I test AR glasses for a living, and the RayNeo Air 3s are the ones I'd buy with my own money

RayNeo Air 3s glasses: One minute review

I’ve been reviewing AR smart glasses for a few years, and while they’ve been some of my favorite gadgets to test in that time I haven’t found a pair that offered a value proposition which I felt made them something I could recommend to the masses. That is, until I tested the RayNeo Air 3s glasses which are a shoo-in for inclusion on our best smart glasses list.

Costing just $269 these AR specs punch well above their pay grade with generally solid visuals, good audio quality, and a very comfy design.

The Full-HD image created by its dual-micro-OLED setup boasts generally strong color accuracy and contrast, though there are times when the image can appear washed out, and because the mirrored outer lens doesn’t block out all external light brighter environments can disrupt the glasses’ image to the point that it’s tough to make out what you’re watching.

As for the audio, you can hear a stark difference between the sound of these glasses and models that have come before. RayNeo’s Air 3s glasses take things up a level to the point that headphones feel like they aren’t a necessity if you want decent midtones, highs, and bass. Though, while Whisper Mode 2.0 generally keeps what you’re listening to private at louder volumes it does fail so if you like to be drowned in sound you’ll still need some cans.

Design-wise these specs are comfy, look fairly stylish, and come with a hard carry case that’s perfect for transporting these specs in your bag so you can always have them with you when you travel – based on my experience taking them on trips in testing I can confirm that they're the best travel companion you could have.

While you can spend more to find better AR smart glasses – such as the Xreal One glasses – RayNeo has seriously knocked it out of the park with RayNeo Air 3s glasses when you factor in how affordable they are. If you’ve been keen to get a pair, and don’t want to break the bank, there’s never been a better time to finally experience what these kinds of AR specs can do.

RayNeo Air 3s glasses: Price and availability

The RayNeo Air 3s glasses are available to buy in the US for $269 from RayNeo’s online store. This puts them at the budget end of the scale, but that doesn’t mean RayNeo’s latest specs don’t pack a punch with solid visuals and sound. If you’re after excellent value for your money in the AR glasses world, this is it.

• Value score: 5/5

RayNeo Air 3s glasses: Design

• Wired USB-C connection
• 76g, comfy to use for long sessions
• No shades or electrochomic dimming for a black backdrop

The RayNeo Air 3s specs follow the tried and tested design approach of pretty much all smart glasses of their ilk. But that I mean they look – at a glance – just like a pair of sunglasses, with RayNeo’s frame being complete with mirrored lenses.

Take a closer look and you’ll spy a USB-C port on the tip of their right arm – which you plug a cable into to pair them with a compatible device like a phone, PC of games console (which either support DisplayPort via USB-C or by using an adapter like an HDMI-to-USB-C cable) – as well as buttons and large reflective prisms behind the lenses.

The buttons control screen brightness, volume, and access an image settings menu depending which you press, and the prisms allow the wearer to spy a pair of micro-OLED panels which deliver an impressive full-HD image (more on that in a moment).

These glasses are also outfitted with a quad-speaker setup (two on each arm) which RayNeo says only takes up the space of two single speakers while enhancing audio performance (again, more on that below).

All of this is crammed into a lightweight 76g package that thanks to two nose pad options, and three adjustable lens viewing angles can sit comfortably on your face for hours on end.

And to carry around the glasses and their USB-C cable you’ll get a handy hard carry case.

Overall the design is great but the one big flaw is the lack of aliens cover or electrochromic dimming. That’s because while the mirrored lens setup does cut out a fair amount of light they don’t create a black backdrop which can ruin the contrast and color vividness of what you’re watching – especially in brighter environments.

• Design score: 4/5

RayNeo Air 3s glasses: Performance

• Full-HD, 650 nit image
• Good audio quality
• Pairs with a good amount of USB-C devices

The RayNeo Air 3s glasses offer a good performance that’s unfortunately let down by the lack of black backdrop (as I mentioned in the design section).

The full-HD image they produce generally boasts bright colors and good contrast – even in darker scenes where poor contrast can mean you miss out on the action. Though they aren’t perfect.

For one, there is blurring at the edges without the screen adjustments to solve it like some of their competition.

What’s more, there were times when scenes looked washed out with muted colors that broke me out of my immersion. And thanks to the always translucent background it can be hard to use the glasses in brighter environments as light from the real world will dilute the OLED screen’s image, ruining the picture.

Audio wise things sound strong. The audio quality has taken a serious step up with RayNeo’s new quad speaker setup. The specs boast a “200%” superior audio compared to the previous generation’s Air 2S glasses with crisper highs, more detailed mids, and deeper bass.

In my tests I’d say they certainly live up to what they promise, with impressive sound that is only bested by the Xreal One glasses when it comes to smart glasses I’ve tested. This means that while headphones can still improve your experience they don’t feel like a necessity – something I can't say for many smart glasses.

Whisper Mode 2.0, a feature which promises less sound leakage, also seems to perform well as at moderate volumes you can’t easily make out what the glasses are playing unless you’re wearing them or sat very close by. Though at higher volumes whisper mode does fail to keep your audio private, so keep that in mind.

Some drawbacks are to be expected at this price, but what you do get from the RayNeo Air 3s glasses is very good when you consider how much they cost compared to their competition – so yes, they could do better, but they’re still doing very well.

• Performance: 4/5

Should you buy the RayNeo Air 3s glasses?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

Xreal One
The Xreal One AR smart glasses cost more at $499 / £449 but do deliver better audio and a better picture, though I’m not sure the improvement is worth the added cost frankly.

Ray-Ban meta smart glasses
These glasses don’t come with AR functions, instead they boast an AI and a camera. If you’re after smart glasses you can wear all the time and have a jack-of-all-trades approach these specs could be a better fit for you.
Read our Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses review

Meta Quest 3
While not a direct competitor to AR smart glasses like this pair from RayNeo, the Quest 3 is an XR product you should consider if you want to experience what VR and MR have to offer as it’s frankly fantastic.
Read our Meta Quest 3 review

How I tested the RayNeo Air 3s glasses

I spent a few weeks testing the RayNeo Air 3s glasses ahead of their release trying them in a variety of use cases. I took them with me on my commutes to work and a recent press trip I took to Copenhagen so I could try them out on a flight. I used them at home at my desk to work, and while relaxing on my couch to play games on my PS5 with an HDMI adapter.

I made sure to test them in long sessions to check on the comfort quality over an extended period of time (sessions lasting at least two hours) and used them with and without headphones to test their audio quality.

Read more about how we test.

• First reviewed April 2025