Realmax Qian
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| Realmax Qian | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Augmented Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | AR Glasses |
| Developer | Realmax |
| Manufacturer | Realmax |
| Announcement Date | 8 January 2018 (preview at CES 2018)[1] |
| Release Date | 2020 |
| Price | Just under US$1,000 (planned price stated at CES 2019);[2] about US$2,300 (February 2021)[3] |
| System | |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
| Storage | |
| Storage | 64 GB (SD card) |
| Memory | 4 GB |
| Display | |
| Display | Single LCD binocular |
| Resolution | 2560 x 768 display panel (per The Ghost Howls review); described by Realmax and the press as stereoscopic 1080p |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 100.8° (2018-2019 company figure); 119.5° (2020 company figure)[4] |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Birdbath optics |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 6DoF inside-out (two global shutter cameras and a 9-axis IMU) |
| Hand Tracking | Optional, with an external Leap Motion sensor |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Built-in speakers; 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Microphone | Dual microphones |
| Camera | Two tracking cameras; one RGB camera |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Ports | USB-C (with OTG support) |
| Battery Capacity | 6000 mAh, removable |
| Battery Life | 5 hours of use, 100 hours standby (manufacturer claim) |
| Device | |
| Weight | 530 g (per The Ghost Howls review); 450 g (2018 company figure) |
| Input | 3DoF controller, hand gestures, voice |
Realmax Qian is an augmented reality head-mounted display released in 2020. It was developed by Realmax, a company based in Shanghai, and is a standalone headset built around a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system on chip, with its own battery and no cable to a computer or phone.[1][2] The Chinese name of the device is 乾 (Qian). The Ghost Howls describes it as the second generation of Realmax AR glasses, after the Realmax 100.[3]
Realmax promoted the Qian mainly for its wide field of view. The company gave a figure of 100.8 degrees when it first showed the headset as a prototype at CES 2018 and again at CES 2019. For the version it sold through Kickstarter in 2020 it gave 119.5 degrees, a figure its press release said had been verified by Foxconn.[1][2][4] A magnetic cover that makes the lenses opaque lets the headset also be used for virtual reality.[3] Realmax aimed the Qian mainly at business customers.[3]
Announcement and release
CES 2018 preview
Realmax previewed the Qian at CES in Las Vegas on 8 January 2018. Its press release listed a 100.8 degree field of view, a weight of 450 grams, 6DoF tracking, hand tracking and gesture recognition, support for wearers with prescription glasses, and separate AR and VR modes.[1] The company announced Realmax Studio at the same time, a web-based tool for building AR content that it developed with the team behind ARToolKit. Realmax said content made with it would run on the Qian, on ARKit and ARCore devices, and in web browsers.[1]
Next Reality reported that Realmax was claiming the widest field of view of any AR headset, ahead of the 100 degrees of Dream Glass and the 90 degrees of the Meta 2. The outlet added that it could not independently confirm the claim and that, according to The Verge, the headset shown at CES 2018 was still a prototype. Next Reality named Nigel Burton as Realmax's chief technology officer and Jackie Yu as its chief executive.[5]
Launch in China
Realmax held a launch event for the Qian in Shanghai on 12 December 2018. VR Tuoluo reported the device's specifications there as a 100.8 degree field of view, 2K resolution and a removable 6000 mAh battery. The outlet also described the optics as using several free-form optical surfaces, off-axis reflection at specific angles, and asymmetric semi-reflective nano-coatings. Realmax presented a software ecosystem at the event: Realmax Studio, a cross-platform app store called RealCenter, and a cloud platform called RealCloud. According to VR Tuoluo, the first round of content and application partnership agreements signed at the launch numbered close to 100.[6]
CES 2019
At CES 2019, VentureBeat reported that Realmax had just finished its first pilot production run of the Qian and planned to sell it for just under US$1,000. The report described the headset as co-developed by a former Microsoft executive and a Chinese company, and listed stereoscopic 1080p displays, the Snapdragon 835, and binocular 6DoF tracking with a 9-axis inertial measurement unit.[2]
Kickstarter campaign and sales
In a press release dated 14 September 2020, Realmax said the Qian had passed a Foxconn field of view test with a result of 119.5 degrees, and announced a Kickstarter campaign starting on 15 September 2020.[4] According to the crowdfunding tracker Kicktraq, the campaign ran until 20 October 2020 and raised HK$379,042 from 81 backers against a goal of HK$232,513.[7]
In February 2021, The Ghost Howls reported that the Qian was available worldwide for about US$2,300, with orders handled by contacting the company by email.[3] As of September 2026, Realmax's online store listed the Qian at US$599.00, marked down from US$1,299.00, and showed it as sold out.[8]
Design and hardware
The Qian uses a birdbath optical design. The image is shown on a conventional display panel and reflected onto a semi-transparent lens in front of the eyes, a simpler arrangement than the waveguides used in some other AR glasses. The Ghost Howls lists a single 2K display panel with a resolution of 2560 x 768.[3]
