Is the Xreal 1S Still Good in 2026? Long-Term Review

I've been using the Xreal 1S as my portable secondary display for roughly 18 months — I bought it in late 2024 and kept it in daily rotation through 2025 and into 2026. In that time I've used it with three different laptops, a midrange phone, and a couple of docking stations while traveling. This is my long-term, hands-on take: what held up, what started to show its age, and who I still think it makes sense for in 2026.

Why I bought the Xreal 1S

What sold me at the time was the promise of a truly pocketable “big screen” experience when a physical monitor wasn't available — airport lounges, small hotel rooms, and cramped coworking tables. I wanted something lighter and less intrusive than a foldable or a full VR headset, and the 1S fit the idea of a compact, low-profile way to give my laptop extra screen real estate without packing a 14–15" external monitor.

In practice, I've used the 1S for: productivity (multiple virtual windows), note-taking while on calls, streaming movies and long-form videos, casual gaming, and the occasional split-screen coding session. Over many months I developed a good sense of its strengths and its limits.

Setup and compatibility (my real-world experience)

Getting the 1S working with modern laptops in 2024–2026 was generally straightforward, but not entirely friction-free. In my experience:

• I used it mainly with two Windows laptops (one Intel/Thunderbolt 4, one AMD with USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode) and once with a MacBook Pro. With a direct USB-C to USB-C connection supporting DisplayPort Alt Mode, it was plug-and-play 9 times out of 10.
• When I connected through USB-C docks that repackaged display outputs, I sometimes needed to toggle dock firmware or update display drivers on Windows. That was inconvenient during travel when I only had a hotel Ethernet/dock setup.
• Mac compatibility was mostly fine for video and general use, but I hit occasional quirks with scaling on macOS — small UI elements appearing tiny until I adjusted display scaling. For heavy text editing, it took a day to dial in preferences so letterforms felt comfortable.
• Phone connections (when I tried them) worked for streaming and simple apps, but I found the experience best with a full laptop — multitasking on a phone with a virtual 1S screen is still a stretch compared to a real desktop environment.

Daily use: productivity and multitasking

My most frequent use case was using the Xreal 1S as a “virtual ultrawide” — a single large workspace where I pulled up reference material, Slack/Teams windows, and a terminal while keeping my main laptop screen for active editing. What I found was that the 1S dramatically reduced neck swivels and made it easier to keep context between tasks.

Some concrete notes from long-term use:

• Text clarity: For documents and code, text was fine at standard viewing distances. I could comfortably read and edit code for 1–2 hour blocks without feeling like the display was noticeably worse than a 15" laptop. However, if you're used to a very high-DPI laptop panel, you might notice slight softness on very small fonts unless you tweak scaling.
• Window management: The virtual screen felt liberating for splitting research and writing. I liked having my editor on the laptop and references on the 1S.
• Battery impact: Because the 1S is powered by the host device's USB-C, I noticed measurable battery drain on my laptop during long sessions. It wasn't dramatic for short meetings, but full-day use without the charger drained my laptop faster than an external monitor that had its own power source.

Media, movies, and streaming

When I wanted a portable “big-screen” experience, the 1S delivered in low-light environments. I streamed movies, documentaries, and a lot of YouTube on flights and in hotel rooms. What impressed me:

• Immersiveness: The virtual size makes 16:9 video feel larger than a typical laptop in a cramped space. Watching movies on a plane with the 1S was noticeably nicer than using my laptop screen.
• Color and contrast: Colors looked punchy in dim rooms. For HDR content I noticed better pop than on my older laptop, though it never quite matched a dedicated OLED TV.
• Headtracking and position: I mostly used it statically mounted on my laptop, so headtracking wasn’t a big factor for me. If you move a lot in your seat, expect recalibration or slight lag perceived in tracked content.

