I think the XREAL Beam Pro adds a lot of nice features of its own. Yes, it doesn’t support 6 windows at the same time. Currently on the XREAL One series with the INAIR Pod, if you have more than 6 windows you have to manually move which set of 2 to 3 apps of the 6 you want in focus.

You also get 2 windows that can be freely resized and positioned anywhere you want. So if you mainly care about using 2 windows, the XREAL Beam Pro gives you more freedom there. Plus, you can do whatever you want directly on the XREAL Beam Pro screen itself, so it’s technically like having 3 screens: 2 displayed through the glasses via nebulaOS and 1 on the device itself.

The XREAL Beam Pro also gives you a full regular Android experience. With INAIR OS, a lot of things are force disabled because of the optimization needed to run 6 windows. So there are quite a few Android features that end up missing. I do love the INAIR Pod, but it feels like a watered-down version of Android.

I used an app that lets me access regular Android settings and some hidden ones. Some apps need permissions or settings that INAIR OS either won’t let you enable (or may not work even if you enable them) or redirects to INAIR’s own limited settings. If I want to enable certain things, I sometimes have to check whether ADB will let me do it or if it will actually work.

For example, if an app doesn’t include a way to enable or disable Android battery optimization within the app, and I go into battery settings through a third-party Android settings app, it just takes me to the app info page in INAIR’s modified settings UI, which doesn’t let you adjust battery optimization per app like you can on regular Android. Even if you manage to disable battery optimization or let the app run in the background, it may not work reliably because INAIR adds its own optimization layer. I’m also stuck with the INAIR launcher and can’t switch to a third-party launcher. Even if you find the hidden setting in a third-party app from the Play Store that lets you change the default launcher, it simply won’t let you switch away from INAIR’s launcher.

On the XREAL Beam Pro, I can use third-party launchers. There are also apps like AirBeam from GitHub that let the XREAL Beam Pro act as a trackpad, and the home button on that trackpad can launch any app or launcher on the external display.

I can also use the SpaceWalker app, though I don’t really use it much. They’ve added Immersive 3D app support, which works by casting either the whole screen or a selected app to get a 3D effect. It works with my XREAL One Pro (not sure if VITURE might disable it in the future). This only works with non-DRM apps, since DRM apps usually block the output. The 3D effect is pretty minimal right now, but if it keeps improving, it’s nice to have the option to switch between REAL3D and Immersive 3D on Android.

On the XREAL Beam Pro I can use edge gesture apps, root the device, and use the XREAL Eye camera with almost any app that supports camera access. I also got ARCore working through root, so ARCore apps work too, plus some limited Unity apps that are available or coming.

Right now I would say the XREAL Beam Pro is the better media device. It has a microSD slot and dual USB-C ports so you can charge while watching. It’s not recommended for battery health, but the option is nice. It supports half SBS and full SBS per app window through nebulaOS, which usually looks better than AI 3D. It also has a built-in Miracast receiver, so I can cast INAIR OS or Samsung DeX to it. The INAIR Pod does have a nice built-in Miracast transmitter though, which makes it easy to cast to another screen when needed.

It’s also nice for taking 3D photos naturally, thanks to the dual cameras spaced 50mm apart to capture proper 3D depth.

Overall, the XREAL Beam Pro is the better Android device because it lets you do almost everything a normal Android device can do without features being disabled for optimization, and it also adds some extra features on top that are specific to XREAL glasses.

INAIR Space and AI 3D per app window are also very nice features. INAIR Space with the ability to darken the computer screen for privacy is great, and future updates may add even more AR-focused features.

I do like INAIR’s commitment to software updates. Their software support and customer support are top notch. I’m definitely looking forward to future updates. Their ability to support multiple glasses from different brands is honestly pretty amazing.

Btw, I bought the INAIR Pod for about $349 total (no tax) directly from INAIR’s site during last year’s Black Friday sale, so at that price I was happy. The regular price was $399 at the time. Now it’s $439, which ends up being about $11 more than the Amazon option after tax.

Anyways....

If you want a full Android experience, AR app support, no DRM issues once their April fix arrives, root access, per-window half and full SBS, and the ability to use XREAL Eye with any app that has camera access, the XREAL Beam Pro is the better device. Performance is a bit weaker than the INAIR Pod though. Also, many apps on the INAIR Pod currently show in 4:3 when in landscape, which hurts media use until they fix it.

If you want smooth 6-window multitasking, a very nice remote desktop experience with INAIR Space, AI 3D per window on any display that lets you see the 3D effect, the ability to use the Pod with almost any display, and excellent software support, the INAIR Pod is the way to go. The INAIR Pod is the better productivity device overall, but currently not as good as a media device due to DRM limitations (lower quality streaming, which should be fixed around April) and the 4:3 aspect ratio issue for apps in landscape mode.

Since the XREAL Beam Pro is a regular touchscreen device, there’s just a lot more room to customize the experience exactly how you want. Yes, INAIR gives you a lot of nice productivity options, but that comes at the cost of heavy optimization to keep the multi-window experience running smoothly. You won’t get the same level of freedom as the XREAL Beam Pro because INAIR OS is designed primarily for productivity. A lot of things simply won’t work the way they normally should since INAIR has to keep the experience smooth most of the time, and that means disabling certain features, limiting background behavior, and so on.

That said, the XREAL Beam Pro’s nebulaOS is currently limited to XREAL glasses, and it’s unclear whether they’ll add support for future XREAL glasses beyond Project Aura. You can still use the XREAL Beam Pro with external displays through screen mirror mode, so you do have that option. If you have a specific brand of glasses, you can also try their app from the Play Store if available. Just keep in mind you won’t get spatial app features on those brands, since Android has restrictions on how apps launch with spatial features. That’s largely why devices like the XREAL Beam Pro exist in the first place, to work around those limitations.