Thunderbird Air Plus
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| Thunderbird Air Plus | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Augmented Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | AR Glasses |
| Developer | RayNeo |
| Announcement Date | 18 May 2023 |
| Release Date | Pre-sale from 23 May 2023 (China) |
| Price | CN¥2,499 (list price, China); CN¥2,299 launch offer |
| Display | |
| Display | 2 x Sony Micro OLED (0.68-inch) |
| Resolution | 1920x1080 per-eye |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz or 120 Hz (switchable) |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 49° diagonal |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Birdbath |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Stereo speakers |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Magnetic data cable to a host device |
| Device | |
| Weight | 87 g |
| Input | Temple dial buttons (volume, brightness, 2D/3D, refresh rate) |
Thunderbird Air Plus (Chinese: 雷鸟 Air Plus) is an augmented reality head-mounted display in a sunglasses form factor, made by RayNeo (雷鸟创新), a company based in Shenzhen. "Thunderbird" is a literal translation of 雷鸟, the brand name RayNeo uses in China. The glasses are tethered display glasses that show the output of a connected phone, tablet, computer or game console as a large virtual screen.[1][2]
RayNeo announced the Air Plus in China on 18 May 2023, together with a media box called the 雷鸟魔盒 (Thunderbird Magic Box). The glasses use Sony Micro-OLED panels with Birdbath optics, a resolution of 1920 x 1080 per eye, a 49-degree field of view and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.[3][4] The list price was 2,499 yuan.[3]
Announcement and release
RayNeo presented the Air Plus and the Magic Box on 18 May 2023, with pre-orders opening the same day. Pre-sales started at 8 p.m. on 23 May 2023 on Tmall and JD.com.[3] Pricing at launch was:[3][5]
| Product | List price | Launch offer |
|---|---|---|
| Air Plus glasses | 2,499 yuan | 2,299 yuan |
| Magic Box | 799 yuan | |
| Air Plus and Magic Box bundle | 3,298 yuan | 2,799 yuan |
The company behind RayNeo, 雷鸟创新, was founded in Shenzhen in 2021 by Li Hongwei and was incubated in an innovation lab of TCL.[6]
In October 2023 RayNeo announced the Air 2 (see RayNeo Air 2) in China at a launch price of 2,299 yuan. It weighs 76 grams and uses 0.55-inch Sony Micro OLED displays.[7][8]
Design and hardware
Display and optics
Each eye has a Sony 0.68-inch full-color Micro OLED microdisplay with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The image passes through a Birdbath optical module.[4] RayNeo gives a field of view of 49 degrees. By its figures the virtual image is equivalent to a 146-inch screen at 4 meters or a 215-inch screen at 6 meters.[1][3] VR陀螺 reported that the field of view is 4 degrees wider than on the previous generation.[4]
RayNeo lists a contrast ratio of 100,000:1, maximum in-eye brightness of 600 nits, 108% sRGB color gamut, 8-bit color (16.7 million colors) and a center MTF above 0.8.[1] VR陀螺 wrote that the brightness is 50% higher than on the previous generation.[4] The company also says it reduced distortion and improved clarity toward the edges of the image, which enlarges the clear viewing area.[1]
The glasses run at 60 Hz or 120 Hz. RayNeo notes that 120 Hz is not the default and has to be switched on in settings, and that 3D video is not supported at 120 Hz.[1] According to Geekpark, the glasses carry TÜV Rheinland certifications for low blue light, flicker-free output and eye comfort.[3]
Frame, fit and lenses
VR陀螺 gave the weight of the glasses as 87 grams.[4] The frame has redesigned soft "air capsule" nose pads, temples that fold outward to a 30-degree angle to fit different face widths, and temple curves shaped around the ear.[1][5] The data cable attaches magnetically, so it can be connected or removed without taking the glasses off.[1]
RayNeo offers free custom magnetic prescription lenses that clip onto the glasses. The official page gives the supported range as up to 1000 degrees of myopia and 800 degrees of hyperopia, and says astigmatism can also be corrected.[1][2]
Controls
Two dial buttons sit on the temples. According to VR陀螺, the right dial controls volume and the left one is a multifunction control: pushing it left or right changes display brightness, a long press switches between 2D and 3D modes, and two short presses switch the refresh rate between 60 Hz and 120 Hz.[4] The review on 93913 describes the same functions with the sides reversed.[9]
Audio
The glasses have stereo speakers, which RayNeo says are positioned closer to the ear.[9] RayNeo describes the drivers as "超线性单元" (super-linear units) with a 0.5 mm stroke. To reduce sound leakage, the glasses use phase cancellation, and a "轻语模式" (whisper mode) further reduces leakage in the low frequencies.[1][3]
Connectivity and software
