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RayNeo X3 Pro: 30-second review

RayNeo, the AR glasses arm of TCL, launched the X3 Pro globally in December 2025, following a well-received debut in the Chinese market. It represents the company's most ambitious product to date: a standalone pair of AI-powered augmented reality smart glasses that aims to put a useful, persistent digital layer over your view of the world, without requiring you to carry a tethered compute unit.

The headline hardware is the dual-eye full-colour MicroLED display, powered by RayNeo's own 'Firefly Optical Engine' and delivered through waveguides co-developed with Applied Materials. With 6,000 nits of peak brightness and 16.77 million colours, it is probably the best display currently available in any smart glass product, eclipsing even the Meta Ray-Ban Display's 5,000-nit panel. The simulated image is equivalent to a 43-inch screen viewed from two metres, within a 30-degree field of view.

Under the frame sits a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 processor — the purpose-built platform for this class of device — paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The X3 Pro runs RayNeo's AIOS, an Android-based operating system, and is integrated with Google Gemini 2.5 (Beta) for multimodal AI assistance. A 12MP Sony IMX681 sensor handles photography and 4K video, accompanied by a secondary monochrome camera for spatial positioning and depth tracking with 6DoF + SLAM support.

At 76 grams, the X3 Pro is lighter than the Inmo Air 3 (119g), and only a few grams heavier than the Meta Ray-Ban Display (69g). The frame is built from an aerospace-grade magnesium-aluminium alloy, and control is handled via a five-way touch panel on the right temple, with support for Apple Watch gesture control promised in a future OTA update.

The device's single greatest limitation is its 245mAh battery. Under light use, you may approach three to five hours. Under active use that might be navigation, AI queries, camera recording, or app usage, the running time plummets to as little as one or two hours, and it can be as little as 45 minutes. The only saving grace is a recharge of around 45 minutes via USB-C.

At $1,169, the X3 Pro is a premium early-adopter product with genuine technological credibility, but a hefty price tag. The display alone makes a compelling case for the future of AR glasses. Whether that future is worth over a thousand pounds to experience today is a question each buyer must answer for themselves.

RayNeo X3 Pro: Price & availability

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The RayNeo X3 Pro launched globally in December 2025, initially priced at $1,099 on an early-bird basis, rising to $1,299 at standard retail.

At the time of writing, RayNeo sells direct from its website here, with delivery to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, and other markets.

In the UK, the full retail price is £1,169, and in the USA it’s $1,169. Considering that the exchange rate on the day of writing is $1.34 to the pound, UK customers pay roughly 25% more for the same products for no obvious good reason.

Prescription lens inserts are available separately from around $49 / £49, supplied through RayNeo's partner Lensology.

What’s a little odd is that these glasses aren’t available on Amazon.com, when almost everything else RayNeo makes is.

By way of comparison, the Meta Ray-Ban Display starts at $799, the Even Realities G2 at $599, and the Halliday Smart Glasses at $500. Traditional smart glasses without a display, such as the Ray-Ban Meta, are available for considerably less.

The X3 Pro commands a significant premium, but the technical specification that includes the dual-eye MicroLED display and the Snapdragon AR1 platform is a major step up from those alternatives.

RayNeo also offers existing X-series customers a 'RayNeo Explorer' lifetime benefit, providing a $200 discount towards future X Series purchases.

What colours my perspective on the price is that these aren’t dual-purpose glasses that can also be used to watch movies. They’re only for AR, which makes the high price even harder to justify.

• Score: 3/5

RayNeo X3 Pro: Specifications

Chipset

Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 (4nm)

RAM

4GB LPDDR5

Storage

32GB

Display type

Dual full-colour MicroLED, waveguide optics (both eyes)

Resolution

640 × 480 per eye

Peak brightness

6,000 nits (typical: ~3,500 nits)

Field of view

30 degrees

Virtual screen

43-inch equivalent at 2m distance

Refresh rate

60Hz

OS

RayNeo AIOS (Android-based)

AI engine

Google Gemini 2.5 (Beta)

Cameras

12MP Sony IMX681 (front, colour) + monochrome OV (positioning/depth)

Video

4K / 3K recording

Tracking

6DoF + SLAM; Falcon Image spatial positioning

Audio

Open-ear directional speakers (both temples)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6

Controls

5-way touch panel (right temple); voice ('Hey RayNeo'); Apple Watch (future OTA)

Weight

76g

Battery

245mAh; ~1–5 hours depending on use; full charge in ~38–45 min via USB-C

Translation

Real-time audio + on-screen text; 14 languages; ~2.1-second response

Prescription

Supported (lens inserts via Lensology, from ~$49/£49)

Colours

Black (single style)

RayNeo X3 Pro: Design & build

• Divisive aesthetics
• Wearability issues

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

There is an obvious problem with products like the X3 Pro, which is that the design telegraphs that these aren’t just glasses, drawing attention to the wearer.

This tension between engineering achievement and social wearability is perhaps the defining characteristic of this first generation of capable AR glasses, and the X3 Pro didn’t dodge that bullet.

The frame takes broadly Wayfarer-style cues, i.e. being thick, squarish and dark. In short, these look like John-Paul Belmondo wore them at the end of the 1960s, before Michael Cain borrowed them to play the classic British spy, Harry Palmer.

That might be delightfully retro, but two cameras sit in the bridge between the lenses, a small indicator light sits on the front frame (active when recording), and distinctive protrusions near the temple hinges house the MicroLED projectors, giving the game away.

The temples are noticeably thicker than conventional eyewear, accommodating the speakers, electronics, and battery. The USB-C charging port sits at the tip of the right temple.

Structurally, the X3 Pro is more refined than its predecessor, the X2 Pro. RayNeo cites eleven structural optimisations and the use of aerospace-grade magnesium-aluminium alloy to achieve a 36% weight reduction over that earlier model. The result is a frame that, at 76g, sits comfortably on most faces without the ear pressure or nose strain that plagued heavier competitors. Multiple reviewers noted that they occasionally forgot they were wearing them during prolonged use.

The lenses themselves have good optical transparency when the display is off, meaning the world doesn't take on the tinted quality of sunglasses during non-display use. Interchangeable nose pads in different sizes are included, and prescription lens inserts are available through Lensology.

For older people, me included, these lens inserts are a necessity, since the glasses require abnormal eye-muscle acrobatics that those without perfect vision are unlikely to achieve without some help.

Fit adjustment is largely limited to nose pad selection, which does tend to put more pressure on the bridge of the nose. Previously, with the Air 3s Pro, RayNeo offered adjustable temple angles, but these aren’t available on the X3 Pro.

And, because of this, depending on your face shape, you can find that the display is dramatically offset from the ideal line of sight. As I’ll talk about later, I had big issues with this, and it made using them extremely difficult.

In short, if social discretion is a priority, this is not the device for you. If you are the sort of person who wears technology proudly, or who has a professional or specialist use case, the design is functional as long as your face and eye geometry fall within a specific envelope.

• Design & build: 3.5/5

RayNeo X3 Pro: Features

• Impressive display technology
• Sony IMX681 camera sensor
• Tiny battery

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The X3 Pro's MicroLED dual-eye display is, by wide consensus, the standout feature of this device. Unlike single-eye displays used by some competitors, the X3 Pro projects identical imagery to both eyes, producing a more natural and immersive AR experience that doesn’t assume binocular compensation on the viewer's part. The 640 × 480 resolution per eye is modest by smartphone standards, but it is appropriate for a heads-up overlay and is rendered with genuine clarity at the 30-degree field of view.

Peak brightness of 6,000 nits is a notch above the Meta Ray-Ban’s 5,000 nits, making the display legible in direct sunlight and suitable for navigation or outdoor use. These aren’t meant for media consumption, and therefore don’t include shields to reduce external views, so the graphics need to be bright.

The display sits centrally in the wearer's field of view, rather than in the lower-right corner (as on the Meta Ray-Ban Display). This means AR content is more prominent and easier to read, but also more obtrusive. You cannot easily consume AR content passively while doing something else. It is a deliberate design choice that suits dedicated, task-focused use over an ambient, always-on overlay.

The primary camera uses a Sony IMX681 sensor capable of 12MP stills and 4K/3K video. A secondary monochrome camera assists with spatial positioning, depth tracking, and dual recording. In daylight conditions, camera output is described as decent, with the wide-angle field of view well-suited to point-of-view recording.

But in low light, there is a tendency to visible noise and graininess, and the lack of digital zoom or manual camera controls reduces flexibility. A recording indicator light on the front frame activates when the camera is in use, serving both as a privacy indicator and a practical reminder.

These don’t take pictures that would worry any mid-tier phone, and most entry-level Android phones have better sensors.

The X3 Pro's battery life is probably its greatest limitation, since a 245mAh cell is simply not large enough to support extended active use of the device's headline features.

RayNeo's claim of up to five hours applies to very light use, and by that, they probably mean music playback and limited screen time. In practice, active use scenarios significantly reduce this figure. In a few of my sessions, the time was a fraction of that amount, and the worst offenders for eating battery capacity were translation, video capture and navigation.

In theory, you could have a hip-mounted power pack attached to the USB port of the X3 Pro, but when I tried this, it pulled them out of square and made reading the display even harder.

Thankfully, the glasses do feature wear detection, automatically powering down when removed. This helps conserve battery during breaks, but carrying a power pack around is practically a necessity if you intend to use them for any extended time.

Contextually, the limited battery is an inevitable consequence of the 76g weight target. A larger cell would mean a heavier device. RayNeo engineers have made a considered trade-off here, and future hardware iterations will presumably seek to improve energy density. It may be that the makers can engineer better power management through firmware adjustments, but with only 245mAh of battery to work with, there is only so much that can be done.

Without a doubt, the primary reason to hesitate before purchase is battery life.

