During the latest WWDC in 2024, Apple unveiled the brand new Vision Pro at a whopping RMB 29,999, establishing a lofty standard for the XR consumer market. This inaugural offering from Apple is still in its early stages, with the Vision Pro’s ecosystem in its infancy. The road to widespread popularity, much like the journey the iPhone took, will be extensive and challenging. In the meantime, consumers have the choice of Thunderbird Air 2s smart glasses as an alternative, priced at less than one-tenth of Vision Pro’s cost. Thunderbird Air 2s focuses on providing an immersive entertainment experience with its innovative BirdBath light engine and cutting-edge Sony Micro OLED screen. With a price tag of RMB 2,399, it presents a more affordable option for those interested in delving into the world of XR technology at an introductory level.
Design and Accessories of Thunderbird Air 2s Smart Glasses
The Thunderbird Sky 2s intelligent eyewear, utilizing BirdPool visual technology, emulates traditional shades rather than helmet-mounted AR apparatus. BirdPool innovation employs reflective maneuvers to project the screen onto the component in front, merging digital imagery with actual scenery, thereby providing an exceptional virtual reality fusion instead of a completely immersive VR encounter. This configuration enables individuals to seamlessly integrate with their environment, rendering the eyewear perfect for those grappling with social unease.
The expansive VisionZone of the Thunderbird Sky 2s adjusts adeptly to individuals with a broad interpupillary span. The nasal brace, crafted with supple silicone air cushions, offers three-step modifications and is detachable for enhanced comfort. The sidepieces accommodate adaptable orientations (up, center, down) and showcase tender silicone ear loops with a stretchy layout to conform to various facial shapes. Embedded within the sidepieces are speakers and controls for regulating luminosity, sound level, and configurations, with a TypeC connection situated atop the right sidepiece.
Additional items encompass a portable sheath, cleansing fabric, and a data link for smartphone and enchantment container connections. The Enchantment Container, resembling a compact control device or a fresh energy automobile fob, contains two C ports for energizing and eyewear linkage. It contains a menu, home, revert, directional controls, a “murmur mode” control on the left, and power and sound controls on the right. The rear, shaped like a pebble for a snug clutch, accommodates a TF card slot for memory enlargement.
The BlissDock, furnished with an integrated 10,000mAh battery, weighs approximately 313g and facilitates plug-and-play functionality with the Nintendo Switch. It encompasses three C ports for powering, associating with the Switch, and connecting to the eyewear, ensuring a versatile and user-friendly encounter.
Wearing Experience of Thunderbird Air 2s Smart Glasses
The Thunderbird Air 2s spectacles have a mere 76 grams of weight, measuring 176.5mm x 154.3mm x 47.4mm when unfurled. This airy and neat blueprint enables the spectacles to adjust to various wearing environments and postures effortlessly. Be it on a plane, a locomotive, or reclining at home, these spectacles won’t induce the strain or unease commonly linked with traditional VR apparatus. This has bestowed upon them the moniker “recumbent spectacles,” underscoring their coziness even while reclining.
Our encounter corroborates that the recumbent position offers the utmost comfort and delight for prolonged utilization of the Thunderbird Air 2s. Despite their lightness, these spectacles are still marginally observable in contrast to regular spectacles or sunshades. The 76g mass, cradled by the ears and nose, may yield a minor foreign object sensation over time. Nevertheless, inclining your head slightly in a “moderately supine” stance aids in evenly dispersing the spectacles’ weight across the temple region, easing the pressure on the nasal bridge. This stance also mitigates the feeling of the spectacles slipping, particularly when swiveling your head.
Audio-Visual Experience of Thunderbird Air 2s Smart Glasses
The Thunderbird Air 2s eyewear boasts revolutionary BirdBath technology and a compact 0.55-inch Sony Micro OLED screen. This innovative configuration provides a 2D display of 1920×1080, a 3D resolution of 3840×1080, and a dazzling peak brightness of 600 nits. Visual clarity (MTF) stands at a remarkable 85% in the center and a modest 20% in the periphery. These cutting-edge glasses can mimic a colossal 201-inch high-definition display from a distance of 6 meters. Moreover, they offer a diverse range of brightness levels, a staggering 100000:1 contrast ratio, meticulous Gamma2.2 color calibration, an expansive 108% sRGB color gamut, and a refresh rate of 60/120Hz. Eye protection features include minimal blue light emission, flicker-free operation, and triple certification for optimal eye comfort. Users can conveniently customize screen color and settings through the Thunderbird XR eyewear application or the temple controls.