RayNeo lists phones, tablets, laptops, the Magic Box, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, Steam Deck, drones and in-car screens as devices that can be connected to the Air Plus.[1] IT之家 described the use cases as watching video, playing games and office work on the connected devices.[2]
RayNeo's Mirror Studio, a multi-window workspace application released in February 2023, runs on Windows PCs and shows several PC windows at once in the glasses.[1][3][9] In VR陀螺's test, up to 10 windows could be open at once and placed anywhere around the user through 360 degrees. In this XR mode the software supports 3DoF head rotation, and the reviewer saw almost no jitter in the windows.[4] RayNeo also advertised multiplayer motion-control games and an app with film and video content sized for the virtual screen.[1][3]
Magic Box
The Magic Box (雷鸟魔盒) is a separate unit sold for 799 yuan. It drives the glasses through a USB-C port marked with a glasses icon.[4] It runs preinstalled Chinese video services, including iQiyi, Youku, Tencent Video, Bilibili and Mango TV.[5] It can receive wireless screen casts over AirPlay, DLNA and Miracast. This lets phones without DisplayPort output over USB-C show content on the glasses.[2] It has a TF card slot, a USB port and NAS support, and can charge a phone from its battery.[5]
| Magic Box specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Processor | 64-bit quad-core ARM CPU[9] |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM[9] |
| Storage | 32 GB; TF card expansion up to 512 GB[4][9] |
| Battery | 4900 mAh[5][4] |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0[9] |
| Dimensions | 123 x 59 x 20 mm[9] |
| Weight | 165 g[4] |
Specifications
| Specification | Thunderbird Air Plus |
|---|---|
| Display | 2 x Micro OLED binocular (Sony, 0.68-inch)[4] |
| Resolution | 1920x1080 per-eye[4] |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz (60 Hz or 120 Hz, switchable)[1] |
| Field of View | 49°[1] |
| Optics | Birdbath[3] |
| Brightness | 600 nits (maximum, in-eye)[1] |
| Contrast | 100,000:1[1] |
| Color gamut | 108% sRGB[1] |
| Weight | 87 g[4] |
| Price | 2,499 yuan (China list price)[3] |
Reception
In an early review, VR陀螺's Ran Qixing listed the light 87-gram design, the higher brightness, sharper image edges and the multifunction temple buttons as improvements. He also found the combination with the Magic Box easy to carry. He noted that the Micro OLED and Birdbath split design still became slightly warm, mainly at the center of the frame and on the back of the Magic Box. At the time of the review, the games section of the software mostly contained game videos; the review reported that RayNeo planned to add game software to it later. The reviewer also noted that games designed for touchscreen control were harder to play through the glasses.[4]
A review on the Chinese site 93913 praised the color accuracy, the wider clear viewing area, the more comfortable fit and the stereo sound. It also mentioned the three ways to get content on the Magic Box: online streaming, screen casting and local playback.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 "雷鸟 Air Plus" (in Chinese). RayNeo (雷鸟创新). 雷鸟创新技术（深圳）有限公司. 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230928152816/https://rayneo.cn/airplus/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 池渊 (2023-05-18). "雷鸟发布 AR 眼镜 Air Plus：等效 215 英寸巨屏，到手价 2799 元" (in Chinese). IT之家. https://www.ithome.com/0/693/482.htm. 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 拉风的极客 (2023-05-18). "雷鸟创新发布消费级新品 Air Plus，并同步推出影音娱乐终端雷鸟魔盒" (in Chinese). 极客公园 (GeekPark). https://www.geekpark.net/news/319196. 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 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 冉启行 (2023-05-19). "雷鸟Air Plus抢先评，这次升级很Plus！" (in Chinese). VR陀螺. https://www.vrtuoluo.cn/536425.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 达达 (2023-05-18). "眼镜流行卖套装？雷鸟创新为新一代 XR 眼镜 Air Plus 设计了一款魔盒" (in Chinese). 深圳湾 (Shenzhenware). https://www.shenzhenware.com/articles/16053. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "雷鸟创新创始人兼CEO李宏伟： 用AI+AR眼镜定义下一代通用计算平台" (in Chinese). 深圳市发展和改革委员会. Shenzhen Special Zone Daily (深圳特区报). 2025-06-01. https://fgw.sz.gov.cn/ztzl/qtztzl/szscjmyjjfzzhfwpt/mqfc/myqyjdxsj/content/post_12222474.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 汪淼 (2023-10-13). "雷鸟 Air 2 智能眼镜发布：首发 Switch 专属配件，套装价 2699 元" (in Chinese). IT之家. https://www.ithome.com/0/724/747.htm. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "2299元 雷鸟Air 2发布：201英寸巨屏+10000大电量" (in Chinese). Sina Finance (快科技). 2023-10-13. https://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2023-10-13/doc-imzqxyfn0938290.shtml. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 "「雷鸟Air Plus+雷鸟魔盒」评测：1+1能否大于2？" (in Chinese). 93913. 2023-05-25. https://www.93913.com/87788.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.