• Features: 3.5/5

RayNeo X3 Pro: Software

(Image credit: RayNeo)

• Google Gemini 2.5 (Beta)
• Live translation
• Side-loading apps

RayNeo AIOS, the operating system built on Android and structured around four primary screens: a home screen showing time and status indicators, a quick-actions panel, an app launcher, and a notifications screen. Navigation is via the five-way touch panel on the right temple, with voice commands available via 'Hey RayNeo'. The interface is responsive and, for the constrained form factor, relatively intuitive.

According to RayNeo, it's Google Gemini that’s the flavour of AI baked into AIOS, and I suspect it’s Google Gemini 2.5 (Beta), which is a long way behind the current models that Google is promoting.

Compared to some other talking AI’s I’ve used, this one is pretty average. For starters, even though I’m in the UK, it insisted on using a chirpy American accent. And, if I asked what the temperature was, the answer arrived in Fahrenheit, times in a 12-hour clock and distances in feet and inches. Yes, Gemini, the world is America.

But aside from being fixated on a region that’s more than 3,000 miles away, the other issue was that it got simple questions wrong from the outset. As it loves America, I asked it to name the last ten U.S. leaders. It got the name and the order correct and then fumbled the answer by saying that all these people had been President in the past ten years.

I tried to subtly nudge it in the right direction by asking which ones were the President in the past ten years, but it failed to notice the discrepancy between what it was saying now and what it said previously.

Thankfully, it didn’t fall for the classic "walk or drive" question for the car wash, but I think all AI platforms are hardwired to answer that way, since it’s an obvious pitfall.

Compared to the latest versions of the major AI providers, the AI on this platform isn’t going to write Skynet anytime soon.

Real-time translation is a more advanced feature, supporting 14 languages and delivering approximately 2.1-second response times. Translation can be delivered as on-screen text or synchronised audio. In testing by other reviewers, accuracy was broadly good, though the system waits for the speaker to finish before translating. That’s necessary in some languages, like German, but it does come across as a less-than-natural conversation and can feel stilted.

Navigation is powered by HERE WeGo Maps (used by BMW and Audi), projecting turn-by-turn directions and nearby landmarks directly into your field of view. This is one of the most practically compelling use cases for the device, eliminating the need to look down at a phone while on foot. Unfortunately, the app never loaded on my glasses. Every time I tried to download and install it, it failed. Other apps were installed, so I’m unsure why this one refused to.

I know that some software for this device requires side-loading, which isn’t something many users will be happy to perform.

• Software: 3.5/5

RayNeo X3 Pro: Performance

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 is purpose-designed for augmented reality applications, and the X3 Pro benefits accordingly. Day-to-day navigation, AI queries, notification handling, and app use are smooth under normal conditions. The combination of 4GB LPDDR5 RAM and 32GB storage is appropriate for the use cases the device targets.

That said, compared with a modern smartphone, this isn’t the most powerful platform, and with some more resource-intensive tasks, the cracks start to show.

The glasses do support 6DoF + SLAM with Falcon Image spatial positioning, and the AR overlay alignment is typically accurate and stable under testing. But the issue here is more about how close this platform is to being overrun, and there are hints it's not ever too far from the edge.

But this reviewer had many more issues with this device, which is partly why I waited more than six months before completing my review.

When I first got these in 2025, they did almost nothing. Since then, the firmware updates and enhancements that come via the mobile app have transformed the functionality provided, but they haven’t addressed some of the issues I’ve had from the outset.

The first big problem I had was seeing the projected images, not because the glasses didn’t work, but because they were almost out of my field of view. Some of this was my long-sightedness that made the images seem soft, but I couldn’t see the entirety of the display without balancing the glasses on the very tip of my nose. If I didn’t do that, the image would have been presented as below me and barely in sight. Lifting the glasses to make the image central causes it to disappear.

I’m not confident that spending another £50 on the proper lenses would fix that issue.

That made just seeing things a challenge, but the other issue I had was using the touch panels on the sides of the glasses for directing the interface, because half the time they just ignored my instructions or did something I didn’t ask for. In one instance, I deleted the To-do application from the glasses, not because I wanted to, but because the glasses took one swipe as my instruction to do that, and then refused to cancel that erroneous request.

I did consider getting a small hand controller to make it easier to use or even using the phone as a touchpad, but frankly, at this price, it should be easier than it was.

My final complaint about this device is how some aspects aren’t thought through. One of the apps is a translation app, and you can stand in front of a person from another country and get real-time translation of what they are saying. And, it works. You can even run a YouTube video of someone speaking another language and see it translated.

However, my problem is how you might use this in the context of being a tourist in a foreign country. Let’s imagine I’m in Japan, where they speak a language I don’t, and I walk into a shop where a sales assistant asks, ‘What are you looking for?’ I understand this, because the glasses translate for me, but it can’t reply in Japanese.

At which point, phone translation, where you can show the person your reply in their language, or it speaks for you, works much better. Obviously, if you like to sit on a train and listen to people gossiping about you in their language, thinking you can’t understand them, it's great, but it seems an expensive device to do just that.

Mark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark Pickavance

• Performance: 3.5/5

Should you buy the RayNeo X3 Pro?

The RayNeo X3 Pro is, technically, the most impressive pair of smart glasses currently available for purchase. The dual-eye MicroLED display is genuinely impressive, with bright enough images for outdoor use, colourful, and binocular in a way that no other glasses at this price point can match.

The integration of Gemini AI would make it genuinely useful beyond being a novelty if the model were newer and didn’t assume that all English speakers are Americans.

The camera produces capable results in good light, and the 76g weight is a remarkable achievement for the hardware it contains.

But the £1,000+ price tag demands honest scrutiny of what you're buying, and the answer is: a first-generation product. The battery will frustrate most users who intend to use its headline features for more than an hour or two at a time. The app ecosystem requires technical workarounds.

The aesthetic is also overly conspicuous, and considering how people are quite rightly objecting to unwanted image capture and AI in general, expect some push-back from others if you wear these in public.

For early adopters, AR developers, and professionals with specific use cases, such as live translation, heads-up navigation, and meeting transcription, the X3 Pro is credible but far from perfect. For mainstream buyers hoping for an all-day, all-purpose wearable, the technology is not quite there yet, but this is the clearest indication yet of where it is heading.

Value

An expensive option even with these features

3/5

Design

Lightweight design, but obviously AR

3.5/5

Features

Great displays but tiny battery

3.5/5

Soware

AI and navigation, but side-loading is a thing

3.5/5

Performance

Wearability issues and patchy performance

3.5/5

Total

Expensive and the ecosystem is a work in progress

3.5/5

(Image credit: RayNeo)Buy it if...

You want the best AR display available today
The dual-eye MicroLED is a genuine leap forward. If seeing what AR glasses can look like is important to you, nothing else currently matches it.

You have a specific professional use case
Live translation, navigation, meeting transcription, and developer access make the X3 Pro a serious productivity tool for the right scenarios.

Don't buy it if...

Social discretion matters to you
Multiple experienced smart glasses reviewers noted that the X3 Pro draws looks and comments in public. If you are not prepared to stand out, this is not the device for you yet.

You need all-day battery life
Under active use, the 245mAh cell simply cannot deliver a full day of use. If you need more than an hour or two from a single charge, look elsewhere or accept that a power bank becomes a permanent companion.

RayNeo X3 Pro: 30-second review

RayNeo, the AR glasses arm of TCL, launched the X3 Pro globally in December 2025, following a well-received debut in the Chinese market. It represents the company's most ambitious product to date: a standalone pair of AI-powered augmented reality smart glasses that aims to put a useful, persistent digital layer over your view of the world, without requiring you to carry a tethered compute unit.

The headline hardware is the dual-eye full-colour MicroLED display, powered by RayNeo's own 'Firefly Optical Engine' and delivered through waveguides co-developed with Applied Materials. With 6,000 nits of peak brightness and 16.77 million colours, it is probably the best display currently available in any smart glass product, eclipsing even the Meta Ray-Ban Display's 5,000-nit panel. The simulated image is equivalent to a 43-inch screen viewed from two metres, within a 30-degree field of view.

Under the frame sits a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 processor — the purpose-built platform for this class of device — paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The X3 Pro runs RayNeo's AIOS, an Android-based operating system, and is integrated with Google Gemini 2.5 (Beta) for multimodal AI assistance. A 12MP Sony IMX681 sensor handles photography and 4K video, accompanied by a secondary monochrome camera for spatial positioning and depth tracking with 6DoF + SLAM support.

At 76 grams, the X3 Pro is lighter than the Inmo Air 3 (119g), and only a few grams heavier than the Meta Ray-Ban Display (69g). The frame is built from an aerospace-grade magnesium-aluminium alloy, and control is handled via a five-way touch panel on the right temple, with support for Apple Watch gesture control promised in a future OTA update.

The device's single greatest limitation is its 245mAh battery. Under light use, you may approach three to five hours. Under active use that might be navigation, AI queries, camera recording, or app usage, the running time plummets to as little as one or two hours, and it can be as little as 45 minutes. The only saving grace is a recharge of around 45 minutes via USB-C.

At $1,169, the X3 Pro is a premium early-adopter product with genuine technological credibility, but a hefty price tag. The display alone makes a compelling case for the future of AR glasses. Whether that future is worth over a thousand pounds to experience today is a question each buyer must answer for themselves.

RayNeo X3 Pro: Price & availability

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The RayNeo X3 Pro launched globally in December 2025, initially priced at $1,099 on an early-bird basis, rising to $1,299 at standard retail.

At the time of writing, RayNeo sells direct from its website here, with delivery to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, and other markets.

In the UK, the full retail price is £1,169, and in the USA it’s $1,169. Considering that the exchange rate on the day of writing is $1.34 to the pound, UK customers pay roughly 25% more for the same products for no obvious good reason.

Prescription lens inserts are available separately from around $49 / £49, supplied through RayNeo's partner Lensology.

What’s a little odd is that these glasses aren’t available on Amazon.com, when almost everything else RayNeo makes is.

By way of comparison, the Meta Ray-Ban Display starts at $799, the Even Realities G2 at $599, and the Halliday Smart Glasses at $500. Traditional smart glasses without a display, such as the Ray-Ban Meta, are available for considerably less.

