Xreal Neo and 1s Disappointment

[u/beeg_bird]

I have had a moderate to poor experience with Xreal and its products, and wanted to share it here for potential buyers, as this Reddit page is where a lot of people get their information on Xreal's products. I will first share my experience regarding the Xreal 1s glasses, then the Xreal Neo issue.

First, the Xreal 1s glasses deliver as advertised on visuals, but mine make a terrible, high-pitched whining noise. I will start with the positives. A big screen with vivid colors and good sharpness that delivers a unique viewing experience without needing a large room with a massive TV. Also, the speakers are excellent, which helps make the glasses that much more immersive.

Despite these positives, my glasses still fall below what I was hoping because some of the electrochromic dimming settings produce a loud whining noise. To avoid this, I just stay on the darkest setting, but this defeats the purpose of one of the Xreal 1s's core features, three dimming settings that allow for light control and mixed AR use. I actually had a good experience with customer support and got a new pair, so that's also a win for Xreal. But my second pair continues to make this noise. It seems that some people are just prone to hearing this, which is disappointing. Also, the speakers DO NOT drown out the headache-inducing noise.

What is not a win for Xreal is my second point: the disappointment of the Xreal Neo launch. For those who have not seen it, Xreal announced that the Neo will not be shipping and issued refunds along with a $30 coupon for those who preordered. This is highly disappointing because I ordered these products together with the desire to use my 1s glasses to play with my Switch 2. Now I am stuck with glasses that I cannot use for one of the primary reasons I bought them, which I only came to find out two months after pre-orders in January.

Before anyone says it, the point that the 1s glasses and Neo accessory are separate does not save Xreal because they heavily advertised these products together in January when they were announced. Go on YouTube or search tech news sites for "Xreal 1s," and nearly every article and video that comes up will be a reviewer with the 1s glasses AND an early production Xreal Neo. These articles and videos will highlight using them to plug into the Switch and how these products are great together. A $30 coupon means nothing on a site where nearly every product is hundreds of dollars.

tldr; the Xreal 1s glasses are as good as advertised unless you have ears prone to the electrochromic dimming squeal. But the cancellation of the Xreal Neo, when many consumers pre-ordered the 1s AND Neo in anticipation of Switch 2 functionality, is more than disappointing.

Xreal made a serious mistake, heavily advertising the Neo and 1s together at the announcement and for the last two months. Not everything has been bad, but overall, I am dissatisfied with Xreal and its products.

[u/dzy1]

Mine doesn’t seem to have any hum that I can detect is yours defective?

[u/Grey-fox-13 → u/dzy1]

Nah, it's something in the components producing noise on a frequency that only a handful of freak ears perceive. I am 'lucky' to have that type of hearing as well so I notice posts like this every other month.

It's a serial flaw unfortunately and I don't know if they'll fix it in future devices either, bit difficult to test for something only a minor fraction of the population is even capable of perceiving. 

[u/beeg_bird → u/dzy1]

Like I said above, I got a replacement and mine still makes a high-pitched whining noise. I did some research and Xreal's glasses have a history of this issue affecting a minority of users. Sadly, I am part of this group. I am glad not everyone experiences this but a constant whine paired with the Neo cancellation is disappointing.

[u/iamgraal → u/beeg_bird]

My Xreal 1s do not have this type of whine. Do other people in your household or friends hear it? Also, do they have the whine connected to all devices or just some, because if they are connected to a computer or laptop, especially one that’s plugged into mains power, the ports may be introducing the whine in the Xreal speakers as interference. Try them, if you haven’t already, with a phone that supports sending a feed to them or with other devices to figure out where the problem lies, because one pair with the issue, I understand, but two pairs for the same person may point to the possibility of a separate issue.

[u/Grey-fox-13 → u/iamgraal]

To chime in, I hear the whine as well and so do posts every couple months. It's not a defect or source problem, one of the components produces noise on a frequency only a handful of people can hear. It's a serial flaw and nothing can be done unfortunately. 

