Google is doubling down on extended reality, and this time it’s doing so with a familiar name in AR hardware.
The tech giant has announced a multi-year extension of its partnership with XREAL, officially naming the AR glasses maker a lead hardware partner for the Android XR ecosystem.
The move signals Google’s clearest push yet to bring Android XR beyond headsets and into lightweight, optical see-through smart glasses designed for both consumers and enterprises.
At the centre of the announcement is Project Aura, XREAL’s upcoming Android XR-powered AR glasses, slated for a consumer launch in 2026.
While Aura has been known for some time, Google’s renewed commitment elevates the device – and XREAL’s broader hardware roadmap –into a cornerstone of Android XR’s future.
Android XR Meets Optical See-Through AR
Android XR is Google’s answer to a fragmented XR landscape, aiming to unify augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR) development under a single platform.
Until now, much of the attention around Android XR hardware has focused on immersive headsets, with Samsung emerging as an early flagship partner.
By naming XREAL a lead hardware partner, Google is explicitly expanding Android XR into optical see-through devices – glasses that layer digital content directly onto the real world rather than blocking it out. This is a crucial distinction.
Optical see-through AR is widely seen as the long-term future of spatial computing, particularly for productivity, navigation, industrial workflows, and everyday wearable use.
In a joint statement, the companies said the extended partnership aligns XREAL’s “long-term hardware roadmap with the Android XR platform,” and commits both sides to bringing Android XR to wired XR glasses and other optical see-through form factors.
Project Aura: XREAL’s Flagship Android XR Glasses
Project Aura is shaping up to be the most ambitious device XREAL has built to date – and potentially the first optical see-through AR glasses to run Android XR.
The glasses feature a 70-degree field of view, the largest optical see-through display XREAL has ever delivered. That wider FOV is key for immersive mixed reality applications, enabling larger virtual workspaces, more natural media viewing, and spatial interfaces that feel less constrained.
Under the hood, Aura uses a distinctive split-compute architecture. The glasses themselves house XREAL’s proprietary X1S spatial computing chip, while a separate, tethered compute puck contains a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 processor along with the main battery. This design allows XREAL to keep the glasses lightweight and wearable, while still delivering high-performance XR features.
The system supports 6DoF tracking, hand and eye tracking, and spatial mapping – capabilities typically associated with much larger headsets.
XREAL CEO and co-founder Chi Xu framed Project Aura as a milestone not just for the company, but for XR as a whole:
“Project Aura is designed to be the perfect canvas for developers to build the future of consumer and enterprise XR experiences. This is the proof point that high-performance XR can be delivered in a portable form factor that fits naturally into people’s lives.”
Gemini AI and the Android App Ecosystem
One of the most significant aspects of the Google-XREAL collaboration is deep integration with Gemini AI.
Project Aura is designed to leverage Gemini for adaptive assistance in mixed reality tasks, from contextual information overlays to AI-driven productivity workflows.
For developers, this means access to Google’s rapidly evolving AI stack within a wearable AR form factor – something few platforms currently offer at scale.
Aura will also provide access to millions of apps via Google Play, lowering the barrier for developers to bring existing Android experiences into spatial environments.
Google and XREAL say tools for Android XR development are already available, with dedicated developer kits rolling out later this year, well ahead of the 2026 consumer launch.
Why This Partnership Matters
The XR industry has long struggled with a trade-off between performance and wearability.
High-end headsets deliver power but lack practicality, while lightweight AR glasses often fall short on capability. Google and XREAL are betting that split-compute, optical see-through devices can bridge that gap.
For Google, the partnership strengthens Android XR at a critical moment. Apple’s Vision Pro has raised expectations around spatial computing, while Meta continues to push aggressively into both VR and AR wearables. By anchoring Android XR to multiple hardware partners—including Samsung for headsets and XREAL for glasses – Google is positioning its platform as a flexible, hardware-agnostic alternative.
For XREAL, being named a lead hardware partner is a major vote of confidence. The company has steadily built credibility in the AR market, and this designation places it alongside Samsung as one of the primary faces of Android XR hardware.
More Hardware on the Horizon
Project Aura isn’t the end of the story. XREAL has hinted that the partnership with Google will extend to additional Android XR devices, including other wired XR glasses and optical see-through products.
At CES 2026, XREAL also revealed a separate collaboration with ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) on a pair of AR glasses aimed squarely at traditional gaming. That device is said to feature an eye-catching 240Hz refresh rate, underscoring XREAL’s intent to span productivity, entertainment, and gaming use cases across its lineup.
While many details remain under wraps – including final pricing and a precise launch date – Google says more information about Project Aura will be shared later this year.
