I wore the world's first HDR10 XR glasses, and they turned me into Batman (literally)

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The RayNeo Air 4 Pro is available with a regular price of $299
• These XR glasses are the world's first with HDR10 support, sport vibrant brightness and excellent clarity, and have solid audio output
• There is no electrochromic dimming capability, the sound tube material is fragile, and productivity support is limited to native MacOS and Windows.

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XR glasses continue to improve with increased brightness, improved audio output, and other advances in technology. Most of these improvements come with increasing prices, too, but RayNeo continues to offer a solid entry-level option for $299 with the RayNeo Air 4 Pro. The Justice Edition, where you choose Batman or Joker, is available for $319. Special early buyer pricing may even save you $50.

Also: I wore the world's first HDR10 smart glasses, and they can easily replace my living room TV

ZDNET's Kerry Wan tried out these new glasses at CES in January, and now I've had the chance to spend a couple of weeks with the Batman Justice Edition of the RayNeo Air 4 Pro and confirm that Kerry's first take was spot on, with support for HDR10, outstanding audio with Bang & Olufsen tuning, and excellent image display projection.

Batman (or Joker) themed

In addition to the standard glasses, RayNeo offers Batman- or Joker-themed options at an additional cost. The Batman Edition that I was sent includes a Batman logo on the right side of the frame and a case with a Batman logo and the name Batman on it. 

The large package is colored black, with Batman logos and a Batman stand inside. The final piece of logo gear is a facemask with sharp angles, white eyes, and bat ears that fits over the top of your XR glasses to serve as a light block for a more immersive XR experience. If you are a fan of Batman, this package offers plenty of ways to show your love of the Dark Knight.

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The RayNeo Air 4 Pro is not the most advanced pair of XR glasses, but it is also priced $200 less than the flagship models. There is a large two-way brightness button on the bottom-right frame, and a large two-way volume button on the left. Behind the long left button is a small button for the onboard menu. An onboard menu and controls are rare for glasses in this entry-level price range.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The onboard menu provides access to picture modes, dynamic quality settings, color enhancement, refresh rate, audio effects, and sound tube toggle. I prefer standard mode over movie mode for most content I watched, but eye comfort is nice for evening viewing.

Lovely visual experience

The HDR10 support offered a lovely visual experience with my iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I never saw any ghosting, blurred edges, or anything else that took away from the content I was watching. I switched to the AI-HDR mode but didn't see any 3D content and couldn't figure out any other way to enable the reported 2D to 3D conversion.

Also: I tried the best XR display glasses right now - the winning pair was not the most expensive

The sound tube option is new from RayNeo, featuring small silicone fins that fit over the end of the glasses and direct audio down to the openings in your ears. This accessory and function does improve audio when commuting or in other areas with surrounding noise, but be careful with the thin silicone attachment, since I ripped through the top of one by sliding it on and off too many times.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

With three levels of image quality, eight levels of brightness, and support for eyeglass inserts, the RayNeo Air 4 Pro is perfect for just about everyone. However, if you are looking to use these for productivity on the go, or for an ultra-wide display or multiple displays in the glasses when connected to a PC or Mac, then look to Xreal or Viture for an option that meets that need. 

You can also check out RayNeo accessories like the PocketTV and JoyDock that will optimize your media streaming and mobile gaming experiences.

ZDNET's buying advice

The RayNeo Air 4 Pro is one of the lowest-priced XR glasses available, and if you are primarily using it for viewing media content or playing games, there is a lot to like for $299. If you want it for ultra-wide-screen or multi-display use, consider another pair of XR glasses. The improved color, balanced light and shadow, and clear audio, tuned by Bang & Olufsen, make this the pair of glasses I recommend for first-time XR users.