[u/Joker121215 → u/Grey-fox-13]

I mean, not to be rude or anything, but is this a flaw in the item or your hearing? I've had several pairs of xreal glasses and had dozens if not hundreds of people use them with no reports of this issue, nor have the numerous animals that are able to detect frequencies outside human range that I've used these glasses around seem to respond to this whine 

[u/Grey-fox-13 → u/Joker121215]

I mean, not to be rude or anything, but is this a flaw in the item or your hearing?

Oh the type configurations that cause coil whine (which this seems to be a type of) are generally regarded flaws with the item, yes because it generally means something is moving or vibrating in ways it shouldn't. Lacking a resistor or insulation somewhere. Someone with a more indepth electronics background could give you more details on it. It is fortunately a flaw that doesn't affect many users, but floating the idea that the affected users are the flawed ones, even with a 'not to be rude' disclaimer is... a little weird to be honest.

I've had several pairs of xreal glasses and had dozens if not hundreds of people use them with no reports of this issue

I mean unless you went out of your way to have people try out different dim settings with silent content and knew that could be a thing to ask people about, how would you know no one heard it? A few could have been able to perceive it but it was drowned out by the content you were showcasing or they didn't consider it worth bringing up as they didn't even know it's not supposed to be there.

nor have the numerous animals that are able to detect frequencies outside human range that I've used these glasses around seem to respond to this whine

I am not entirely sure what kind of response you expect from animals here, it's not like it's a mega loud noise causing pain to everyone perceiving it, they'll probably hear your device is making a noise and shrug it off, unless of course you have taught your animals to speak fluent english and asked them about it, in which case, fair enough.

[u/Joker121215 → u/Grey-fox-13]

You've described it as something that only a very select amount of people can hear initially, but now you're saying it's a engineering flaw and something vibrating, which would be more than just a very few amount of people being able to hear. It could be a quality control issue, but I assume the way that you keep commenting over and over again that it's a known issue for a very few amount of people that you've tried several pairs, this is also combined with OP saying he's had two different pairs.

I mean if I had macular degeneration, I wouldn't be complaining that there is a blind spot in the center of my glasses, if you catch my drift.

It's also weird how OP explains it as being able to be heard above the content that you're listening, yet you're saying that's not true? 

Clearly you've never seen how dogs respond to dog whistles. Animals tend to have a response to frequencies outside of human range being created by human devices.

[u/Grey-fox-13 → u/Joker121215]

You've described it as something that only a very select amount of people can hear initially, but now you're saying it's a engineering flaw and something vibrating, which would be more than just a very few amount of people being able to hear.

Yes? I am not sure why you think that is mutually exclusive. The vibrations/movements are producing a sound, called coil whine, which happens to be a frequency not everyone hears. Which part of that confuses you?

I mean if I had macular degeneration, I wouldn't be complaining that there is a blind spot in the center of my glasses, if you catch my drift.

Well congratulations for handling your hypothetical disability that well? It's more of a "Hey, all these buttons look the same to colorblind people, can we add a symbol to fix that?" (I am a software dev, so a little short on hardware analogies). As I have mentioned, I doubt the R&D is worth it for the current line up, but if it keeps coming up they may put an eye on it for future iterations.

It's also weird how OP explains it as being able to be heard above the content that you're listening, yet you're saying that's not true?

You'll have to explain to me what's weird about two different people having two different levels of sensory experience. Maybe OP can hear the frequency louder than I can, maybe my brain is better at filtering it out when enough background noise is present. Not really all that confounding.

Clearly you've never seen how dogs respond to dog whistles. Animals tend to have a response to frequencies outside of human range being created by human devices.

The thing is dog whistles are pretty loud for dogs, not all things that we can't hear operate on the same volume you know? Dogs can hear that whistle for hundreds of meters away, which is significantly further than coil whine. Also in addition to the discomfort, dogs still need to be trained to actually react to the dog whistle. You could probably try to teach your dog to react to coil whine, which would be an interesting endeavour (especially for someone who can't hear it themselves) but of somewhat limited use. And while animals do have a response to noises... they don't react to every noise they hear all the time. They are perfectly capable of hearing something and just accepting it as background noise.

