January 5, 2026
The “best” use cases for XR in enterprise today are arguably remote support, training, and design; but I’m more interested in the concept of a virtual office. Employees today may put on XR devices for specific tasks like troubleshooting equipment with a remote expert or reviewing a design with distant colleagues. But what about working a nine-to-five in XR? I’m surely not the only white-collar worker who is sick of her WFH setup, struggling to stay productive, and desiring a better way to manage the 50 open tabs on my laptop screen.
Are people actually interested in working in virtual workspaces? Does anyone want to work a full work day in a headset? Should they? Is the ultimate remote work setup possible with just a pair of smart glasses?
While people continue to tout the benefits of remote work (increased flexibility, reduced travel, etc.), the downsides are also becoming apparent, including an unhealthy work-life balance, declining social skills, feelings of isolation and loneliness, and a palpable disconnect from coworkers and the organization as a whole. And while some employers call for staff to return to office full-time, there’s no going back, especially for digital natives entering the workforce. Flexible work hours - and locations - are a top factor in job decisions.
IDEAL VIRTUAL WORKSPACE
So, what does the ideal virtual workspace look like? Is it found inside a MR/VR headset or possible with today’s smart glasses (think Viture, XREAL, etc.)? When the original Apple Vision Pro arrived in 2024, journalists and reviewers spoke a lot about the “ultimate desktop experience.” Some put the mixed reality headset to the test - along with Meta Quest 3 - to mixed results:
In an op-ed for Guardian in December 2024, for instance, Ed Newton-Rex tried working with Quest 3 for a week. Pros included the ability to summon multiple screens, make them as large as you want, and place them anywhere in your environment (spatial and portable computing). It’s great for certain kinds of knowledge (i.e. desk-bound) workers and certainly cheaper than purchasing multiple physical monitors.
Other positives included fewer distractions (less office clutter), the ability to “carve out a window from the virtual environment” to see your keyboard (thanks to passthrough), and a choice of virtual environments to work in. Cons: Mainly comfortability, battery life, and technical glitches preventing full-day use. Final verdict? “If working on my own, I’d rather work in VR.”
Jordan Wirth, writing for Slash Gear earlier that same year, remarked that Quest fulfilled the promise of working everywhere, which may or may not be a good thing. He cited the ability to put on a headset any time, anywhere, and “spin up” a multi-monitor workspace where screen real estate is a thing of the past. Another reviewer showcased the “ultimate working experience” with Vision Pro, expanding his Mac display while having several visionOS, iPad and iOS apps all around him. Away from his workstation, he had pinned several virtual screens around his home: Apple TV+ in the living room, a cooking video in the kitchen, and a grocery list on the refrigerator. These were apps he used everyday but in a new way. The verdict? Great for everyday tasks.
More recently, Bertel King tested the new Samsung Galaxy XR headset as a work device for How-To Geek. Already used to an unconventional work setup - having ditched his laptop for a foldable phone - King deemed the VR headset as the best of both mobile and desktop.
He wrote the article in AR, typing in the PenCake app and described a 360-degree workspace, with his outline hovering in a nearby window, the Samsung Clock app to his left, and music furthest away. He praised the design: Less cluttered than a phone yet still able to move windows around like a desktop (“can just put apps wherever I want them”) and better for his posture (screen always at eye level and moves with the user). After days of working on the device, King concluded that a VR/MR headset could serve as a primary PC.
Is the ability to customize your WFH setup enough? Can a headset really replace a desktop PC? For some professions, maybe. It’s worth noting that all of the reviewers above are tech reporters. Besides writers, some developers are interested in working in VR: In a 2024 JetBrains survey, 42% of developers who had tried coding in VR found that it “enhanced the visualization of complex data” while 39% said it increased their productivity. Some actually preferred the virtual workspace to their physical monitor setup. At the same time, 18% reported experiencing physical discomfort or expressed health concerns related to prolonged VR use.