The X3 Pro commands a significant premium, but the technical specification that includes the dual-eye MicroLED display and the Snapdragon AR1 platform is a major step up from those alternatives.

RayNeo also offers existing X-series customers a 'RayNeo Explorer' lifetime benefit, providing a $200 discount towards future X Series purchases.

What colours my perspective on the price is that these aren’t dual-purpose glasses that can also be used to watch movies. They’re only for AR, which makes the high price even harder to justify.

• Score: 3/5

RayNeo X3 Pro: Specifications

Chipset

Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 (4nm)

RAM

4GB LPDDR5

Storage

32GB

Display type

Dual full-colour MicroLED, waveguide optics (both eyes)

Resolution

640 × 480 per eye

Peak brightness

6,000 nits (typical: ~3,500 nits)

Field of view

30 degrees

Virtual screen

43-inch equivalent at 2m distance

Refresh rate

60Hz

OS

RayNeo AIOS (Android-based)

AI engine

Google Gemini 2.5 (Beta)

Cameras

12MP Sony IMX681 (front, colour) + monochrome OV (positioning/depth)

Video

4K / 3K recording

Tracking

6DoF + SLAM; Falcon Image spatial positioning

Audio

Open-ear directional speakers (both temples)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6

Controls

5-way touch panel (right temple); voice ('Hey RayNeo'); Apple Watch (future OTA)

Weight

76g

Battery

245mAh; ~1–5 hours depending on use; full charge in ~38–45 min via USB-C

Translation

Real-time audio + on-screen text; 14 languages; ~2.1-second response

Prescription

Supported (lens inserts via Lensology, from ~$49/£49)

Colours

Black (single style)

RayNeo X3 Pro: Design & build

• Divisive aesthetics
• Wearability issues

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

There is an obvious problem with products like the X3 Pro, which is that the design telegraphs that these aren’t just glasses, drawing attention to the wearer.

This tension between engineering achievement and social wearability is perhaps the defining characteristic of this first generation of capable AR glasses, and the X3 Pro didn’t dodge that bullet.

The frame takes broadly Wayfarer-style cues, i.e. being thick, squarish and dark. In short, these look like John-Paul Belmondo wore them at the end of the 1960s, before Michael Cain borrowed them to play the classic British spy, Harry Palmer.

That might be delightfully retro, but two cameras sit in the bridge between the lenses, a small indicator light sits on the front frame (active when recording), and distinctive protrusions near the temple hinges house the MicroLED projectors, giving the game away.

The temples are noticeably thicker than conventional eyewear, accommodating the speakers, electronics, and battery. The USB-C charging port sits at the tip of the right temple.

Structurally, the X3 Pro is more refined than its predecessor, the X2 Pro. RayNeo cites eleven structural optimisations and the use of aerospace-grade magnesium-aluminium alloy to achieve a 36% weight reduction over that earlier model. The result is a frame that, at 76g, sits comfortably on most faces without the ear pressure or nose strain that plagued heavier competitors. Multiple reviewers noted that they occasionally forgot they were wearing them during prolonged use.

The lenses themselves have good optical transparency when the display is off, meaning the world doesn't take on the tinted quality of sunglasses during non-display use. Interchangeable nose pads in different sizes are included, and prescription lens inserts are available through Lensology.

For older people, me included, these lens inserts are a necessity, since the glasses require abnormal eye-muscle acrobatics that those without perfect vision are unlikely to achieve without some help.

Fit adjustment is largely limited to nose pad selection, which does tend to put more pressure on the bridge of the nose. Previously, with the Air 3s Pro, RayNeo offered adjustable temple angles, but these aren’t available on the X3 Pro.

And, because of this, depending on your face shape, you can find that the display is dramatically offset from the ideal line of sight. As I’ll talk about later, I had big issues with this, and it made using them extremely difficult.

In short, if social discretion is a priority, this is not the device for you. If you are the sort of person who wears technology proudly, or who has a professional or specialist use case, the design is functional as long as your face and eye geometry fall within a specific envelope.

• Design & build: 3.5/5

RayNeo X3 Pro: Features

• Impressive display technology
• Sony IMX681 camera sensor
• Tiny battery

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The X3 Pro's MicroLED dual-eye display is, by wide consensus, the standout feature of this device. Unlike single-eye displays used by some competitors, the X3 Pro projects identical imagery to both eyes, producing a more natural and immersive AR experience that doesn’t assume binocular compensation on the viewer's part. The 640 × 480 resolution per eye is modest by smartphone standards, but it is appropriate for a heads-up overlay and is rendered with genuine clarity at the 30-degree field of view.

Peak brightness of 6,000 nits is a notch above the Meta Ray-Ban’s 5,000 nits, making the display legible in direct sunlight and suitable for navigation or outdoor use. These aren’t meant for media consumption, and therefore don’t include shields to reduce external views, so the graphics need to be bright.

The display sits centrally in the wearer's field of view, rather than in the lower-right corner (as on the Meta Ray-Ban Display). This means AR content is more prominent and easier to read, but also more obtrusive. You cannot easily consume AR content passively while doing something else. It is a deliberate design choice that suits dedicated, task-focused use over an ambient, always-on overlay.

The primary camera uses a Sony IMX681 sensor capable of 12MP stills and 4K/3K video. A secondary monochrome camera assists with spatial positioning, depth tracking, and dual recording. In daylight conditions, camera output is described as decent, with the wide-angle field of view well-suited to point-of-view recording.

But in low light, there is a tendency to visible noise and graininess, and the lack of digital zoom or manual camera controls reduces flexibility. A recording indicator light on the front frame activates when the camera is in use, serving both as a privacy indicator and a practical reminder.

These don’t take pictures that would worry any mid-tier phone, and most entry-level Android phones have better sensors.

The X3 Pro's battery life is probably its greatest limitation, since a 245mAh cell is simply not large enough to support extended active use of the device's headline features.

RayNeo's claim of up to five hours applies to very light use, and by that, they probably mean music playback and limited screen time. In practice, active use scenarios significantly reduce this figure. In a few of my sessions, the time was a fraction of that amount, and the worst offenders for eating battery capacity were translation, video capture and navigation.

In theory, you could have a hip-mounted power pack attached to the USB port of the X3 Pro, but when I tried this, it pulled them out of square and made reading the display even harder.

Thankfully, the glasses do feature wear detection, automatically powering down when removed. This helps conserve battery during breaks, but carrying a power pack around is practically a necessity if you intend to use them for any extended time.

Contextually, the limited battery is an inevitable consequence of the 76g weight target. A larger cell would mean a heavier device. RayNeo engineers have made a considered trade-off here, and future hardware iterations will presumably seek to improve energy density. It may be that the makers can engineer better power management through firmware adjustments, but with only 245mAh of battery to work with, there is only so much that can be done.

Without a doubt, the primary reason to hesitate before purchase is battery life.

• Features: 3.5/5

RayNeo X3 Pro: Software

(Image credit: RayNeo)

• Google Gemini 2.5 (Beta)
• Live translation
• Side-loading apps

RayNeo AIOS, the operating system built on Android and structured around four primary screens: a home screen showing time and status indicators, a quick-actions panel, an app launcher, and a notifications screen. Navigation is via the five-way touch panel on the right temple, with voice commands available via 'Hey RayNeo'. The interface is responsive and, for the constrained form factor, relatively intuitive.

According to RayNeo, it's Google Gemini that’s the flavour of AI baked into AIOS, and I suspect it’s Google Gemini 2.5 (Beta), which is a long way behind the current models that Google is promoting.

Compared to some other talking AI’s I’ve used, this one is pretty average. For starters, even though I’m in the UK, it insisted on using a chirpy American accent. And, if I asked what the temperature was, the answer arrived in Fahrenheit, times in a 12-hour clock and distances in feet and inches. Yes, Gemini, the world is America.

But aside from being fixated on a region that’s more than 3,000 miles away, the other issue was that it got simple questions wrong from the outset. As it loves America, I asked it to name the last ten U.S. leaders. It got the name and the order correct and then fumbled the answer by saying that all these people had been President in the past ten years.

I tried to subtly nudge it in the right direction by asking which ones were the President in the past ten years, but it failed to notice the discrepancy between what it was saying now and what it said previously.

Thankfully, it didn’t fall for the classic "walk or drive" question for the car wash, but I think all AI platforms are hardwired to answer that way, since it’s an obvious pitfall.

Compared to the latest versions of the major AI providers, the AI on this platform isn’t going to write Skynet anytime soon.

Real-time translation is a more advanced feature, supporting 14 languages and delivering approximately 2.1-second response times. Translation can be delivered as on-screen text or synchronised audio. In testing by other reviewers, accuracy was broadly good, though the system waits for the speaker to finish before translating. That’s necessary in some languages, like German, but it does come across as a less-than-natural conversation and can feel stilted.

Navigation is powered by HERE WeGo Maps (used by BMW and Audi), projecting turn-by-turn directions and nearby landmarks directly into your field of view. This is one of the most practically compelling use cases for the device, eliminating the need to look down at a phone while on foot. Unfortunately, the app never loaded on my glasses. Every time I tried to download and install it, it failed. Other apps were installed, so I’m unsure why this one refused to.

I know that some software for this device requires side-loading, which isn’t something many users will be happy to perform.

• Software: 3.5/5

RayNeo X3 Pro: Performance

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 is purpose-designed for augmented reality applications, and the X3 Pro benefits accordingly. Day-to-day navigation, AI queries, notification handling, and app use are smooth under normal conditions. The combination of 4GB LPDDR5 RAM and 32GB storage is appropriate for the use cases the device targets.

That said, compared with a modern smartphone, this isn’t the most powerful platform, and with some more resource-intensive tasks, the cracks start to show.

The glasses do support 6DoF + SLAM with Falcon Image spatial positioning, and the AR overlay alignment is typically accurate and stable under testing. But the issue here is more about how close this platform is to being overrun, and there are hints it's not ever too far from the edge.