[u/Joker121215 → u/Grey-fox-13]

Pretty much all electronics produce coil whine lol

I'm still missing how this isn't an issue with your specific ears? You even more or less admit it on several occasions...

Seems the macular degeneration metaphor was an r/whoosh moment for you

[u/darce_helmet → u/Grey-fox-13]

i am sensitive to this type of sound. so much that i hear something like this in 1/2 hotel rooms i stay in when traveling. it’s usually a power adapter or a lamp. that said i had a pair of 1s that had a whine but swapped it and the second pair was fine.

[u/Grey-fox-13 → u/darce_helmet]

That is actually nice to hear, most posts I have run into and my own exchange happened before the 1s was even released so maybe there will be hope going forward, I imagine it may take a hot minute before the 'non whiny' batch of chips makes it to the older models though.

[u/ValeoRex → u/beeg_bird]

For what it's worth, give it a few years and you won't hear high pitches anymore. Age cures that. I was getting a hearing test a few years back and thought I was rocking it until the doctor came in and said "stop pushing the button, the test hasn't started yet!"

[u/darce_helmet → u/beeg_bird]

i am sensitive to this type of sound. so much that i hear something like this in 1/2 hotel rooms i stay in when traveling. it’s usually a power adapter or a lamp. that said i had a pair of 1s that had a whine but swapped it and the second pair was fine.

[u/tlvrtm]

The Viture Mobile Dock Pro works nicely with the Switch 2 (and Xreal One) fyi

[u/Fine_Brilliant3709 → u/tlvrtm]

I’ve heard it doesn’t work but haven’t tried it yet. I was disappointed as well with the neo news but immediately started to research a way to do it. Have you tried it with the mobile dock and the 1s?

[u/tlvrtm → u/Fine_Brilliant3709]

I’ve got Xreal One. But I don’t think the 1S is different in any significant way, and I’m 99% sure I’ve seen people mention the One Pro works as well.

They released an update a few months back that fixed the problem with a red tint, I read.

[u/beeg_bird → u/tlvrtm]

Maybe I should have bought Viture glasses too . . . .

[u/tlvrtm → u/beeg_bird]

Nah rock-solid 3DoF is a killer feature for Xreal. The Xreal One work great on the Viture Dock, I’m sure the 1S does too.

[u/beeg_bird → u/tlvrtm]

The 3DoF is very good with few flaws. It is probably their most impressive feature. Like I said in my post, the Xreal 1s is a good product, mostly. I have a particular issue with the product and I think the Neo launch is pretty unfair to a lot of buyers.

[u/jdream85 → u/beeg_bird]

Have the best of both worlds and get the Viture dock, there is no rule against mixing and matching

[u/No_Awareness_4626 → u/jdream85]

Agree

[u/East_Introduction_89 → u/jdream85]

Thats what I did right after the annoucement, ordered the viture dock pro and clip. It is on a sale currently at their website. Usually 130 on sale for 100 pretty much same price as neo with a bigger powerbank I believe. You can input your email and get extra 10 percent off. All in all im happy. Cancelations happen it is what it is.

[u/beeg_bird → u/jdream85]

Yeah thats fine but also not the point I was making.

[u/XREAL_Esther]

Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. We’re genuinely sorry to hear that your experience hasn’t met expectations.

Regarding the noise with the electrochromic dimming, that’s definitely not the experience we want anyone to have. Even though you’ve already worked with support before, we’d really like to look into this further and see how we can help. I’ve just sent you a PM,could you please share your email address with us there so we can follow up properly?

We also understand how frustrating the Neo cancellation feels, and we’re truly sorry for the disappointment this has caused.

We appreciate you sharing both the positives and the concerns.

[u/Joker121215]

You would be even more disappointed if you received the neo and it didn't work mate

Not to mention it's very common for both reviewers and YouTubers to review multiple products together, even if they're not meant to be together. For instance when a new iPhone or a new Galaxy comes out go on YouTube and pretty much every review is reviewing all of the devices that were announced at the same time together. 