The specifications of the Thunderbird Air 2s are truly awe-inspiring, delivering on lofty expectations with ease. Boasting a pixel density (PPD) of 49, the display renders intricate details even at the extremities. The brightness can be finetuned up to 600 nits, ensuring visibility in varying lighting conditions, including harsh outdoor settings. Despite intense illumination, the glasses uphold color accuracy and usability for gaming and cinematic experiences.
In dimly lit environments, the Thunderbird Air 2s offer an unparalleled immersive journey. At approximately 50% brightness, they showcase vivid, luminous visuals without any hindrance from surrounding light sources. These glasses excel in crafting an immersive ambiance that rivals conventional large-screen TVs or projectors, especially in a softly illuminated setting. The FrameShare UHD certification guarantees exceptional ultrahigh-definition video quality and seamless viewing.
What else
Equally remarkable is the audio performance of the Thunderbird Air 2s. Featuring an enhanced symmetrical audio setup, with two speaker units strategically positioned in a shared acoustic chamber. This unique design minimizes distortion and vibrations, resulting in crisper sound output. With four all-encompassing speaker units, the glasses deliver outstanding middle and bass frequencies, ideal for enjoying blockbuster movies with rich, dynamic audio.
The glasses sport a 0.7mm broad stroke design that amplifies linear volume by 6dB. While maximum volume may lead to minor sound leakage within a meter radius, this is seldom required, as 50% volume is satisfactory for most viewing scenarios. Cutting-edge phase cancellation technology and whisper mode direct sound toward the ears, guaranteeing personal listening experiences in cacophonous settings like trains or airplanes. For enhanced privacy, users have the option to pair Bluetooth headphones with the glasses or the Thunderbird Magic Box.
The Thunderbird Magic Box enhances the interactive experience, presenting a myriad of functions and connectivity options. In the subsequent section, we shall explore the capabilities and user interface of the Magic Box further.
Interactive Experience with Thunderbird Air 2s Smart Glasses
The Thunderbird Air 2s Enchanted Crate operates similarly to a television box and links to the spectacles through cords. It merges vast online cinema and television resources, with a design that emulates a television cascade homepage, ensuring simplicity of operation. Beyond film viewing, the Enchanted Crate functions as the main hub for the Thunderbird Air 2s spectacles. It sustains external SD cards (up to 512GB) for regional content playback and is capable of wirelessly displaying screens from computers, Android devices, or iPhones.
As an example, you are able to connect to a MacBook and utilize Screen Mirroring to project the screen onto the Thunderbird Air 2s, transforming the spectacles into a secondary display. For a more all-encompassing multiscreen office experience, Windows users can use Mirror Studio. An NFC zone on the Enchanted Crate permits one-touch screen transfer with compatible Android devices, wirelessly projecting the phone screen onto the spectacles.
For smartphones lacking DP output, wireless screen projection through the Magic Box is straightforward and user-friendly. Phones with DP output can directly link to the spectacles for exclusive Thunderbird XR space content. For instance, by utilizing a vivo X100s, the phone’s screen is projected onto the spectacles, enabling immersive browsing or film viewing.
The core purpose of Thunderbird Air 2s spectacles is “exhibition.” The spectacles include a built-in panel for silent mode, 3D mode, refresh rate, and color adjustments, independent of external devices.
The spectacles support connections to numerous devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and gaming systems. Connecting the Switch via JoyDock transforms it into a portable host mode, projecting game visuals on a 201-inch HD screen for an unmatched gaming experience.
Final Thoughts
With the introduction of Apple Vision Pro, the XR (expanded perception) sector stands on the brink of substantial growth. Yet, before envisioning the vast prospects, it’s prudent to contemplate devices such as the Thunderbird Air 2s intelligent eyewear. Unlike their predecessors, the Thunderbird Air 2s boast superior audio and visual quality, alongside improved ergonomic design.
While not focusing on cutting-edge spatial computing, the Thunderbird Air 2s enhance auditory and visual enjoyment and interactive experiences affordably. Fundamentally, they serve as an immersive, portable, and user-friendly colossal screen cinema gadget.
Choosing the Thunderbird Air 2s is straightforward for budget-conscious consumers curious about XR technology. Discover eyewear for a unique TV and gaming experience, adding innovation to your entertainment routine with pleasure and distinction.
Nevertheless, two minor enhancements are recommended: Firstly, rectify the overheating predicament with the Magic Box. Secondly, enhance the Thunderbird XR Glasses App to support additional mobile phone models. At present, devices like the vivo X100 and OPPO Find X7 series lack full compatibility, which hampers the users’ interaction. Broadening compatibility would greatly enrich the experience for users of these devices.