But this reviewer had many more issues with this device, which is partly why I waited more than six months before completing my review.

When I first got these in 2025, they did almost nothing. Since then, the firmware updates and enhancements that come via the mobile app have transformed the functionality provided, but they haven’t addressed some of the issues I’ve had from the outset.

The first big problem I had was seeing the projected images, not because the glasses didn’t work, but because they were almost out of my field of view. Some of this was my long-sightedness that made the images seem soft, but I couldn’t see the entirety of the display without balancing the glasses on the very tip of my nose. If I didn’t do that, the image would have been presented as below me and barely in sight. Lifting the glasses to make the image central causes it to disappear.

I’m not confident that spending another £50 on the proper lenses would fix that issue.

That made just seeing things a challenge, but the other issue I had was using the touch panels on the sides of the glasses for directing the interface, because half the time they just ignored my instructions or did something I didn’t ask for. In one instance, I deleted the To-do application from the glasses, not because I wanted to, but because the glasses took one swipe as my instruction to do that, and then refused to cancel that erroneous request.

I did consider getting a small hand controller to make it easier to use or even using the phone as a touchpad, but frankly, at this price, it should be easier than it was.

My final complaint about this device is how some aspects aren’t thought through. One of the apps is a translation app, and you can stand in front of a person from another country and get real-time translation of what they are saying. And, it works. You can even run a YouTube video of someone speaking another language and see it translated.

However, my problem is how you might use this in the context of being a tourist in a foreign country. Let’s imagine I’m in Japan, where they speak a language I don’t, and I walk into a shop where a sales assistant asks, ‘What are you looking for?’ I understand this, because the glasses translate for me, but it can’t reply in Japanese.

At which point, phone translation, where you can show the person your reply in their language, or it speaks for you, works much better. Obviously, if you like to sit on a train and listen to people gossiping about you in their language, thinking you can’t understand them, it's great, but it seems an expensive device to do just that.

Mark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark PickavanceMark Pickavance

• Performance: 3.5/5

Should you buy the RayNeo X3 Pro?

The RayNeo X3 Pro is, technically, the most impressive pair of smart glasses currently available for purchase. The dual-eye MicroLED display is genuinely impressive, with bright enough images for outdoor use, colourful, and binocular in a way that no other glasses at this price point can match.

The integration of Gemini AI would make it genuinely useful beyond being a novelty if the model were newer and didn’t assume that all English speakers are Americans.

The camera produces capable results in good light, and the 76g weight is a remarkable achievement for the hardware it contains.

But the £1,000+ price tag demands honest scrutiny of what you're buying, and the answer is: a first-generation product. The battery will frustrate most users who intend to use its headline features for more than an hour or two at a time. The app ecosystem requires technical workarounds.

The aesthetic is also overly conspicuous, and considering how people are quite rightly objecting to unwanted image capture and AI in general, expect some push-back from others if you wear these in public.

For early adopters, AR developers, and professionals with specific use cases, such as live translation, heads-up navigation, and meeting transcription, the X3 Pro is credible but far from perfect. For mainstream buyers hoping for an all-day, all-purpose wearable, the technology is not quite there yet, but this is the clearest indication yet of where it is heading.

Value

An expensive option even with these features

3/5

Design

Lightweight design, but obviously AR

3.5/5

Features

Great displays but tiny battery

3.5/5

Soware

AI and navigation, but side-loading is a thing

3.5/5

Performance

Wearability issues and patchy performance

3.5/5

Total

Expensive and the ecosystem is a work in progress

3.5/5

(Image credit: RayNeo)Buy it if...

You want the best AR display available today
The dual-eye MicroLED is a genuine leap forward. If seeing what AR glasses can look like is important to you, nothing else currently matches it.

You have a specific professional use case
Live translation, navigation, meeting transcription, and developer access make the X3 Pro a serious productivity tool for the right scenarios.

Don't buy it if...

Social discretion matters to you
Multiple experienced smart glasses reviewers noted that the X3 Pro draws looks and comments in public. If you are not prepared to stand out, this is not the device for you yet.

You need all-day battery life
Under active use, the 245mAh cell simply cannot deliver a full day of use. If you need more than an hour or two from a single charge, look elsewhere or accept that a power bank becomes a permanent companion.

A far better Siri and performance benefits are reasons to upgrade and try out the beta, or wait till the fall.

If you want genuine 8-core desktop power in a footprint you can tuck behind a monitor, this Bosgame P6 mini PC for $520 (was $640) at Amazon is worth checking out, with the machine built around AMD's high-performance Ryzen 9 6900HX.

The Ryzen 9 6900HX is the real draw here. It's an 8-core, 16-thread chip built on a 6nm Zen 3+ process, with a boost clock up to 4.9GHz. That puts it well ahead of the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 mobile chips that populate most mini PCs in this price range.

The Bosgame P6 is genuinely capable of sustained multi-threaded work like video encoding, compiling, or running several lightweight VMs at once without slowing down.

Today's top mini PC deal

AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX (8-core/16-thread, up to 4.9GHz), Radeon 680M graphics, 24GB LPDDR5X-4800 RAM, 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD (expandable to 4TB), dual Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and triple 4K display output via HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C. Windows 11 Pro pre-installed.View Deal

The Radeon 680M integrated GPU pairs with that CPU well. It's an RDNA 2 part with 12 compute units, and while it's not a substitute for a discrete card, it comfortably handles 4K media playback and esports titles like CS2 at high settings — useful if this doubles as a casual gaming box alongside office duties.

24GB of LPDDR5X-4800 memory is a healthy amount for multitasking, though it's worth noting this RAM is soldered to the board and not user-upgradeable — what you buy is what you're stuck with. The 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD fares better: BOSGAME includes a second M.2 slot, so storage can be expanded up to 4TB down the line.

Connectivity is a genuine strength at this price. Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports let you keep two networks separated or add load balancing — handy for home labs or NAS setups — while Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 cover the wireless side. Triple 4K display output via HDMI, DisplayPort, and a full-function USB-C port (with data, Power Delivery, and DisplayPort Alt Mode) rounds out a well-connected little machine.

A couple of honest caveats: the soldered RAM means there's no upgrade path if 24GB becomes tight later, and Bosgame's mini PCs typically ship with an external wall-socket power brick rather than a laptop-style supply, so factor that into your desk setup. If you need discrete-GPU-level graphics performance for gaming or GPU-accelerated creative work, this integrated setup won't get you there either.

For an 8-core desktop replacement with strong connectivity, the BOSGAME P6 is a solid pick in this category.

Want to do more with your machine? We tested the best mini PCs and selected the top mini PC deals for video editing and gaming that you can get right now.

More mini PC deals

For general home and office tasks, the GMKtec M6 Ultra is our top pick for most people. This Windows 11 Pro mini PC comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS processor, 32GB DDR5 RAM, a 1TB SSD, with triple 4K display support, USB4, dual 2.5G Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 6E. View Deal

One of my favorite mini PCs for those that want a little more power - particularly for content creation, Geekom's A8 Max features a Ryzen 9 8945HS chip, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It also boasts USB4, dual 2.5GbE LAN, and 8K output. View Deal

• Shop other mini PC deals at Amazon.

• Meta's 4,000 acre Hyperion data center will receive an additional $40 billion investment
• Meta says the project has been a huge benefit for the local community of Richland Parish
• Multiple groups and local residents have criticized the massive campus and its energy sourcing

Meta has announced that an additional $40 billion will be used to fund the construction of its enormous 4,000 acre data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana.

This additional funding brings the total Meta investment for the ‘Hyperion’ site to over $250 billion when combined with Bloomberg reporting of $200 billion allocated for the project in May, plus a previously announced $10 billion investment for the data center and surrounding community.

The data center itself is expected to consume 5 gigawatts of computing power, with an additional 2 gigawatts for wider campus needs, placing the predicted total usage upon completion at more than three times the power consumed by the city of New Orleans.

A boon or bane for the local community?

In a Meta blog post, the company boasted about the benefits of the enormous data center campus for the local community.

It cites $50,000 bonuses for local teachers thanks to increased tax revenues on the Hyperion campus, alongside $1.6 billion in contracts for local businesses and other funding from Meta for public schools and youth programs via the Data Center Community Action Grants project.

“It’s life-altering for our teachers and their families, and it’s transforming our schools. Meta’s investment has made Richland Parish a destination for education as well as industry,” Richland Parish’s School District Superintendent, Sheldon Jones, told Meta.

Meta also said that once the project was completed, it would support 1,000 jobs. There is also a further $1 billion earmarked for investment in local infrastructure improvements, including roads, water and wastewater systems.

A promotional video accompanying Meta’s local funding news shows the story of a backwater town faced by a lack of business and opportunities, with local residents, teachers, and business owners speaking of the positives of having the Hyperion campus being constructed, accompanied by upbeat orchestral music.

While the select individuals featured in the Meta PR video preach of the benefits, there has also been local opposition to the project, which has been steeped in controversy.

The other side of the coin

Multiple environmental and consumer groups have pushed back against the project since its announcement, particularly around how the power for the data center will be generated. Entergy Louisiana is spending billions to construct 10 new gas-fired power plants to provide the necessary electricity. But many communities across the US who live in the vicinity of such power plants have reported a wave of symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, vertigo, and sleep disruption.

A Floodlight investigation, published by the Guardian, found that the success of Hyperion’s approval rested largely on the shoulders of a single Louisiana state senator, John “Jay” Morris.

Many of the land purchases and sales required for Entergy to construct the planned gas turbine plant were undertaken by Morris and his partners, Floodlight claims. Louisiana law requires government officials to recuse themselves from voting when a conflict exists, and prohibits the use of public office for private gain.

Morris has denied any wrongdoing. “It makes a nice story if you can try to show that I have some sort of conflict. But under Louisiana’s ethics laws, I don’t,” Morris told the Guardian.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Alliance for Affordable Energy (AAE) have both criticized the Hyperion site, especially the amount of power it is planned to consume, warning that the site will unfairly shift the cost of electricity and infrastructure upgrades on to the site.