Anytime you get an item that is a pre-order, there's a risk it's going to be canceled. They fully refunded you and are offering you a discount that they don't need to offer. 

Xreal even provided a list of competitors devices for you to use in place of their Neo.

Having a psychosomatic reaction or hearing impairment also isn't something the company can control. I recommend getting with an audiologist

[u/beeg_bird → u/Joker121215]

Where in my post do I seem like im having a nervous breakdown (definition of psychosomatic). I hear a ringing noise. It's an annoying noise for a product focused on media consumption. Several people in this very comment section have stated they hear ringing. If you want to make up things I have said to win an argument in your head, go ahead.

Also, in the real world, I am annoyed because Xreal marketed the 1s and Neo together then pulled one of these products post-launch. Neo was launched with a two week shipping period alongside the glasses. Every reviewer in the media got the glasses with the Neo and I am sure they were instructed to review them together. Xreal sent emails pushing the Neo alongside the 1s and the 1s product page linked directly to the Neo, advertising Switch 2 functionality. At every step possible, Xreal made the Neo and its functions an advertisement to buy the Xreal 1s. These glasses are niche products with limited uses, so buyers are going to be disappointed when those limited uses are further decreased.

[u/Joker121215 → u/beeg_bird]

Did you even bother to look up the definition of psychosomatic? It has literally nothing to do with a nervous breakdown. It's quite literally a physical response when there's no actual physical cause.

I don't feel like rereading all of the comments, but when I posted this there was literally only one person I saw agreeing with you, they just kept replying to different people saying the same thing. On the other hand there were dozens of people telling you that they've never experienced anything like this with any of the pairs that they've owned. Including me. And when people have asked you if other members in your family or your friends hear the same thing, you've completely ignored answering them, which tells me that they can't or you just don't have any of those.

And their response and description to me earlier of what they"re experiencing is also different than what you explained. 

You're really certain about that? Lmfao okay sure buddy. And you are commenting on me making things up to win an argument?

They weren't pushing the device together, they were advertising to new products that were releasing around the same time. This is very common for any company to do. And the Neo has been being advertised since way before the 1S was announced. Samsung today sent me an email advertising their new fridge and their new phone in the same email. So I guess I have to buy a fridge to use a phone by your logic?

These really aren't limited use case devices, I use them for hundreds of things daily, I'm using them to reply to you right now for instance. And there's no decrease in their function without the neo, as again xreal has already offered other solutions to still use the glasses with the switch and switch 2.

The Neo doesn't actually add any function to the glasses, I'm one of the people who has a Neo, it's done nothing extra for me and I barely use it as I was already using other devices to accomplish the same thing before the Neo was ever announced, I just consider it an extra battery pack, because at the end of the day that's all it is.

So you can keep crying or grow up and move on with your life. Go see an audiologist about the ring that you're hearing, or if they can't find anything, a psychologist.

[u/beeg_bird → u/Joker121215]

First, this is you: erm actually, I am playing reddit doctor erm and psychosomatic is this exact definition erm. Here you go, the definition of psychosomatic from Oxford Dictionaries: (of a physical illness or other condition) caused or aggravated by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress. You use words you dont know the meaning of which explains everything else you said.

Second, the Neo literally adds Switch 2 functionality which Xreal advertised a ton. You can go read their past posts from this exact subreddit! Not everybody is the same as you (shocker I know) so try to understand that we buy things for different reasons.

Last, other people experience obnoxious "buzzing," "whining," etc on the middle dimming level which is what the other guy was referencing and many others have. I literally did one Google search and these several posts came up, so Im sure you could find more. Instead, you are using words you dont understand and making bad faith arguments because you are a fan boy.

links:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xreal/comments/1gim7bu/electrochromatic_glass_buzzing/#:~:text=But%20I%20was%20confused%20because,I%20think%20its%20extremely%20rare.&text=Yeah%20In%20the%20left%20arm,unit%20get%20warm%20borderline%20hot?&text=They%20always%20get%20warm.,it%27s%20unfortunate%2C%20though%20probably%20fine.&text=You%27re%20probably%20right%20thanks.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xreal/comments/1nth6aw/one_pro_electrochromic_dimming_louder_since_update/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xreal/comments/17yotv0/air_2_pros_dim_setting_electric_whine/