GLASSES, NOT HEADSETS
As personal productivity devices, headsets are promising mainly for traditionally desk-bound workers seeking a more focused or personalized work environment. What about glasses? Smart glasses are lighter than a headset and pretty much everyone (Meta, Apple, Samsung, Amazon, etc.) is rumored to be working on a pair. Will XR/AI glasses kill both the iPhone and personal computers?
“When I put on the glasses…I knew everything about how I work on my laptop could be different, and probably better, forever.” Nick Lucchesi wrote this after trying Sightful’s relaunched software-only Spacetop platform, which utilizes XREAL smart glasses. As a screenless laptop paired with smart glasses, Spacetop failed but as an app for expanding your Windows computer display beyond what a traditional laptop offers, it shows more promise.
ZDNET’s Matt Miller has tried using multiple AR (smart) glasses for work, including the Viture Pro XR glasses and the RayNeo Air 3s smart glasses, but it was the XREAL One Pro AR glasses that nearly tempted him to ditch his multiple monitors.
For the trial, Miller wore the XREAL One Pro for work (and entertainment) at home, on the plane, and on the train for several months. He liked the bright and clear display, built-in ultra-wide screen functionality, 6DoF support allowing you to anchor apps (when paired with the Xreal Eye accessory), and seamless user experience. Miller noted he was able to wear the device for eight hours one day, but didn’t go so far as to endorse everyday use. Ultimately, he recommended the glasses for frequent travelers and daily commuters like him who rely on a single, small laptop screen.
While a fraction of the cost of multiple physical monitors, is it worth spending hundreds for a “handy” productivity and multitasking tool that you mainly use on the train? Are smart glasses a viable alternative to computer monitors or just a useful accessory?
Rael Hornby and Bertel King both tested the XREAL Air 2 glasses (King tested the Pro version): One stated that it’s time to swap your work monitor for a pair of glasses, while the other said not to expect glasses to replace a PC anytime soon.
IS IT TIME?
Despite declaring it’s time to “take your setup in a spatial direction,” Hornby recommended AR glasses for users like him with limited space in their home office–as a way to make the most of cramped conditions without foregoing the benefits of an external monitor or two.
For his part, after some adjusting to get the glasses in the right position on his face and getting past the initial eye strain, King was able to appreciate the better posture, reduced neck strain, cleaner workspace, and portability afforded by the form factor. In King’s experience, AR glasses didn’t introduce a big change to his workflow but felt more like a portable home theater.
I related most to a SlashGear reviewer who described himself as a remote worker missing his pre-Covid multi-monitor work setup. Nadeem Sarwar found smart glasses to be a “solid choice for getting work done, especially if you need a larger screen to go with your laptop or just need more monitors for your desktop.”
Here are some of his observations after testing several current AR glasses for work:
–Great for short bursts of work where you need an extra screen or two (and for people on the move)
–Ergonomics are the most underrated benefit
–Customization: Depending on the glasses and companion app, you can adjust the size, angle, perceived distance, and even transparency of each virtual display, “stacking” multiple virtual screens for maximum productivity
–Total privacy: No one can see your on-screen activity
–Outsmart mainstream monitors in some respects, including portability, power requirements, and even display quality
As for cons, he pointed to feeling awkward (he wasn’t the only one), sensory overload, potential eyestrain if you wear them for too long, and “nuisance” if you require prescription lens inserts.
CONCLUSION
So, are XR headsets or glasses a practical replacement for multiple monitors? What these devices have over multiple monitors is portability, cost, and footprint (add immersiveness for VR). They provide compact and portable multi-screen support, but most rely on a smartphone for core functions like Internet access, apps, and processing power. What XR headsets or glasses have over a smartphone, tablet or even laptop is ergonomics and multi-screen capability, providing a portable, expandable virtual work setup anywhere, anytime.
To answer the question, perhaps replacement is the wrong word. XR headsets/glasses are a great option for certain professions, situations, and tasks—when you need to “break free” from the confines of flat screens and traditional workspaces, when you lack physical space or don’t want to spend on multiple physical monitors, when you really need to focus, when you need to inhabit a design or visualize and interact with information in ways not possible with monitors, when you need to relieve your “tech neck,” when you’re on the go, etc.
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