Rokid Max | Image:Global.Rokid.com
Rokid Max review: Augmented reality (AR) technology is evolving faster than ever. With tech giants such as Apple and Meta fighting head-to-head for customer attention, other leading AR devices are also gaining attention for giving unique experiences to their customers.
Rokid Max AR glasses are one of the major contenders that offer users a glimpse into a world where a huge screen blends with the real environment. The lightweight spectacles that come with its many assistant gadgets have been able to garner adequate attention among AR enthusiasts.
In this review, we will Rokid Max AR glasses, aiming to provide readers with an insightful analysis.
Design and Build Quality
Rokid’s Max smart glasses do the job of a head-worn monitor, projecting visuals over a semi-transparent view of the surroundings. While not bulky, their bug-like oval lenses differentiate them from typical sunglasses.
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Weighing just 75g (2.6oz), these glasses feature Micro-OLED screens using “bird bath optics” to reduce eye strain, certified by TUV Rheinland for safety. Displaying visuals equivalent to a 215-inch screen from 20 feet away, they offer immersion without overwhelming the user, akin to a movie theatre’s front row experience.
While using the Glasses we could observe blurred visuals on the screen corners and a slight struggle in adjusting the lens to get the ideal pictures. However, the inbuilt speakers of the devices performed better than our expectations and were not disturbing to the surroundings.
Display and Optics
The Rokid Max uses micro-OLED displays projecting a 1080p picture to each eye, ensuring brightness and vividness. However, they vary in field of view and refresh rate.
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Rokid Max boasts a wide 50-degree diagonal field of view, surpassing competitors like NXTWear S (45 degrees) and Viture One (43 degrees). While capturing the exact experience is challenging, promotional imagery accurately represents the user experience, with the screen appearing to float in front. Immersion is profound, with high-res visuals devoid of noticeable pixels.
The colours may appear slightly warmer, yet only discerning graphic or video artists might find fault but for casual use like gaming or streaming Netflix, the visuals are more than good for a pleasing viewing experience.
Performance and Hardware
The Rokid Max also comes with its wireless adaptor that enables the users to connect the glasses to the portable adaptor and cut down the need to have a PC to project. Using the wireless adaptor, users can project a smart Andriod TV on the glasses, stream movies, browse the internet, play Android games, and watch YouTube videos.
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The wireless adaptor also comes with a typical Android TV remote control that improves the overall user experience making it much easier to navigate the Android TV display.
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Notably, Just as in the case of Android TV, typing the name of your favourite YouTube channel or a movie that you want to watch can be a daunting task. However, the wireless adapter gets heated like anything while being used, making it uncomfortable to carry in a pocket while using the device.
Value proposition and user experience
The Rokid AR Max glasses are currently priced at $469 after a discount of $30 from its initial pricing. The price-to-value ratio of Rokid depends highly upon its use cases as it can be really helpful for a niche audience that travels a lot and wants to enjoy good video content in the meantime. If you are someone who also wants to have a bigger screen for your workspace without the need to buy a monitor (which will be much cheaper), Rokid AR Max glasses might be a suitable choice for you.
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However, if you are expecting the quality and experience of high-end AR glasses from Rokid, then you might be disappointed due to the limitations that it come with. While the screen resolution of the lenses is great, a lot of improvements can be made in the AR aspect of the glasses. Plus, the use case of these AR glasses is limited to a very niche customer base which may restrict it from being a mass product (e$469specially with this price tag).