Gaming and latency (my experience)

I played a handful of games on the 1S: indie titles, slower single-player games, and a couple of casual multiplayer matches. Here's what I discovered after many hours of play:

• Latency is good enough for single-player and casual multiplayer — I didn't notice input lag in turn-based or story-driven games. But for fast-paced competitive shooters, I preferred my laptop or external monitor due to the tiniest extra delay and occasional frame pacing hiccups.
• Frame rate: The experience depends on how you connect. When driving the 1S through a GPU-capable connection, framerates were solid for most titles. When forced through a dock or adapter, I occasionally hit stuttering until I swapped to a direct cable.
• Comfort: Because the 1S places the virtual display close to your eyes, long gaming sessions felt more intense. I limited sessions to 1–2 hours to avoid eye strain.

Comfort, build quality, and long-term durability

After 18 months of daily handling, I can speak to how the 1S stands up to travel and repeated use:

• Build: The frame is lightweight plastic that survived a few tumbles in a backpack with no structural damage. I appreciated the low weight when commuting, but I did notice micro-scratches on the arms after a year of being tossed in bags.
• Nosepad and fit: One persistent annoyance was the comfort at the nose bridge. The included pads are okay for short sessions, but after an hour they pressured my nose. I replaced them with a softer aftermarket pad — a simple fix, but it should have been better out of the box.
• Cleaning: The lenses pick up fingerprints easily. I learned to keep a microfiber cloth handy; harsh cleaners damaged the coating, so gentle care was required.

Software, updates, and ecosystem

Software support has been a mixed bag over the long term. Xreal and third-party utilities provided firmware and driver updates that fixed some bugs, but the cadence and clarity of those updates varied.

• Firmware updates: I got several firmware updates in 2025 that improved compatibility with docks and reduced occasional black-screen issues. That made a…

  1. Compatibility with your laptop

  Make sure your laptop's USB-C port supports DisplayPort Alt Mode, or that your dock explicitly supports display passthrough for devices like the 1S. If you're using a Mac, research known quirks for your macOS version and be prepared to adjust scaling settings.

  2. Plan for power

  Understand that extended work sessions will sap your laptop battery. If you expect to be away from power for long stretches, either carry your charger or consider a small power bank/dock that can both charge your laptop and feed the 1S.

  3. Check nosepad condition (on used units)

  If you're buying used, inspect the nosepad and hinge for wear. A tired nosepad can make the device uncomfortable, but replacement pads are often available and inexpensive.

  4. Look for firmware history

  Before buying, check whether the seller or product pages show a steady flow of firmware updates. A device with a history of meaningful updates is easier to recommend than one that saw no support after release.

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  5. Consider lenses or diopter inserts if you wear glasses

  I wear mild prescription lenses and found a custom insert made a big difference to clarity. If you rely on glasses, test with or without them before buying, or budget for an insert.

  6. Decide your primary use

  If your goal is true competitive gaming or color-critical photo work, a dedicated monitor is still preferable. The 1S shines when portability and a large virtual workspace matter more than absolute pixel perfection.

  Final thoughts — is it still worth it in 2026?

  After 18 months of regular use, my verdict is that the Xreal 1S is still valuable in 2026 for a certain kind of user. If you travel a lot, work in cramped spaces, or want an easy way to add virtual screen real estate without hauling a monitor, the 1S remains an excellent tool. I found it consistently helpful for reading, video, and casual multitasking, and the overall portability remains its defining strength.

  That said, it's not without caveats. Expect to tinker a bit with scaling and drivers when switching hosts, tolerate some battery trade-offs, and be ready to swap a nosepad if you're picky about comfort. If you need a worry-free, plug-and-forget secondary display for long, all-day desk work, a conventional portable monitor still has advantages. But for the times when carrying a monitor simply isn't practical, the 1S is still a smart, practical compromise.

  In my experience, owning the Xreal 1S changed the way I travel and work: I carry less, create more comfortable temporary workstations, and get a surprising amount of productivity out of a surprisingly small package. If that matches what you need, it remains worth considering in 2026.