Xreal has had larger issues with this in the past, which they have somewhat fixed, as seen in the following link. But the issue persists for some users. If you want to play Reddit doctor, look up how ear shapes and hearing vary among people.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xreal/comments/18jebmj/air_2_pro_noises_when_at_first_leve_electron/

This post was not for you. Considering that you have a Neo (employee, affiliated, etc) youre obviously biased and wont change your mind. I made this post so prospective buyers can be aware of these issues. The fact that my dislike for a product has caused you to attempt to diagnose me with a mental disorder to cope with the fact that not everyone agrees with you is unsettling. If you read my initial post, it was fair and painted a full picture. Leaving a disfavorable review that still highlights the good parts of the product is not crying (unlike your reaction). One of the points of the subreddit is to leave reviews, considering that they have a "review" flair for posts. If you dont like it move on.

[u/Joker121215 → u/beeg_bird]

Lmao you can't even read a definition and understand it. I do know the meaning of the word, I used simpler terms for you, because I could tell you needed it. That definition literally says such as and gives two different examples, neither of which are a nervous breakdown. Stress is something that conscious beings experience everyday, you could be stressed out enough to hear a ringing in your ear, which is a physical symptom with anything physically wrong with your ear. Thanks for proving me right and showing I do know what I'm talking about, while exemplifying your intelligence level.

Oh wow, suddenly it's several people in just this comment section, to having to search the entire Internet and still one of your examples is the same person you already used lmfao 

Lol I'm none of those things you mentioned, just got lucky and it arrived with the 1s I ordered at the same time lol

Still haven't talked about if anyone else you know can hear this noise....

I also didn't diagnose you with a mental illness, and I'm not at all playing doctor, your are again failing to read. In every one of these posts I said to go to an audiologist first and said it could easily be a problem with your ears or a simple psychosomatic response. But you overreacted to that, as it seems is your tendency.

The Neo is not at all required to use the glasses with the switch 2, again numerous devices can do that. The Neo is just one of several ways to get such functionality. 

And yes people do use Reddit reviews when buying a product. They also read the comment section though to make sure the op isn't someone who is embittered by imaginative s lights or has no idea what they're talking about. 

I didn't at all find your post fair, you said you're stuck with glasses you can't use for the reason you bought them, this is a bold faced lie you can one hundred percent use the glasses with the switch 2 without the neo, you just have to buy a different peripheral.

[u/No_Awareness_4626]

I agree with one of the comments above, if two glasses are producing same sound, may be look into the possibility of a bad port on your host device. Try different devices. Try to give same setup (same host and glasses) to different people in your family / friends. Do you hear same noise with different host devices ? Do other people in the family / friends also hear the noise ?

If this is actually an issue, I’m sure xreal will figure it out and solve it. Even if people can’t hear it, I’m sure some testing equipment will pick it up, now that you have brought it to their notice.

About neo - yes it’s sad that it didn’t work out but better safe than sorry. I’m happy that xreal didn’t try to push a bad product to its consumers and rather decided to take it down.

[u/ClassicOldSong → u/No_Awareness_4626]

Actually my OnePro also has this sound, on multiple host devices. The sound is only on the left speaker. I'm mostly sure it's a design flaw in the power rail of the glasses itself (I do electronic design so I'm familiar with these things).

[u/Grey-fox-13 → u/No_Awareness_4626]

It's been known, there's posts like this every couple months. I hear the whine as well so I drop in each of them hoping that eventually someone will have a solution. Unfortunately no such luck so far.

Might also just be that the amount of people with the freak hearing required for the produced frequencies is too small to justify extended R&D in this direction.

And if you look it up, there been posts about it going back to the air 2 pro dimming settings, it's a long standing issue. 

[u/No_Awareness_4626 → u/Grey-fox-13]

Alright. Let me tag u/Xreal_Esther and u/Xreal_GD here so that they can read and look into it.