The headset tracks its position in 6DoF with two global shutter cameras and has a separate RGB camera for computer vision tasks. It has 4 GB of RAM, a 64 GB SD card for storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a USB-C port with OTG support. Audio comes from built-in speakers and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and there are two microphones. Three buttons on the headset are used to navigate the system menus.[3] The 6000 mAh battery is removable and can be hot-swapped; Realmax rates it at 5 hours of use and 100 hours of standby.[3][4] The Ghost Howls measured the weight at 530 grams, more than the 450 grams Realmax gave for the 2018 prototype.[3][1]
Realmax states that the headset can be worn over prescription glasses.[1][4] For VR use, a magnetic cover clips over the lenses to block the view of the surroundings.[3][4]
Software and features
The Qian comes with a 3DoF controller with a touchpad and buttons, similar in design to the Daydream Controller.[3][2] Realmax's 2020 press release also listed hand gesture and voice control.[4] For hand tracking, VentureBeat and The Ghost Howls describe an optional external Leap Motion sensor connected over USB.[2][3] Realmax's online store lists compatibility with Leap Motion and Fingo hand tracking modules, both sold separately.[8]
VentureBeat reported that applications are stored on the headset itself and that several headsets on the same network can interact with one another.[2] The Ghost Howls described the Qian as working more like a development kit than a finished consumer product, with a basic launcher for demo programs. Its SDK supports Unity 2017 and Unity 2019, and Realmax offers ready-made applications such as Venues, which lets several users share an AR experience.[3] The 2020 press release said the headset could also be used for VR gaming through wireless streaming or a NOLO module.[4]
Specifications
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Display | Single LCD binocular |
| Resolution | 2560 x 768 display panel[3]; described as stereoscopic 1080p[2] |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Field of view | 100.8° (2018-2019 company figure)[1][2]; 119.5° (2020 company figure)[4]; 119° diagonal (The Ghost Howls)[3] |
| Optics | Birdbath[3] |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835[2] |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM[3] |
| Storage | 64 GB SD card[3] |
| Tracking | 6DoF, two global shutter cameras, 9-axis IMU[3][2] |
| Battery | 6000 mAh, removable; 5 hours of use, 100 hours standby (manufacturer claim)[4] |
| Weight | 530 g (The Ghost Howls)[3]; 450 g (2018 company figure)[1] |
| Input | 3DoF controller, hand gestures, voice; optional Leap Motion hand tracking[4][2] |
| Price | Just under US$1,000 (planned price at CES 2019)[2]; about US$2,300 (February 2021)[3] |
Reception
Before independent testing was possible, Next Reality treated Realmax's field of view claim with caution, noting that it could not confirm it independently.[5] VentureBeat's report from CES 2019 described the Qian as a possible lower-cost alternative to Microsoft's HoloLens, which it said sold for three to five times the price.[2]
In its February 2021 review, The Ghost Howls praised the field of view, contrasting it with AR glasses such as the Nreal Light and the HoloLens 2, whose fields of view it put at around 50 degrees. It also noted the standalone design, the hot-swappable battery and the manufacturer's support. It found the field of view wide mainly in the horizontal direction, with the vertical field of view feeling more limited. The review criticized the pixel density, saying "the holograms sometimes feel a bit blurred", and also reported blurring and trembling visuals when the wearer moved their head quickly, holograms that wobbled noticeably during movement, some visual distortion, little padding and limited strap adjustment, and mediocre speakers. It described the VR mode as "ok". The reviewer recommended the Qian for buyers who needed a wide field of view AR headset with enterprise features and could spend more than US$2,000.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Realmax previews 100 degree mobile Augmented Reality Glasses, and Multi-Platform AR Creation Tool". PR Newswire. Realmax. 2018-01-08. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/realmax-previews-100-degree-mobile-augmented-reality-glasses-and-multi-platform-ar-creation-tool-300577931.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Jeremy Horwitz (2019-01-09). "Realmax Qian is a light, fully wireless AR/VR headset with a 100-degree FOV". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/business/realmax-qian/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 Skarredghost (2021-02-11). "RealMax Qian review: wide FOV AR is amazing!". The Ghost Howls. https://skarredghost.com/2021/02/11/realmax-qian-review-wide-fov-ar/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 "RealMax Qian, a Pioneer Product in AR Industry with 119.5° FOV Verified by Foxconn". MarketScreener. RealMax (press release). 2020-09-14. https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/FOXCONN-TECHNOLOGY-CO-LTD-6496501/news/Foxconn-Technology-RealMax-Qian-a-Pioneer-Product-in-AR-Industry-with-119-5-FOV-Verified-by-Fox-31291850/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tommy Palladino (2018-01-11). "Realmax Claims Crown of Widest Field of View for an AR Headset at CES". Next Reality. https://augmented.reality.news/news/realmax-claims-crown-widest-field-view-for-ar-headset-ces-0182114/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "RealMax发布"乾"AR一体机, 支持2K分辨率及100多度视场角". VR Tuoluo. 2018-12-12. https://www.vrtuoluo.cn/512143.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "RealMax Qian: Immersive AR glasses with ultra large FOV by REALMAX". Kicktraq. http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/realmax100/realmax-qian-the-1008-fov-ar-glasses-for-a-more-immersive/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "RealMax Qian: Immersive AR glasses with ultra large FOV". RealMax online store. RealMax. https://realmax.myshoplaza.com/products/realmax-qian-immersive-ar-glasses-with-ultra-large-fov. Retrieved 2026-09-27.