Thunderbird X2 successfully achieves its goal of joining AR, becoming AR, and changing AR

The last quarter of 2023 has begun, which also means that the year will soon come to an end. At the end of the year, if you want to mention the keywords of the AR industry, it must be "consumer grade". Everyone is trying to seize the consumer AR market, which is still a blue ocean—but no one knows how to take this path.

It has been mentioned many times in previous reports that if Thunderbird has successfully achieved a real consumer level, it has already been reflected when Thunderbird entered the field of augmented reality. Whether it is the rapid R&D progress or the industrial production level of the product experience, it shows that Thunderbird is more than just a simple new brand

Just as we thought, Thunderbird has a clear answer to consumer AR: "In the future, everything will be as you see it"

Thunderbird X2, the definer of consumer AR glasses

At the press conference, Li Hongwei mentioned a word called "consumer-grade true AR" several times. This is a new requirement that Thunderbird has put forward for itself after repeatedly exploring the consumer market, and the latest released Thunderbird X2 is Thunderbird The best “spokesperson” for consumer-grade true AR.

The so-called consumer-grade true AR has two meanings. First, it must conform to the attributes of consumer electronics, and secondly, it must conform to the imagined "real AR" rather than a virtual large screen. In some past research reports on consumer electronics, their characteristics have been described in common: suitable for office/communication/entertainment, affordable price, simple and easy to use.

Thunderbird also gave a further understanding of this, and also proposed for the first time at the press conference the "3 1" key elements of consumer-grade true AR glasses: glasses form, spatial display, spatial perception interaction and scene ecology. Thunderbird X2 was also developed based on this understanding.

The appearance design of Thunderbird X2 adopts an integrated glasses form, and the front frame adopts a classic D-shaped design, which is very suitable for most users’ face shapes. The frame is made of aviation-grade alloy material, which not only ensures durability but also meets the fashion needs of consumers. In addition, in terms of detailed design, Thunderbird X2 also takes into account the need for "long-term wearing", such as softer and more fitting air nose pads, and the curved design on the inside of the temples

It is worth mentioning that in terms of the integration of industrial design and interactive design in appearance, Thunderbird X2 also appears to be very logical. The left temple is responsible for media control, and the right temple is responsible for system control, which greatly reduces the small size. The threshold for users to get started is that after using it 1-2 times, most users can quickly adapt to the key positions and perform "blind operation".

Technical upgrade is the biggest highlight of this Thunderbird X2. In terms of display, Thunderbird X2 uses an innovative Micro LED diffraction light waveguide solution.

We know that the current AR glasses on the market mainly use Micro OLED and Birdbath solutions. The Micro OLED solution uses components supplied by Sony, which can ensure the stability of production, but it has insufficient highlights and high power consumption. The Birdbath solution is cost-effective and lightweight, but has low transmittance, and better display results mean larger size. Therefore, neither of these two solutions is the best choice for future AR glasses

The Micro LED used by Thunderbird is currently recognized as the best solution in the future. Many near-eye display manufacturers, including Apple, are currently targeting Micro LED for layout. It is better than Micro OLED in terms of brightness, contrast, power consumption, etc., but the biggest problem is that full color is difficult, and currently monochrome display is still the main method.

Thunderbird X2 can provide “16.7 million colors of binocular full-color display effect”. How does it do this? According to 87870, the X2 optical engine is independently developed and produced by Thunderbird. It uses a three-color combination solution and uses single-color Micro LED to achieve full-color display.

In addition, this solution also significantly improves light transmittance and brightness. The light transmittance reaches more than 85%, and the peak eye brightness is even as high as 1500nits. Specifically, this means that "eye contact with glasses" is now possible and is no longer limited by ambient light and can be used at any time

At the same time, another technical upgrade is the addition of Qualcomm Snapdragon XR 2 chip, which provides computing power support for the true AR experience of integrated AR glasses (including SLAM technology calculations, etc.). According to Thunderbird, this is the first time that a consumer-grade AR all-in-one machine is equipped with an XR dedicated chip.

The upgrade of Thunderbird X2’s optical solution is similar to VR’s upgrade from aspherical to ultra-short focus, solving key issues in industry development. VR solves the portability problem by compressing the volume, while Thunderbird X2 solves the core problem of AR display experience by developing new solutions

In order to lead the international AR development trend and regard AR as a "next generation computing platform", Thunderbird X2 chip was added to accelerate the process of AR integration. Therefore, we believe that these two technical upgrades are the most highlighted "key upgrades" of Thunderbird X2

At the press conference, Li Hongwei also introduced the software and ecological upgrades of Thunderbird X2, including the addition of AI and connectivity with current mainstream ecosystems such as WeChat.