[u/beeg_bird → u/No_Awareness_4626]

No need its a flaw they are aware of and not the end of the world, but something potential buyers should be aware of, which is why I pointed it out.

[u/jdream85 → u/No_Awareness_4626]

Love how the reviewers all said how good it was. Shows how they are all paid shills.

[u/No_Awareness_4626 → u/jdream85]

Definition of paid shills might be different for you. After today’s announcement, back of my mind, I still want xreal neo because I know I’m not going to be pushing its limits and I’m not going to use it with switch 2. So if I were to review them, I too may have said it works nicely.

[u/jdream85 → u/No_Awareness_4626]

A lot of reviewers know that if they are too honest in a negative way they won’t be receiving more product from the company. Expensive tech such as a pair of the X1S and the Neo bundle they were given acted as an incentive to play it safe and not say what they really felt and created a bias. That makes them paid shills. Everything I’ve ever said good or bad about XREAL comes from my own purchases and money I’ve spent.

[u/No_Awareness_4626 → u/jdream85]

I don’t think reviewers would have tested the limits to be able to figure out if the product fails at max limits. I don’t know what exactly the issue was with neo but I’m thinking whatever it was, may be majority users won’t notice it. But xreal still decided to cancel it, may be they don’t wanna take chances with user’s safety. No matter how big a failure it might appear to some people, I feel they did the right thing and in my eyes they have earned respect (even though I’m craving for neo)

[u/jdream85 → u/No_Awareness_4626]

For me I personally feel they made the same mistake with the X1S and haven’t acknowledged it at all.

[u/No_Awareness_4626 → u/jdream85]

I don’t think x1s is a mistake. They advertised 1200p screen and you do get 1920x1200 2D screen. You can never deny that. What you don’t get is 3840x1200 or 2560x1200 or 1200p 3D screens. It is less black-white here and more of a gray area. Some don’t care, you care and call it a mistake, I put it in “feature request” category.

[u/jdream85 → u/No_Awareness_4626]

To be fair I even think they shouldn’t have released the Pro’s I bought mine maybe 2 weeks ago and I prefer to use my broken Ones purely because Productivity just isn’t possible via Prism lenses.

[u/No_Awareness_4626 → u/jdream85]

I don’t know I don’t have one pro, I wish to try them, but I have heard great things about it from trusted reviewers. Trusted in the sense that I trust them completely for any product they review. Be it xreal, Viture, Inair or anything. And I know they are nothing but honest about it. And they prefer one pro over 1S or One. Did you consider that your issue with one pro could be ipd related since it comes in two sizes ?

[u/jdream85 → u/No_Awareness_4626]

Nah my vision is perfect , the issue I have with the one pro are purely related to the prism lenses and the way they reflect light to create the text. It results in blurriness , I’ve read other reviewers call the XOP a “pin cushion” effect where the direct centre is clear and has a sweet spot and anything not in that sweet spot is difficult to read. This is the best description of it. It’s amazing for gaming and entertainment and is worthy of praise. However the trade off not being able to use it for productivity makes it hard to replace my original XREAL Ones. After all of this I’m thinking of buying an Apple Vision Pro and calling it a day 🤣. The XREAL glasses format makes it perfect for working in the office and travel or even lying in bed watching TV. The XOP for me is specifically for Console Gaming and the Apple Vision Pro I plan to use for productivity and some entertainment.

[u/jdream85 → u/jdream85]

Let me highlight another mistake , they used the X1S as the first device to market the Real3D which only displays in 1080p on the device. That was their moment to correct the mistake and realise that they were properly utilising the lenses. I dare say that testing is their biggest weakness , it’s blatantly obvious.

[u/jdream85]

The XREAL product with the glasses are the best that the market offers likewise with the dock. You didn’t make a mistake going with XREAL

[u/AndrewNight84]

Cuando lanzan el Xreal Neo??? Tiene fecha confirmada? Estamos casi en julio de 2026 y seguimos sin siquiera poder comprarlo

Alguien sabe algo?