I have hesitated to write a review of the Xreal One Pro AR Glasses because of my conflicting thoughts regarding them. Nevertheless, it is clear that these innovative smart glasses give me a sense of living in the future.

As the tech editor at Mashable, I get to try out products like this as part of my work. I’m unsure if I would actually invest $769 — their standard price — or even $599 on these smart glasses, but if you’re an early adopter excited to delve into AR/VR, this is your opportunity to snag them at a discount.

Currently, you can buy the Xreal One Pro AR Glasses for $170 less than their typical price, thanks to Amazon’s Cyber Monday promotion.

What I appreciate about the Xreal One Pro smart glasses

I value that Xreal is not attempting to sever your connection to reality and immerse you in a metaverse. Rather than focusing on virtual reality, these smart glasses belong clearly in the augmented reality domain. The Xreal One Pro links to your laptop, PC, or tablet and displays an additional monitor into the space around you.

This can be extremely beneficial. As a manager, I often need to monitor Slack and email in case one of my reporters encounters an urgent situation. When I’m away from my desk with its dual-screen configuration or the Mashable office where I can arrange my tabs across three screens, my MacBook’s single display seems quite limiting.

With the Xreal glasses on, I can position my Slack or email directly overhead or next to my laptop. While I am working, I simply look up to see all my messages right away. There’s something undeniably advanced about this, even if the glasses remind me of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

The virtual display is unexpectedly clear and realistic, though being connected to your device via a USB-C cable isn’t the most convenient setup. I anticipate that future AR glasses will improve on this point, but we aren’t there yet.

Once more, I have conflicting thoughts about these glasses. Personally, I favored the Apple Vision Pro experience, but until Apple lowers the price by around $3,000, this is a far more reachable entry into AR for the majority of individuals.