Xreal’s Project Aura targets Google’s Android XR platform

Xreal announced a strategic partnership with Google — built around Project Aura — to expand the ecosystem of spatial computing devices built on Android XR.

As part of this collaboration, Xreal unveiled Project Aura at the Google I/O developer conference — Xreal’s next-generation extended reality (XR) device designed specifically for the Android XR platform.

Project Aura is the second official device announced for Android XR and marks a major milestone for the platform: the introduction of an optical see-through (OST) XR device. A lightweight and tethered, cinematic, and Gemini AI-powered device, Project Aura brings a large field-of-view experience to the Android XR family — setting a new standard for immersive, wearable computing.

This collaboration also includes Qualcomm, bringing together leading innovation across hardware, silicon, and software to build the next wave of XR experiences. Project Aura uses Xreal’s proven track record in lightweight XR hardware, the Android XR software stack, and Qualcomm Snapdragon XR chipsets optimized for spatial computing.

“Google is thrilled to welcome Xreal to the Android XR family and to build great XR experiences on Project Aura,” said Hugo Swart, senior director of the XR ecosystem at Google, in a statement. “Android XR is the first Android platform built in the Gemini era, and it will support a rich ecosystem of immersive devices, both Virtual see-through (VST) and Optical see-through (OST). By combining our platform with Xreal’s leadership in portable XR hardware, we’re expanding spatial experiences to OST form-factors that are truly intuitive and accessible, representing a pivotal moment in our ecosystem.

“At XREAL, we’ve always pushed the boundaries of what XR hardware can do — combining performance, comfort, and design into something people can wear every day,” said Chi Xu, CEO of Xreal, in a statement. “Partnering with Google on Android XR takes this vision to the next level. Project Aura reflects the power of this collaboration — merging a robust platform with advanced chipsets and our expertise in optical systems. We believe this is a breakthrough moment for real-world XR.”

“Qualcomm Technologies is excited to be powering Xreal’s new Android XR device,” said Ziad Asghar, senior vice president of XR at Qualcomm, in a statement. “This collaboration marks a significant step forward in the expansion of the Android XR ecosystem. Working with Xreal, Snapdragon allows amazing immersive experiences to come to life in a unique optical see-through product. We are thrilled to see immersive experiences coming to more verticals opening up new possibilities for both consumers and developers.”

The unveiling of Project Aura marks a call-to-action for developers, Xreal said. Xreal, Google, and Qualcomm invite the developer community to begin envisioning new applications and use cases for this next generation of XR. Developers already building for headsets on the platform will be able to easily bring their apps to Project Aura.

While Project Aura makes its public debut today, further details will be announced at Augmented World Expo (AWE) in June 2025, and later this year.