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A laptop that ditches the screen for augmented reality glasses could soon be yours for $1,900.

Israeli startup Sightful is now accepting pre-orders for the Spacetop G1, which will ship to US customers in October.

Spacetop beams a 100-inch virtual screen at your eyes. We tried an early access version last year. At the time, it was invite-only so Sightful’s 60-strong team could gather feedback before an official launch. According to Sightful CEO Tamir Berliner, this input has resulted in major improvements to the original model. “We made the Gen 1 the best productivity tool anyone could imagine,” he said in an interview.

(Credit: PCMag/Michael Kahn)

The performance gains come from the huge amount of screen space that Spacetop users get while wearing the AR glasses on the computer. No longer limited to a 13- or 17-inch screen, users can play on a virtual screen that reaches 100 inches across and spans your entire field of view.

“It’s like we’ve already surpassed workstation-level productivity,” says Berliner. “If you look at three [physical] screens versus what you get with the Spacetop now, we beat three screens. We are able to give you a better ability to manage your space.”

PCMag had about 10 minutes to try out the Spacetop G1 last week, and it really looks like the product has been refined all around. When I put the glasses on, I noticed that the image quality was brighter and sharper than the Early Access model, making windows and icons appear clearer. I also had access to four browser windows spread across the screen space.

(Credit: PCMag/Michael Kahn)

As for the specs, the glasses use two OLED panels, each with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 and a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. Spacetop also lets you zoom in on screen space using a three-finger gesture on the trackpad, increasing clarity even more.

Along with improvements in image quality, the hardware itself also looks more stylish. Gone is the bulkier, plastic-looking design. Instead, the Spacetop G1 is placed in a tighter package that feels more like a tablet, especially when closed, while weighing just 3.08 pounds.

(Credit: PCMag/Michael Kahn)

Most importantly, the product remains as intuitive as before. Unlike VR headsets, you don’t need to learn new controls to use the Spacetop. Instead, the product works like a traditional laptop in that it still relies on a keyboard and mouse and uses the same user interface tricks we’re used to on a PC.

It also helps that Spacetop doesn’t shut you off from the real world. The glasses are transparent and cover the digital windows on top of your vision for a mixed reality experience, making it easy to talk to friends and view your physical surroundings while using the device.

Roughly what is the use of the Spacetop G1. (Credit: Sightful)

Berliner noted that some user feedback during the early access period focused on the glasses from AR glasses vendor XReal, formerly known as Nreal. This includes some users commenting on the heaviness, glare and “social acceptance” of wearing glasses in public. In response, Sightful is working with XReal to make a “dramatic improvement” to the headset, which promises to be more comfortable to wear while looking like a pair of sunglasses.

Customers also mentioned Spacetop’s performance. “We gave people a 100-inch canvas and learned that they actually use everything The 100-inch canvas, and they’re using it a lot more than we expected,” Berliner said. This can involve placing 15 windows on the screen.

(Credit: PCMag/Michael Kahn)

The G1 model now introduces some tools for easier management of the large screen space. For example, you can shift the screen space upwards, allowing you to tilt your head back as you would in an armchair and still see all of your digital windows.

The other significant change is that Sightful reduced the early access price from $2,150 to $1,900 by bringing in contract computer manufacturer Wistron and ordering a larger number of production units.

However, users should not expect a completely traditional PC experience. For one thing, the Spacetop is not a Windows PC. It runs a customized version of Google’s Android called SpaceOS and Qualcomm’s 8-core QCS8550 chip, which the company released last year and promises up to eight hours of battery life. For Windows, customers will need to install the cloud-based Windows 365.

Another issue is that Sightful plans to sell just one G1 model, which will include 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and only 128GB of storage — about 102GB of which will be free to use. So the product is not optimized to carry many applications and will be better used as a laptop to interact with the network while on the go.

(Credit: Sightful)

“It’s for people who are focused on work and need a lot of screen space to consume and engage in creativity,” Berliner said. “So if part of what you do is create documents, presentations or sites, or just about anything, then Spacetop is probably the best solution you have. Especially if you have to work from different places.”

Spacetop also won’t support all Android apps, but it should support most basic productivity tools. Other specs include Wi-Fi 7, 5G, an improved webcam, built-in speakers on the glasses, and USB-C ports.

Although the Spacetop will only be available in one configuration, Sightful wants to work with other companies to expand the product line. So if the AR laptop resonates, we may see different incarnations from more than one vendor.

Meanwhile, Sightful requires a $100 deposit with pre-orders. Stay tuned for our review.