Additionally, the approval for the Entergy gas turbine power plant was fast-tracked through the Louisiana Public Service Commission, with the UCS warning that Entergy ratepayers would have to cover the costs of a $550 million transmission line that is only necessary because of the Hyperion site, alongside the fuel costs for the new gas turbine plant.

The payment comes three years after a jury found President Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer.

(Image credit: Leonardo Munoz)

• The boss of SK Hynix believes that the RAM crisis is going to get much worse
• The CEO said 2027 will be the 'worst year' in the RAM industry's history, and that the crisis will likely roll on to 2030 and beyond
• Analysis from the Bank of America also claims that SK Hynix's expansion of memory production capacity is going to fall well short of its target for 2028

We keep getting told that the RAM crisis is dug in as a fixture for the foreseeable future, and, whether you want them or not, here are a couple more unwelcome reminders.

First, Android Headline flagged a Reuters interview with Kwak Noh-jung, the CEO of SK Hynix, one of the big memory chip makers. The chief executive didn't have comforting words about the prospect of RAM pricing in 2027, observing, "We forecast that ‌next year will be the worst year in the [memory] industry's history from the supply perspective."

So, seemingly next year will see RAM hit peak pricing, with no relief likely until 2030 (as previously forecast by the chairman of parent company SK Group) according to the CEO — and even then, he suggested that demand will continue to outweigh supply as the next decade rolls on beyond 2030.

The second RAM-related blow comes from analysis by the Bank of America highlighted by the Commercial Times in Taiwan (via Wccftech), which pours doubt on the South Korean president's recent boasts about the major expansion of the country's overall memory chip production by 2030.

Part of this analysis is a claim from a memory industry insider over in Taiwan that SK Hynix might only add just a sixth of its originally planned production capacity increase by 2028. Obviously that assertion needs to be liberally seasoned, but it's such a large potential shortfall that it's bound to raise some eyebrows.

The Commercial Times notes that while huge new chip manufacturing plants are being built by SK Hynix and Samsung in South Korea, they will take a lot longer than 2030 to come fully online — and this process is more likely to take a full decade. The report contends that a realistic level of memory wafer capacity expansion for South Korea is around 10% (or slightly less) per year, which will leave the country falling well short of the president's claims for production in 2030.

Analysis: diverging RAM timelines

(Image credit: Unsplash / Liam Briese)

It's grim news from the CEO of SK Hynix, then, although of course, the skeptics will quickly point out that it's the chief exec's job to talk up the company's value — in terms of a booming market and the struggle to meet demand — coming off the back of its debut on the Nasdaq. Stock prices around the big memory chip makers have been turbulent of late, it should be noted, as investors start to worry about whether these companies are currently overvalued — and indeed whether the AI boom might start to run out of momentum.

So, that's a consideration, but there's no denying that SK Hynix's boss isn't the only person making gloomy predictions along these lines. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang said that he expects the RAM crisis to last "quite a few years", indicating that we'll be stuck in pricing hell until 2030 or thereabouts, although others don't see it that way. In the opposing camp we notably have the likes of an AMD exec, the ex-chief of Samsung's semiconductor division, and Jefferies, an investment banking firm, who all believe RAM pricing will start to ease in 2028.

However, the sting in the tail there is that Jefferies is also predicting big memory price hikes over the rest of this year, and in 2027 too, backing up the CEO of SK Hynix in that respect. When you consider the estimated massive shortfall of SK Hynix's production capacity boost based on the rumor mill, everything feels distinctly shakier in the nearer-term for RAM pricing.

I also can't help but recall the blow Microsoft recently delivered when talking about Xbox price rises, when the company informed us that it expects another doubling in the cost of RAM in just over a year (by the fall of 2027).

While there's a mixed bag in terms of longer-term predictions, then, the outlook for this year and next remains worryingly negative on the RAM front.

• App update delivers tab navigation, speaker/room sorting, and Dynamic Volume slider for iOS
• Phased rollout so it won't reach everyone simultaneously
• May take up to two weeks to arrive

Sonos users may not need to keep creating alternative apps for their systems: the official app is getting a significant update that's rolling out now. It's a phased rollout, so not everyone will get it at once, but it should reach everyone's devices within the next fortnight — though it's also optional, so you need to manually turn the changes on (for now).

Posting on Reddit, Sonos said: "We have a new Sonos App update and it's a big one." In addition to the usual bug fixes, there are significant interface improvements and, on iOS, a new volume interface too.

According to ShaunFromSonos, you shouldn't have to wait more than two weeks for the update on iOS or Android, and the timescale is "likely sooner". Provided you have Automatic Updates enabled, you'll get it as soon as it's rolled out to your device — however, once you have version 87 of the app, you need to turn on "Enable Improved Navigation" in Settings.

Sonos says that it's not making it the default until it's been tested en masse, outside of a limited beta environment. If people use it, love it and don't encounter major technical issues, then it could become the default later in the year.

Sonos app update in July 2026: what's new?

The update is coming to the Sonos app and Player and delivers clear tabbed navigation that follows the standard design conventions of Android and iOS respectively, with buttons to clearly show what's been selected and more prominent Home, System, and Search options.

The app will also now let you reorder speakers and rooms directly. You can sort alphabetically, by frequency of use, and by which speakers are currently playing audio. You can also pin your favorite speakers for fast access. As with the interface changes, this is opt-in and requires you to enable the improved navigation.

On iOS, there's a new volume slider that gets bigger when you interact with it, and it displays the number within the slider so you can see exactly what volume level you've selected.

Initial responses seem pretty positive so far, with one poster noting that the search function seems much faster on Android. Sonos are actively seeking feedback here, so if you've got the update already they'd like to know what you think on the app update Reddit thread.

Sonos also says that Lock Screen playback controls are coming to iOS soon, a long-awaited feature that's already available on Android.

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The Bambu Lab A2 L is a printer I’ve been expecting for some time. Essentially, it’s a larger A1, just with technology tweaks and, of course, scale. The big feature here is a 330 x 320 x 325 build area, making it one of the largest in its class of large open 3D printers.

While the A1 is a superb printer for beginners, there’s often a feeling that the print bed size can be a little bit restrictive, especially for some enthusiasts as well as businesses looking to model, create costume items or larger-scale prototypes, and this is what the A2 L’s larger print bed essentially facilitates.

What I like here is that Bambu has essentially created a large-frame design that keeps costs down compared with the more expensive, professional-level H2, P2, and X2 designs. This is more of the entry-level, but still it offers all of that technology and refinement that Bambu Lab always offers, and whilst many people will look at the open-frame design as a little bit of a negative point because you won’t be able to use engineering filaments, if the bulk of what you do is basic print farm work or you’re just printing PLA or basic TPU, then this machine is going to be a perfect option.

During the test, another point that came up was that the Wi-Fi is limited to 2.4 GHz. Since I was testing other kit at the time and didn’t have that 2.4GHz bandwidth, I couldn’t quite figure out what was happening. Only when I went for the dual 2.4 and 5GHz did it connect okay, but really, this is a minor thing for most businesses, and that would be absolutely fine.

The build area is obviously the major difference between this and the A1: the A1 has a nice square 256 x 256 x 256 build area, whereas this one upgrades to 330 x 320 x 325. I do kind of wish that Bambu Lab had kept an absolute cube build, as it just makes things easy when you’re orienting; however, it’s nice to have such a large space to work with.

Along with a larger build volume comes a new extrusion system, fully upgraded from the A1 standard direct-drive setup. On the A2, it adds a PMSM closed-loop servo extrusion system, designed to deliver smoother extrusion and monitor for issues during the print process. Another good upgrade is the motion stability system, which is far more advanced, as you’d expect given the couple of years between releases. Part of the reason for this is not just the passing of time, but also the fact that, because this is a much larger machine, it’s more prone to errors, so this part is finely tuned.

Further aiding error-free printing is a new package: physical blob and clogging detection, PMSM extrusion monitoring, and all live alongside all the safeguards the A1 featured when it was released.

One of the other features I have been really keen to see is the creative tool expansion, which essentially means, like the H2D, you can pop on an optional blade-cutting or pen-plotting module, so you can also work with stickers, card, leather, fabrics and a whole range of drawing and plotting projects alongside the 3D printing.

Really, this is a machine designed to sit there and get on with the work out of the box, and for less than £500/$500, you have a machine that can print multi-filament easily. If you do want to print engineering materials, you'll just have to spend a little bit more on one of the enclosed machines, but for most people, given the price, this is actually a fair option.

Bambu Lab A2L: Price and availability

The Bambu Lab A2L is available in the US for $469 direct from Bambu Lab - with a Combo version priced at $569.

It's also available in the UK for £319 at Bambu Lab, with the Combo version costing £429.

Bambu Lab A2L: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Bambu Lab A2L specifications

Print Technology: FDM / FFF, single direct-drive servo extruder
Build Area: 330 × 320 × 325mm
Minimum Layer Resolution: 0.08mm
Maximum Layer Resolution: 0.28mm
Dimensions: 544 × 529 × 505mm
Weight: 12.8kg
Bed: Heated bed, max 80°C
Print Surface: Flexible steel build plate with Textured PEI Plate
Software: Bambu Studio; Bambu Handy app; cloud or LAN-only control
Materials: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA; PLA-CF and PETG-CF with hardened nozzle.
Print Speed: Up to 500mm/s

It’s obvious that the A2L is in the same family as the A1. Essentially, it looks similar, just on a larger desktop-style frame, that measures 544 x 529 x 505mm, quite a substantial footprint, and it’s no lightweight at 12.8kg.

That scale of machine offers the current build area of 330 x 320 x 325mm, which is substantial, and in order to ensure proper rigidity for this large-format printer, the construction is made from aluminium with steel for the chassis, and a plastic outer frame to make it look nice rather than the look of printers past. To be honest, with Bambu Lab's usual design flair, this really does look like a great machine.

One thing to note is that this is an open-frame construction, and there is not, and probably will never be, an enclosure for it. There are higher-level machines like the Super P2S if you do need to utilise more engineering materials, and they don't cost a lot more.

