Xreal 1S, Samsung Galaxy A37/A57, and the World’s Thinnest Tablet: April 1 Gear Roundup
April 1 brought a legitimately impressive hardware day — no pranks required. Xreal officially dropped its 1S AR glasses, Samsung confirmed Galaxy A37/A57 pricing for April 9, a startup unveiled a 3.1mm-thin Android tablet, and Apple locked in WWDC 2026 dates. Here’s the real-world verdict on everything that matters.
In This Article
01Xreal 1S AR Glasses: $449, 500-Inch Spatial Screen, 1200p HD
02Paper Android Tablet by Haining Toall: 3.1mm Thin, $1,500
03Govee Ceiling Light Ultra: 281 Trillion Colours, AI Sun-Sync
04Samsung Galaxy A37 ($449) and A57 ($549) — April 9 Launch
05Apple WWDC 2026 Confirmed for June 8–12
06April 2026 Gear at a Glance
07Frequently Asked Questions
Xreal 1S AR Glasses: $449, 500-Inch Spatial Screen, 1200p HD
Xreal officially launched the 1S AR Glasses at $449, landing them squarely in the “consumer-priced spatial computing” category that has been promised for years but rarely delivered. The headline specs: a 500-inch virtual screen equivalent at viewing distance, with 1200p HD resolution per eye.
Unlike Apple Vision Pro’s full spatial OS, Xreal 1S is a display-forward device — it extends your phone or laptop screen spatially rather than replacing it with a standalone compute platform. That design choice keeps the price accessible and battery life competitive, but means you’re always tethered to another device.
The 1200p spec represents a meaningful upgrade over the previous Air 2 Ultra, which topped out at 1080p. For productivity use cases — extended desktop, document reading, video consumption — the 1S is the most compelling mass-market AR glasses released to date. Xreal 1S official specs and availability.
At $449 with 1200p resolution and a 500-inch virtual screen, Xreal 1S crosses the threshold from “enthusiast toy” to “genuine productivity tool.” The missing piece remains standalone compute — but for tethered use, this is the most usable AR hardware at this price point.
Paper Android Tablet by Haining Toall: 3.1mm Thin, $1,500
Chinese hardware startup Haining Toall unveiled the “Paper” — a 13-inch Android tablet measuring just 3.1mm thick, making it the thinnest tablet form factor announced to date. It features a 13-inch AMOLED display and is priced at $1,500.
The major caveat: 3-hour battery life. At 3.1mm, there simply isn’t enough physical volume to accommodate a competitive battery. For most users, that trade-off is a dealbreaker. But as a design statement and manufacturing feat, Paper demonstrates what’s physically possible at the limits of portable form factor engineering. The Verge’s hands-on with Paper tablet.
Govee Ceiling Light Ultra: 281 Trillion Colours, AI Sun-Sync
Smart lighting brand Govee announced the Ceiling Light Ultra, a flagship smart ceiling fixture with 281 trillion colour combinations and an AI sun-sync feature that automatically adjusts colour temperature and intensity throughout the day to match natural light cycles.
281 trillion is a marketing number built on RGBIC segmentation — the actual perceptual colour range humans can distinguish is far smaller. But the sun-sync feature addresses a genuine wellness use case: circadian rhythm disruption from static artificial light. For remote workers and night-shift professionals, this is Govee’s most substantive feature addition yet. Govee Ceiling Light Ultra product page.
AI sun-sync represents a shift from “programmable ambiance” to “biologically aware environment.” Govee is positioning smart lighting as a wellness tool, not just a convenience feature. That’s a more defensible product category in a commoditising market.
Samsung Galaxy A37 ($449) and A57 ($549) — April 9 Launch
Samsung confirmed the Galaxy A37 at $449 and Galaxy A57 at $549, both launching on April 9. Both phones run on Exynos chipsets with 120Hz AMOLED displays — bringing the fluid display experience previously reserved for flagship Galaxy S-series into the mid-range.
The Exynos chip choice may raise eyebrows — Samsung’s own silicon has historically traded blows with Qualcomm on efficiency and sustained performance. But for the A-series use case (everyday smartphone tasks, content consumption, casual gaming), Exynos is more than capable. The 120Hz AMOLED at these price points is the standout spec. Samsung official Galaxy A37/A57 announcement.
Apple WWDC 2026 Confirmed for June 8–12
Apple officially confirmed WWDC 2026 for June 8–12. The developer conference will be the primary venue for Apple’s software roadmap reveals across iOS, macOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Given the trajectory of Apple Intelligence features and the rumoured Vision Pro successor, WWDC 2026 is shaping up as one of the more hardware-significant editions of the conference in recent memory.
April 2026 Gear at a Glance
| Product | Price | Key Spec | Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xreal 1S AR Glasses | $449 | 500″ virtual screen, 1200p | Now |
| Paper Tablet (Haining Toall) | $1,500 | 3.1mm thin, 13″ AMOLED | TBA |
| Samsung Galaxy A37 | $449 | 120Hz AMOLED, Exynos | Apr 9 |
| Samsung Galaxy A57 | $549 | 120Hz AMOLED, Exynos | Apr 9 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Xreal 1S is a display extender — it shows your phone or laptop screen spatially. Apple Vision Pro is a standalone spatial computer with its own OS. Vision Pro delivers far more functionality but costs $3,499 vs $449 for Xreal 1S. Different products for different use cases.
For most users, yes. Three hours of active use is insufficient for productivity or travel. Paper is best understood as a design statement and engineering proof-of-concept. Haining Toall will need to improve battery significantly before it’s practical for everyday use.
Both the A37 and A57 run on Samsung’s Exynos processor. Samsung has not specified which Exynos generation. Both feature 120Hz AMOLED displays, a spec previously reserved for Samsung’s more expensive Galaxy S-series.
WWDC 2026 (June 8–12) will preview iOS 20, macOS 16, visionOS 3, and watchOS 13. Based on the current Apple Intelligence roadmap, expect expanded on-device AI features, deeper Siri integration, and potential Vision Pro software updates.
Govee’s AI sun-sync automatically adjusts colour temperature (warm/cool) and brightness throughout the day to mirror natural sunlight patterns, supporting circadian rhythm alignment. It uses location data to calculate local sunrise/sunset timing and transitions lighting accordingly.
Every gadget reviewed against real-world use cases, not spec sheets.