlight. In those instances, it would be nice to have 25 cents' worth of plastic to cover the lens.

I spent a great deal of time lounging on the couch watching Fallout Season 2 on Amazon Prime Video. Like with the Air 3s, the Air 3s Pro was an absolute champ regarding image quality. The imagery was bright and colorful, with nary a stutter in the frame rate. From the blue of Lucy’s uniform to the copious amounts of blood splatter, the dual Micro-OLED displays did an excellent job of providing a “big screen” experience (RayNeo claims that you get up to a 201-inch virtual display at a simulated 6 meters in front of your face).

More importantly, the image was clear and crisp across the entire field of view (which wasn’t the case on the older Air 2s but was rectified in the Air 3s). It cannot be overstated that blurriness around the periphery of your viewing area is a serious buzzkill for overall image quality and eye fatigue, so it’s good to see that the Air 3s Pro is on the right track in this regard.

The rest of my time with the Air 3s Pro was spent testing it on various other devices around the house. I spent about half of the day using the glasses as my primary display in macOS Tahoe 26.2 without a hint of eye fatigue. I also hooked the glasses up to a first-generation Lenovo Legion Go. I played Red Dead Redemption 2 for hours, creating as much mayhem as possible (to the detriment of my honor level).

Overall, I had nothing but positive things to say about the viewing experience with the Air 3s Pro on all the devices I tested. The same goes for the four-speaker audio system, which appears to be a carryover from the Air 3s (itself a massive upgrade over the Air 2s). The sound was clear and vibrant, with just a hint of bass (although I always ask for more when it comes to AR glasses). There’s only so much that you can do with speakers while working within the space constraints of a pair of glasses, but RayNeo strikes a delicate balance here with the Air 3s Pro.

Bottom Line

The RayNeo Air 3s Pro isn’t a groundbreaking revelation in the AR glasses space. It’s just a minor spec bump compared to its Air 3s predecessor, with the primary change being the new Micro-OLED displays, which offer a significant boost in maximum brightness. The excellent overall image quality, great speakers, and lightweight design.

However, the downsides of its predecessor haven’t been addressed: the somewhat cheap construction of the frame and temples, and the lack of a plastic light blocker (which would be beneficial when using the Air 3s Pro outdoors). In addition, another downside has crept in: the carrying case feels cheaper and less sturdy than the one that came with the Air 3s.

With that said, the Air 3s Pro is still a fantastic entry into the AR glasses world, and the $299 price tag makes it a compelling alternative to the Xreal One, which costs an additional $150.