I found the perfect airplane gadget for more privacy and theater-like movies

The RayNeo Air 4 Pro aren’t really “smart glasses,” but after you connect them to your phone or laptop, I bet you’ll start thinking of them as a smart gadget. More accurately, the Air 4 Pro are projection glasses. They’re basically a monitor that you wear on your face.

So why would you want to wear a monitor? Well, instead of looking at a 6.3-inch iPhone screen, you can watch a movie on a 201-inch display. The other reason is for privacy. Plugging the Air 4 Pro into a MacBook will give you a second screen so you can work on an airplane without everyone behind you glancing at your fundraising slides, financial spreadsheets, or other confidential documents.

In fact, after spending some time with the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, I’m more convinced than ever that travel is by far the best use for these types of glasses. They’re easy to pack, being lightweight and only the size of normal sunglasses. Whether it’s for business or pleasure, all travellers should consider this gadget for their next trip.

The RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses are simple and easy to use

Inside the Air 4 Pro glasses are tiny OLED screens that appear as a single giant display when you put them on. You’re the only one who can see what’s inside. The display blocks your sight directly in front, but you can still see through the bottom of the lenses and underneath them.

There are several of these projection-type glasses on the market. The Air 4 Pro really focuses on the display quality and sound to set them apart. For the technology, they’re also reasonably priced.

Air might be a fitting name for these glasses, which weigh 76 grams. They have three vertical adjustments on each stem and come with two nose pieces for more customizable fits. Those and the sound tubes are the main accessories in the box. Not much is needed. 

The glasses don’t have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. You don’t need an app to get started. There’s no battery to charge or manage. It’s the glasses and a USB-C cable that you need to carry. 

The 200-inch display is impressive

Using these glasses to look at a screen is the whole point, so that part should look good. The micro-OLED screens appear as a 201-inch display and feature HDR10 (high dynamic range), up to 1,200 nits brightness, and up to 120Hz refresh rate. The image quality is stunning.

I’ve used several of these kinds of glasses over the years and have never come away impressed. I was this time. 

Watching a movie looks spectacular. It does feel like watching a movie in a theater on the big screen. Especially for travel, I would choose watching a movie on these glasses, rather than my phone, every time.

But beyond the color and brightness for watching a movie, the quality is important for other reasons. I didn’t get eye fatigue from using these with my Mac. Text is crisp when writing in Google Docs. I can edit photos and do all the work I would normally do.

Audio is better than I expected

There are tiny speakers on the side of the frames. The sound is by Bang & Olufsen, though I’m not sure if that matters.

The speakers shoot sound into your ears so only you can hear it. However, at full volume, there is some leakage. To reduce that more, there’s a whisper mode. 

The better thing to try, however, are the sound tubes that come with the Air 4 Pro. It’s a cool name for what amounts to rubber attachments that funnel the sound more directly into your ears, without going in them or touching them.

The other audio mode is surround sound. I was skeptical about it until I turned it on. Now, I only use the surround mode for watching movies.

I’ve been very impressed by the audio quality of the Air 4 Pro in general. Whether it’s a movie or just listening to music while I write on my laptop, it sounds full and clear. It’s probably better than listening with my computer’s on-board speakers.

Should you buy the RayNeo Air 4 Pro?

The RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses start at $299 for the standard version. If you want the Batman (justice) or Joker (chaos) versions, those cost $319. I tried the Batman one, and it’s funny, but I wouldn’t use it in public. Thankfully, both special editions are very similar to the regular one. They're both all black and still come with a regular lens cover for better viewing in a sunny environment.

You can use these glasses around the house, like in bed, to give you a much larger screen. The cost seems hard to justify for that limited use. Instead, the Air 4 Pro will be a much better value for frequent travelers. 

Having more privacy and a bigger screen on a train or plane is the perfect use. Plus, the RayNeo Air 4 Pro at $300 are also a fraction of the price of an Apple Vision Pro.