What really appeals to me about this design is the optional cutting-and-drawing module that can be attached. This essentially boosts the machine's usability, and if you’re into crafting or modelling, as well as working in a small design business, having all these optional extras in one machine makes a lot of sense. One point to note here is that, unlike the H2D, which offers both of these modules to expand its functionality, it is slightly stripped down here, and for safety reasons, there’s obviously no laser module.

While it’s pitched to a wide range of users, it's primarily for a home enthusiast, although I’ve already spoken to several people who run print farms and are excited about this machine because of the sheer volume of prints they’d be able to produce on each print platform. Having run successive tests over a one-month period, I can confirm that the reliability for this type of use makes this a really great option, even in the commercial business sector, as long as you don’t want to print with engineering materials that require an enclosure.

Like all Bambu printers, it's designed for multi-filament printing and is fully compatible with both AMS and AMS Lite units. If you do purchase the combo unit, then you’ll get the AMS Lite, as you did with the A1. With this machine, you can link up four AMS units to get up to 19 colours.

Bambu Lab A2L: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The first thing that should really be said about the A2L is that it’s not a huge leap in technology, although there are improvements across the board, mainly to facilitate its larger build area, more than material support or additional new features. So, firstly, the headline is the scale of this machine, and as stated before, the 330 x 320 x 325mm build volume is ideal for large-format printing. If you’re thinking about cosplay or prototyping larger objects, then, to be honest, for the price, there is really very little at the moment that can match this.

That larger size usually means it’s much more prone to errors, and whilst the larger H2 machines are in line with the print volume this machine offers, the one big difference here is that it is open-frame. That not only makes it much cheaper but also restricts the types of materials you can utilise. Essentially, day-to-day prototyping in PLA or one of the other more common materials is absolutely fine, and you can pop in a hardened nozzle if you do want to print with something like PLA-CF or PETG-CF. However, if you want to print with engineering materials, such as nylon, then you are going to have to look at an enclosed machine.

There are several features that really stand out that will help make the printer as reliable as possible. The first is the aluminium-and-steel construction of the frame and chassis, which results in an ultra-rigid unit. During the test, I was surprised to see that, even when printing flat out, it appeared just how stable it was. It is, of course, always a good idea to have a really good, solid table.

Built into the extruder is one of the major upgrades over the A1: a PMSM closed-loop servo extrusion system that offers smoother filament extrusion than the direct drive we saw on the A1. There’s also adaptive vibration compensation with multiple calibration and load-adaptation options, again helping with filament flow. Another surprising thing is that they’ve added granular dampers to the frame. This is essentially to cope with the high speed that this printer is capable of, and it’s worth noting that, at full pelt, this machine is quite ferocious in the corner of the workshop.

As with the A1, blob detection, run-out detection, clog detection and tangled-spool detection are all pretty much standard features.

Some of the standout features are the optional blade-cutting and pen-plotting modules, which expand the machine's capabilities and are ideal for crafters and enthusiasts, especially at this price point.

Once again, there’s full support for the AMS Lite system, and if you buy four AMS units, then you can print up to 19 colours, which is an impressive amount for a base machine at this price.

Bambu Lab A2L: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Getting started with the Bambu Lab A2 L is relatively quick and straightforward. Unlike the fully enclosed machines that we’re starting to get used to from the company, this does require a little bit of construction, but ultimately it’s just the vertical frame with the print head pre-installed, and once you’ve bolted it down and connected a couple of cables, you can then run through the initial calibration process.

This used to be the faffy part, and construction took some time. Now, the construction takes only 5 to 10 minutes; however, once you switch the machine on, you need to connect to your Wi-Fi before it can download and install any updates. You then have to run through the calibration process, which is fully automatic, so just let it run its course; it can take almost an hour on the first run. After that, it should be pretty much self-sufficient, with an automatic reminder alerting you as to when it needs recalibration or when the rails need a little oil.

As I ran through the first prints, all stored on the small MicroSD card, I was impressed by the machine's speed and robustness. Whilst it’s just an enlarged A1 with refinement, the rigidity feels just as good as that of the smaller machine, and Bambu Lab has really made quite a lot of adjustments to the base design in order to facilitate ultra-strong joints that don’t create any wobble or movement through the print process, which is definitely needed at maximum speed.

As the first few prints rolled off the print bed, they had that unique Bambu Lab look, with very fine layering and superb overall surface and inner print quality. Single-filament prints were exceptionally quick, and I checked the models as they were produced. I could see that the fine flow control was exceptionally good, with fine detail printed well.

The point I was going to see, especially with the test models, was that the overhangs and bridges seemed well handled, demonstrating that the new head is capable of producing enough cooling air to set the filament quickly throughout the print.

After checking a series of prints, from those just for fun to more functional parts, in both PLA and PETG, I was really impressed with the quality. Realistically, if you put the prints from this machine up against those from the H2D, which is obviously far more expensive, it’s actually extremely difficult to tell the difference. Whilst this machine is cheaper, the print quality on a purely visual side-by-side basis is identical. Realistically, at the base level, you are just paying for that enclosed space, but then it is obviously a lot more than that. However, for most people, that’s really all they need: a good, large machine for printing in these base materials, which, to be honest, is what most of us use.

If you’re working in design and you need to print out a large prototype, as I have with an air cooler this summer, then this is a really great option. For the models I was printing, it printed at full height, so I could quickly prototype an entire product without breaking it down into too many parts. If you do need to break it down into parts, there’s enough out there to support plenty of different models at the same time.

During the print process and testing, I printed solely for quality purposes, then looked at printing on sale to see how many models I could reliably print, and moved on to more functional models, including an air-cooling system and the associated parts. I am also using the printers to create many props and costume parts for various projects, and, again, the additional size offered by the Bambu Lab A2 L is extremely useful.

What I like about this printer is that, it’s large, and it printed large reliably. I have three or four large-format printers, all of the open design from various manufacturers. However, most regularly fail, whereas the A2 L was consistent with those larger prints, time after time. It’s also large enough for a fully wearable helmet, which is now my go-to test when testing print volume.

A quick check of the 3D test model, and to be honest, it’s as good as any. This test, which used to challenge so many printers, really now just highlights one or two printers that aren’t quite so good, and we just see a little bit of surface imperfection, which means that you need to have a little bit more oil on one of the rails, or give the machine a good clean or calibration, rather than anything more fundamental. Re-printing a 3D Benchy, it came out absolutely perfect.

Moving on to the more in-depth Kickstarter Autodesk 3D printer check, the model produced again looked good. I was a little surprised that there was only a bit of stringing on one of the overhangs, but otherwise the model itself looked exceptionally good, with fine flow control and dimensional accuracy that really highlighted what it was capable of. Whilst this is the larger of the two relatively entry-level models from Bambu, it’s still very, very capable.

Further, to put this to the test, I ran it for two weeks nonstop, producing multiple parts of the same model to check reliability. What I was interested in seeing was that after a certain number of hours, the interface asked me to maintain the rails. This is just a good reminder that Bambu Lab is really looking after the machines and notifying users when maintenance is required. I was also pleased to see that printing just pure PLA from four reels was consistent. I am not a huge fan of the AMS Lite four-reel design; however, there’s no doubting that it works. Here again in the workshop, it produced prints without issue.

The Bambu Lab A2 L is a natural progression as a 3D printer. It’s not one to get overly excited about; it is what it is and will enable you to print large. It’s relatively inexpensive. Budget-wise, what impressed me was just how reliable it proved to be, and with that large build area, you can not only print more but also print at a higher volume, at one of the lowest prices for this level of reliability and quality on the market.

If you run a print farm or you prototype goods, or you’re just looking for your next larger-format printer for producing cosplay costumes, then I can see the A2L being a popular choice that gives you far greater flexibility than its smaller and now slightly older sibling.

Bambu Lab A2L: Print quality

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Dimensional accuracy - score of 4/5

Target 25 = X: 4.88mm / 0.12mm Error | Y: 4.82mm / 0.18mm Error
Target 20 = X: 9.55mm / 0.45mm Error | Y: 9.89mm / 0.11mm Error
Target 15 = X: 14.86mm / 0.14mm Error | Y: 14.83mm / 0.17mm Error
Target 10 = X: 18.84mm / 0.16mm Error | Y: 19.81mm / 0.19mm Error
Target 5 = X: 24.81mm / 0.19mm Error | Y: 24.71mm / 0.29mm Error

X Error Average = 0.212
Y Error Average = 0.188
X&Y Error Average = 0.2

Fine Flow Control - score of 5
Fine Negative Features - score of 5
Overhangs - score of 5
Bridging - score of 4
XY resonance - score of 2.5
Z-axis alignment - score of 2.5

Adding up the totals gives a final score of 28 out of 30

BambuLab A2L: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

When you are looking at the A2L, you have to think about the build quality, given its size, and what I’m really pleased to see is, firstly, that Bambu Lab has continued with its design principles. This is a large-format printer that looks great. It has all the features from Bambu that many have come to expect.

Set-up and maintenance are exceptionally easy. As long as you follow the prompts, you’re going to have trouble-free printing. The only thing I would say, like with Bambu Lab’s other printers, is that it can be a little overprotective of the print: at any sign of string or debris on the build plate, it will stop, and you will have to check it. It won’t just plough through, which in itself is actually a good thing, but I can’t help but feel it’s just a little bit oversensitive.

This is still an open-frame design, so whilst the size will definitely appeal to professionals and high-end enthusiasts, you do need to consider that it will only print materials such as PLA, PETG and specialist TPU. Anything you would probably choose to make functional parts does require an enclosure, so from that point of view, it’s a little limited. However, that’s not what the A2 series is about, and actually, as a large-format printer for printing PLA prototypes, costumes and all manner of other objects in that fashion, it’s a great choice.

The other point about this 3D printer is that it has printing and cutting ability with the pen and cutter, which lends it to even greater use. Whilst this is a good option and a space-saver for many, I definitely prefer a cutter that draws the material through rather than one that pushes it down, as this machine does. Still, for my stuff, as long as the blade is exceptionally sharp, it works very well for both cutting and plotting.