The new AI function has greatly improved the functionality of Thunderbird X2. For example, in terms of translation, after adding AI, X2 can achieve real-time dynamic translation, and will also use large language models to provide auxiliary guidance for users.

In addition, X2 has also joined the WeChat mini program ecosystem, which has aroused widespread recognition. Through the mini program, Thunderbird allows AR glasses to be connected to audio and video calls, making AR glasses more closely integrated with the daily lives of ordinary consumers.

With the help of X2, Thunderbird has completed a comprehensive upgrade of its AR glasses. It has given AR glasses a new definition from three perspectives: appearance, technical application and functional design. It also demonstrates that Thunderbird is different from other cutting-edge hardware companies. unique charm.

Thunderbird’s “industrial aesthetic” needs to be rewritten

Thunderbird is one of the companies with the highest industrialization level in the AR field in recent years. Since the rise of AR, we have been paying close attention to the words "production" and industrialization

For an emerging field, such as AR, where many technologies have remained in imagination and paper, "industrialization" represents a more large-scale and professional attitude.

Referring to the highly industrialized and considerable-scale consumer electronics industry, we found that the industrialization of an industry means the formation of division of labor and cooperation in the production of products, and the comprehensive promotion of its processes. This process must be based on the pursuit of high efficiency and high quality as its fundamental purpose, and must be meticulous, comprehensive, thorough, and large-scale in order to be truly realized.

This pursuit of high quality and efficiency can be seen everywhere in Thunderbird - not just because it was born out of TCL, an old consumer electronics company.

First of all, maintain a stable hardware product release rhythm and continuously explore the real response of the consumer market. Thunderbird, founded in 2021, has not been in the AR market for a long time, but according to statistics, it has launched a total of 5 different AR glasses so far, as well as a multi-functional content terminal.

Thunderbird Air Plus

New products often have new functions. On the one hand, Thunderbird continues to use new products to "refresh its presence" in front of consumers, forming users' confidence and awareness of the brand. On the other hand, it uses various new functions to While educating consumers, they can also quickly try and make mistakes to determine which functions and technologies are the real needs of the consumer market.

Secondly, behind the fast-paced innovation is “efficient production level”. A new piece of hardware often involves multiple upstream and downstream suppliers and a long process from project establishment, Build 1/2, to the production line and off the production line, but Thunderbird can often complete it in less than half a year. It shows that whether it is R&D or production, they have relatively efficient processes and a relatively solid trusting relationship with suppliers. To put it bluntly, this is a relatively "reliable" company for consumers, and represents an advanced level of industrialization for the industry.

While Thunderbird is launching new hardware, it is also continuing to develop new technologies, such as "Micro LED diffraction light waveguide." This further confirms what 87870 has learned, that Thunderbird is not only developing new technologies, but also developing fully automated equipment and systems, and designing a complete production process. According to Thunderbird, the production yield of this light engine is as high as 92%

It is equivalent to using new technology research and development to feed future production, forming an internal healthy and efficient production cycle.

At the same time, Thunderbird also relies on the power of external "professionals" in production. For example, Thunderbird has the support of the traditional "productivity" manufacturer of Doctoral Glasses in the appearance design of the X2.

What Thunderbird expressed at the press conference is that X2 is not a PPT product. The products and functions are all ready-made and can be seen immediately. This is the result of Thunderbird's high degree of industrialization, and it is also the charm that distinguishes Thunderbird from other manufacturers

Ranked among the TOP1 after two years of establishment, Thunderbird creates a new step in the history of AR glasses

Thunderbird has created a lot of history since its establishment. One year after its establishment, it ranked among the top 1 in the industry and became the fastest growing AR brand. In March this year, it announced the completion of the first round of financing of hundreds of millions of yuan, which is also the highest first round of financing in the industry. of startups.

At this X2 conference, Li Hongwei also announced the completion of tens of millions of yuan in Series A financing. According to data from multiple third-party institutions, from Q4 2022 to the first half of 2023, Thunderbird Innovation has ranked first in China for three consecutive quarters in terms of market share on the main online platforms for domestic consumer-grade AR glasses.

This is just the beginning for the Thunderbirds.

The consumer electronics industry is a typical technology-driven industry, and technological upgrading is also driving the development of products toward integration. Every technological innovation not only reshapes the industry format, but also brings emerging industrial needs.

Thunderbird X2 not only uses the newly developed MicroLED diffractive optical waveguide, but also integrates WeChat applet, AI and true AR experience in terms of experience, expanding the scope of consumer experience. This not only represents the exploration of AR glasses Raising to a new level also represents the beginning of a new era for Thunderbirds.

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