If you own a company and want to create large-scale models or PLA, it’s a brilliant 3D printer. In my tests, I found it to be good and reliable, except that it stops on almost anything. But a quick check, either physically or through the Bambu Handy app, and get it set going. If you’re a keen model crafter or enthusiast of any type, this is a superb option, as long as you’ve got that slightly larger space to keep it. If you’re working in product design and you just need a large-scale printer for prototyping, this is again a superb choice.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Should I buy the Bambu Lab A2L?Buy it if...

You need to print big.
There are a few other machines that can print at this size and quality, but with the open-frame design and Bambu Lab’s leading technology, it comes together in a combination that ultimately produces superb prints reliably.

You need mass printing.
Many print farms now utilise enclosed printers due to space and reliability. If you’re regularly printing multiple objects, the large print platform and reliability make this a superb option.

Don't buy it if...

Limited on table space
The A2 L does come in a size, so you will require quite some space in order for it to sit. It’s also a bed-slinger design, so whilst you might put it on your desktop, you do need to make sure that the print platform has enough room to move forward and back.

You need engineering materials.
The downside of the design is that you are limited to standard materials, so if you need engineering-grade materials for functional parts, you’ll have to use an enclosed printer.

For more models, I've tested the best 3D printers you can get right now.

The Bambu Lab A2 L is a printer I’ve been expecting for some time. Essentially, it’s a larger A1, just with technology tweaks and, of course, scale. The big feature here is a 330 x 320 x 325 build area, making it one of the largest in its class of large open 3D printers.

While the A1 is a superb printer for beginners, there’s often a feeling that the print bed size can be a little bit restrictive, especially for some enthusiasts as well as businesses looking to model, create costume items or larger-scale prototypes, and this is what the A2 L’s larger print bed essentially facilitates.

What I like here is that Bambu has essentially created a large-frame design that keeps costs down compared with the more expensive, professional-level H2, P2, and X2 designs. This is more of the entry-level, but still it offers all of that technology and refinement that Bambu Lab always offers, and whilst many people will look at the open-frame design as a little bit of a negative point because you won’t be able to use engineering filaments, if the bulk of what you do is basic print farm work or you’re just printing PLA or basic TPU, then this machine is going to be a perfect option.

During the test, another point that came up was that the Wi-Fi is limited to 2.4 GHz. Since I was testing other kit at the time and didn’t have that 2.4GHz bandwidth, I couldn’t quite figure out what was happening. Only when I went for the dual 2.4 and 5GHz did it connect okay, but really, this is a minor thing for most businesses, and that would be absolutely fine.

The build area is obviously the major difference between this and the A1: the A1 has a nice square 256 x 256 x 256 build area, whereas this one upgrades to 330 x 320 x 325. I do kind of wish that Bambu Lab had kept an absolute cube build, as it just makes things easy when you’re orienting; however, it’s nice to have such a large space to work with.

Along with a larger build volume comes a new extrusion system, fully upgraded from the A1 standard direct-drive setup. On the A2, it adds a PMSM closed-loop servo extrusion system, designed to deliver smoother extrusion and monitor for issues during the print process. Another good upgrade is the motion stability system, which is far more advanced, as you’d expect given the couple of years between releases. Part of the reason for this is not just the passing of time, but also the fact that, because this is a much larger machine, it’s more prone to errors, so this part is finely tuned.

Further aiding error-free printing is a new package: physical blob and clogging detection, PMSM extrusion monitoring, and all live alongside all the safeguards the A1 featured when it was released.

One of the other features I have been really keen to see is the creative tool expansion, which essentially means, like the H2D, you can pop on an optional blade-cutting or pen-plotting module, so you can also work with stickers, card, leather, fabrics and a whole range of drawing and plotting projects alongside the 3D printing.

Really, this is a machine designed to sit there and get on with the work out of the box, and for less than £500/$500, you have a machine that can print multi-filament easily. If you do want to print engineering materials, you'll just have to spend a little bit more on one of the enclosed machines, but for most people, given the price, this is actually a fair option.

Bambu Lab A2L: Price and availability

The Bambu Lab A2L is available in the US for $469 direct from Bambu Lab - with a Combo version priced at $569.

It's also available in the UK for £319 at Bambu Lab, with the Combo version costing £429.

Bambu Lab A2L: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Bambu Lab A2L specifications

Print Technology: FDM / FFF, single direct-drive servo extruder
Build Area: 330 × 320 × 325mm
Minimum Layer Resolution: 0.08mm
Maximum Layer Resolution: 0.28mm
Dimensions: 544 × 529 × 505mm
Weight: 12.8kg
Bed: Heated bed, max 80°C
Print Surface: Flexible steel build plate with Textured PEI Plate
Software: Bambu Studio; Bambu Handy app; cloud or LAN-only control
Materials: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA; PLA-CF and PETG-CF with hardened nozzle.
Print Speed: Up to 500mm/s

It’s obvious that the A2L is in the same family as the A1. Essentially, it looks similar, just on a larger desktop-style frame, that measures 544 x 529 x 505mm, quite a substantial footprint, and it’s no lightweight at 12.8kg.

That scale of machine offers the current build area of 330 x 320 x 325mm, which is substantial, and in order to ensure proper rigidity for this large-format printer, the construction is made from aluminium with steel for the chassis, and a plastic outer frame to make it look nice rather than the look of printers past. To be honest, with Bambu Lab's usual design flair, this really does look like a great machine.

One thing to note is that this is an open-frame construction, and there is not, and probably will never be, an enclosure for it. There are higher-level machines like the Super P2S if you do need to utilise more engineering materials, and they don't cost a lot more.

What really appeals to me about this design is the optional cutting-and-drawing module that can be attached. This essentially boosts the machine's usability, and if you’re into crafting or modelling, as well as working in a small design business, having all these optional extras in one machine makes a lot of sense. One point to note here is that, unlike the H2D, which offers both of these modules to expand its functionality, it is slightly stripped down here, and for safety reasons, there’s obviously no laser module.

While it’s pitched to a wide range of users, it's primarily for a home enthusiast, although I’ve already spoken to several people who run print farms and are excited about this machine because of the sheer volume of prints they’d be able to produce on each print platform. Having run successive tests over a one-month period, I can confirm that the reliability for this type of use makes this a really great option, even in the commercial business sector, as long as you don’t want to print with engineering materials that require an enclosure.

Like all Bambu printers, it's designed for multi-filament printing and is fully compatible with both AMS and AMS Lite units. If you do purchase the combo unit, then you’ll get the AMS Lite, as you did with the A1. With this machine, you can link up four AMS units to get up to 19 colours.

Bambu Lab A2L: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The first thing that should really be said about the A2L is that it’s not a huge leap in technology, although there are improvements across the board, mainly to facilitate its larger build area, more than material support or additional new features. So, firstly, the headline is the scale of this machine, and as stated before, the 330 x 320 x 325mm build volume is ideal for large-format printing. If you’re thinking about cosplay or prototyping larger objects, then, to be honest, for the price, there is really very little at the moment that can match this.

That larger size usually means it’s much more prone to errors, and whilst the larger H2 machines are in line with the print volume this machine offers, the one big difference here is that it is open-frame. That not only makes it much cheaper but also restricts the types of materials you can utilise. Essentially, day-to-day prototyping in PLA or one of the other more common materials is absolutely fine, and you can pop in a hardened nozzle if you do want to print with something like PLA-CF or PETG-CF. However, if you want to print with engineering materials, such as nylon, then you are going to have to look at an enclosed machine.

There are several features that really stand out that will help make the printer as reliable as possible. The first is the aluminium-and-steel construction of the frame and chassis, which results in an ultra-rigid unit. During the test, I was surprised to see that, even when printing flat out, it appeared just how stable it was. It is, of course, always a good idea to have a really good, solid table.

Built into the extruder is one of the major upgrades over the A1: a PMSM closed-loop servo extrusion system that offers smoother filament extrusion than the direct drive we saw on the A1. There’s also adaptive vibration compensation with multiple calibration and load-adaptation options, again helping with filament flow. Another surprising thing is that they’ve added granular dampers to the frame. This is essentially to cope with the high speed that this printer is capable of, and it’s worth noting that, at full pelt, this machine is quite ferocious in the corner of the workshop.

As with the A1, blob detection, run-out detection, clog detection and tangled-spool detection are all pretty much standard features.

Some of the standout features are the optional blade-cutting and pen-plotting modules, which expand the machine's capabilities and are ideal for crafters and enthusiasts, especially at this price point.

Once again, there’s full support for the AMS Lite system, and if you buy four AMS units, then you can print up to 19 colours, which is an impressive amount for a base machine at this price.

Bambu Lab A2L: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Getting started with the Bambu Lab A2 L is relatively quick and straightforward. Unlike the fully enclosed machines that we’re starting to get used to from the company, this does require a little bit of construction, but ultimately it’s just the vertical frame with the print head pre-installed, and once you’ve bolted it down and connected a couple of cables, you can then run through the initial calibration process.

This used to be the faffy part, and construction took some time. Now, the construction takes only 5 to 10 minutes; however, once you switch the machine on, you need to connect to your Wi-Fi before it can download and install any updates. You then have to run through the calibration process, which is fully automatic, so just let it run its course; it can take almost an hour on the first run. After that, it should be pretty much self-sufficient, with an automatic reminder alerting you as to when it needs recalibration or when the rails need a little oil.

As I ran through the first prints, all stored on the small MicroSD card, I was impressed by the machine's speed and robustness. Whilst it’s just an enlarged A1 with refinement, the rigidity feels just as good as that of the smaller machine, and Bambu Lab has really made quite a lot of adjustments to the base design in order to facilitate ultra-strong joints that don’t create any wobble or movement through the print process, which is definitely needed at maximum speed.

As the first few prints rolled off the print bed, they had that unique Bambu Lab look, with very fine layering and superb overall surface and inner print quality. Single-filament prints were exceptionally quick, and I checked the models as they were produced. I could see that the fine flow control was exceptionally good, with fine detail printed well.

The point I was going to see, especially with the test models, was that the overhangs and bridges seemed well handled, demonstrating that the new head is capable of producing enough cooling air to set the filament quickly throughout the print.

After checking a series of prints, from those just for fun to more functional parts, in both PLA and PETG, I was really impressed with the quality. Realistically, if you put the prints from this machine up against those from the H2D, which is obviously far more expensive, it’s actually extremely difficult to tell the difference. Whilst this machine is cheaper, the print quality on a purely visual side-by-side basis is identical. Realistically, at the base level, you are just paying for that enclosed space, but then it is obviously a lot more than that. However, for most people, that’s really all they need: a good, large machine for printing in these base materials, which, to be honest, is what most of us use.

If you’re working in design and you need to print out a large prototype, as I have with an air cooler this summer, then this is a really great option. For the models I was printing, it printed at full height, so I could quickly prototype an entire product without breaking it down into too many parts. If you do need to break it down into parts, there’s enough out there to support plenty of different models at the same time.

During the print process and testing, I printed solely for quality purposes, then looked at printing on sale to see how many models I could reliably print, and moved on to more functional models, including an air-cooling system and the associated parts. I am also using the printers to create many props and costume parts for various projects, and, again, the additional size offered by the Bambu Lab A2 L is extremely useful.

What I like about this printer is that, it’s large, and it printed large reliably. I have three or four large-format printers, all of the open design from various manufacturers. However, most regularly fail, whereas the A2 L was consistent with those larger prints, time after time. It’s also large enough for a fully wearable helmet, which is now my go-to test when testing print volume.

A quick check of the 3D test model, and to be honest, it’s as good as any. This test, which used to challenge so many printers, really now just highlights one or two printers that aren’t quite so good, and we just see a little bit of surface imperfection, which means that you need to have a little bit more oil on one of the rails, or give the machine a good clean or calibration, rather than anything more fundamental. Re-printing a 3D Benchy, it came out absolutely perfect.

Moving on to the more in-depth Kickstarter Autodesk 3D printer check, the model produced again looked good. I was a little surprised that there was only a bit of stringing on one of the overhangs, but otherwise the model itself looked exceptionally good, with fine flow control and dimensional accuracy that really highlighted what it was capable of. Whilst this is the larger of the two relatively entry-level models from Bambu, it’s still very, very capable.

Further, to put this to the test, I ran it for two weeks nonstop, producing multiple parts of the same model to check reliability. What I was interested in seeing was that after a certain number of hours, the interface asked me to maintain the rails. This is just a good reminder that Bambu Lab is really looking after the machines and notifying users when maintenance is required. I was also pleased to see that printing just pure PLA from four reels was consistent. I am not a huge fan of the AMS Lite four-reel design; however, there’s no doubting that it works. Here again in the workshop, it produced prints without issue.

The Bambu Lab A2 L is a natural progression as a 3D printer. It’s not one to get overly excited about; it is what it is and will enable you to print large. It’s relatively inexpensive. Budget-wise, what impressed me was just how reliable it proved to be, and with that large build area, you can not only print more but also print at a higher volume, at one of the lowest prices for this level of reliability and quality on the market.

If you run a print farm or you prototype goods, or you’re just looking for your next larger-format printer for producing cosplay costumes, then I can see the A2L being a popular choice that gives you far greater flexibility than its smaller and now slightly older sibling.

Bambu Lab A2L: Print quality

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Dimensional accuracy - score of 4/5

Target 25 = X: 4.88mm / 0.12mm Error | Y: 4.82mm / 0.18mm Error
Target 20 = X: 9.55mm / 0.45mm Error | Y: 9.89mm / 0.11mm Error
Target 15 = X: 14.86mm / 0.14mm Error | Y: 14.83mm / 0.17mm Error
Target 10 = X: 18.84mm / 0.16mm Error | Y: 19.81mm / 0.19mm Error
Target 5 = X: 24.81mm / 0.19mm Error | Y: 24.71mm / 0.29mm Error

X Error Average = 0.212
Y Error Average = 0.188
X&Y Error Average = 0.2

Fine Flow Control - score of 5
Fine Negative Features - score of 5
Overhangs - score of 5
Bridging - score of 4
XY resonance - score of 2.5
Z-axis alignment - score of 2.5

Adding up the totals gives a final score of 28 out of 30

BambuLab A2L: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

When you are looking at the A2L, you have to think about the build quality, given its size, and what I’m really pleased to see is, firstly, that Bambu Lab has continued with its design principles. This is a large-format printer that looks great. It has all the features from Bambu that many have come to expect.

Set-up and maintenance are exceptionally easy. As long as you follow the prompts, you’re going to have trouble-free printing. The only thing I would say, like with Bambu Lab’s other printers, is that it can be a little overprotective of the print: at any sign of string or debris on the build plate, it will stop, and you will have to check it. It won’t just plough through, which in itself is actually a good thing, but I can’t help but feel it’s just a little bit oversensitive.

This is still an open-frame design, so whilst the size will definitely appeal to professionals and high-end enthusiasts, you do need to consider that it will only print materials such as PLA, PETG and specialist TPU. Anything you would probably choose to make functional parts does require an enclosure, so from that point of view, it’s a little limited. However, that’s not what the A2 series is about, and actually, as a large-format printer for printing PLA prototypes, costumes and all manner of other objects in that fashion, it’s a great choice.

The other point about this 3D printer is that it has printing and cutting ability with the pen and cutter, which lends it to even greater use. Whilst this is a good option and a space-saver for many, I definitely prefer a cutter that draws the material through rather than one that pushes it down, as this machine does. Still, for my stuff, as long as the blade is exceptionally sharp, it works very well for both cutting and plotting.

If you own a company and want to create large-scale models or PLA, it’s a brilliant 3D printer. In my tests, I found it to be good and reliable, except that it stops on almost anything. But a quick check, either physically or through the Bambu Handy app, and get it set going. If you’re a keen model crafter or enthusiast of any type, this is a superb option, as long as you’ve got that slightly larger space to keep it. If you’re working in product design and you just need a large-scale printer for prototyping, this is again a superb choice.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Should I buy the Bambu Lab A2L?Buy it if...

You need to print big.
There are a few other machines that can print at this size and quality, but with the open-frame design and Bambu Lab’s leading technology, it comes together in a combination that ultimately produces superb prints reliably.

You need mass printing.
Many print farms now utilise enclosed printers due to space and reliability. If you’re regularly printing multiple objects, the large print platform and reliability make this a superb option.

Don't buy it if...

Limited on table space
The A2 L does come in a size, so you will require quite some space in order for it to sit. It’s also a bed-slinger design, so whilst you might put it on your desktop, you do need to make sure that the print platform has enough room to move forward and back.

You need engineering materials.
The downside of the design is that you are limited to standard materials, so if you need engineering-grade materials for functional parts, you’ll have to use an enclosed printer.

For more models, I've tested the best 3D printers you can get right now.

Nym Technologies has released a major update to the NymVPN iOS app, adding several new connectivity and convenience features.

At the core of the update are new features designed to give users control over the balance between privacy and performance.

NymVPN is one of the more technical VPNs on the market. Central to its operation is the titular Nym mix network, or mixnet, which hides user metadata by routing traffic through a mixture of servers, scrambling IP addresses on both sides of the connection.

At the same time, a blend of other users’ traffic and decoy traffic is sent through the same mixnet, making it effectively impossible to trace any actions back to you.

NymVPN has seen several notable improvements of late, adding post-quantum encryption as standard in June this year, split tunneling for Windows users in April, and an ad-blocker earlier in 2026.

It now resembles a typical VPN a little more closely, though the new features and fixes included in the 2026.11.0 iOS update are a bit more complex than your typical VPN update. Read on for a breakdown of the new features (based on the information NymVPN has given us, anyway).

Key features

(Image credit: Nym Technologies)

The update introduces Server Families, a new alert system that lets users know when their chosen mixnet servers may belong to the same operator or subnet. This allows users to maintain decentralization by choosing servers from different operators for each node in the mixnet.

All Nym servers are community-run and decentralized using blockchain technology, but using different operators for each node maximises the possible obfuscation of network traffic.

Additionally, the update adds a new Mixnet Tuning feature in beta, allowing users to adjust the balance between anonymity and privacy.

Mixnets operate through a number of ‘hops’, referring to individual nodes between the origin and destination of network traffic. Nym uses a five-hop mixnet as standard, with an entry, exit, and three connection points in between.

This creates latency – according to Nym, its mixnet adds 15ms of delay per hop by default, totalling 75ms across five hops.

This is an intentional measure designed to hide the timing of your network traffic, as well as its origin and destination, but could be annoying for streaming video or playing online games, where latency should be as low as possible to maximise performance.

Mixnet Tuning adds two settings that allow users to adjust the NymVPN’s default instructions while maintaining connection. These are the ‘Send traffic continuously’ setting, which offers a range of 0.7Mbps to 2Mbps for decoy traffic, and ‘Packet mixing profile’, which changes how long each mix node holds onto your traffic, from 0ms to 200ms.

Keeping it convenient

(Image credit: Nym Technologies)

NymVPN’s latest iOS update also brings some quality-of-life improvements to the app, and while it’s still a fair way from our list of the best VPNs, it’s good to see that the app will now be easier to use on the best iPhones and best iPads.

These improvements include the ability to change the app icon to a calculator or notepad to avoid prying eyes, a bug fix for an issue that displayed subscription data incorrectly after a fresh install, and stronger ad blocking.

Nym’s blog says that the app’s daily data allowance has been increased, but at the time of writing the company hasn’t confirmed the total allowance or by how much it’s been increased.

Similarly, Nym has not expanded on its claim that the update makes it NymVPN easier to use in areas and territories that restrict VPN use.

TechRadar has reached out to NymVPN for more information on these areas, and we'll update this article once we know more.