Vuzix Blade 2 — specification and verdict
The Blade 2 puts one 480x480 waveguide display in front of the right eye at a claimed 2,000 nits, with roughly 20 degrees diagonal to work in. That is a caption, a checklist line or a single small photo, not a scene: a trainee can read a step and see the world around it, and nothing more. Head tracking is 3DoF only, so nothing on the display holds a position in the room. Android 11 on a quad-core ARM chip runs ordinary APKs, and the camera, stereo speakers and microphone are there for see-what-I-see calls rather than for simulation. Our VR training courses do not run on it and never will — they need two eyes, 6DoF and a rendered environment.
Vuzix built this for fleets: MDM integration is advertised, the frame carries ANSI Z87.1 eye protection with UV lenses, and prescription inserts exist for people who cannot wear it over their own glasses. Sideloading Android APKs is the normal deployment path, so an in-house work-instruction app is realistic. The awkward part is the hardware age: charging and data are over USB 2.0 Micro-B, and Vuzix has taken the Blade 2 off its product pages, so in Poland and Germany you are buying through XR resellers who list it around 1,289.99 USD with limited stock rather than ordering from the maker. Budget for a reseller support contract, because the vendor is now pointing enterprise buyers at newer glasses.
Do not buy the Blade 2 for VR training — it is a monocular notification display, not a headset, and our courses cannot run on it. As a hands-free assist and work-instruction device it still works, but it is off Vuzix's own lineup, so specify the current Vuzix M-series or LX1 instead if you want a supported purchase. Buy a Blade 2 in 2026 only to match glasses already deployed in the field.
How it compares within its class
The axis runs from the lowest to the highest published figure among the AR — industrial devices in this catalogue. The grey tick is the median of that class.
Median for this class: $1550, from 8 models that publish the figure.
Full specification
An em dash means the manufacturer does not publish that figure.
- ManufacturerWho makes it — and who you buy support from.
- Vuzix
- CategoryWhich kind of product this is. It decides which rows below make sense at all.
- AR — industrial
- Device typeWhere the computing happens, and therefore what you need to run it.
- Standalone AR
- AnnouncedThe day it was shown, which is not the day it shipped.
- 2022-08-24
- ReleasedYear the model went on sale. Older is not automatically worse in this category.
- 2022
- AvailabilityWhether you can still order it new today.
- Discontinued
- Support endsThe date the manufacturer stops supporting it. Decisive for a fleet you are about to buy.
- Support ends: not published by the manufacturer
- DisplayHow the image is produced. "No display" is a real answer in this category, not a gap.
- Waveguide
- Eyes coveredOne eye or both. Over a full shift this is a real difference in fatigue.
- One eye
- Resolution per eyePixels delivered to each eye. Higher means small text and labels stay readable.
- ≈480x480*VRcompare
- Refresh rateImages per second. Higher feels smoother and helps people prone to motion discomfort.
- Refresh rate: not published by the manufacturer
- Field of viewHow much of your view the image covers. Bigger is more immersive, not automatically better for work.
- ≈20° diagonal*VRcompare estimate
- Pixel densityPixels per degree of view — the honest way to compare sharpness between a headset and a pair of glasses. Higher is sharper. Only shown where somebody published it; we never compute it ourselves.
- Pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- BrightnessIn a plant or outdoors, brightness decides legibility more than resolution does.
- ≈2000 nits*VRcompare
- WeightThe device alone. Anything above roughly 150 g is felt within an hour.
- Weight: not published by the manufacturer
- Visible field of viewWhat the eye actually sees through the optics, by axis.
- Visible field of view: not published by the manufacturer
- Rendered field of viewWhat the device draws. Never smaller than what you see.
- Rendered field of view: not published by the manufacturer
- Binocular overlapWhere both eyes see the same thing — this is where depth happens.
- Binocular overlap: not published by the manufacturer
- Average pixel densityPixels per degree across the image. More is sharper.
- Average pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- Peak pixel densityThe sharpest point, usually the centre of the lens.
- Peak pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- Subpixel layoutHow the coloured dots sit in a pixel. A stripe looks cleaner on text than PenTile.
- Subpixel layout: not published by the manufacturer
- Foveated renderingWhether detail is dropped outside where you look, to save performance.
- Foveated rendering: not published by the manufacturer
- Vision correctionHow somebody who wears glasses uses it, and in what dioptre range.
- Lens inserts available
- DimensionsWidth, height and depth of the device itself.
- Dimensions: not published by the manufacturer
- Weight with strapWith the strap it ships with — the weight you actually wear.
- Weight with strap: not published by the manufacturer
- Head strapSoft band or a rigid one. Decides how the weight sits over an hour.
- Glasses frame
- MaterialsShell and facial interface, in the vendor’s words.
- plastic
- ColoursColours the manufacturer sells it in.
- Black
- Haptics in the headsetVibration in the headset itself, not in the controllers.
- Haptics in the headset: not published by the manufacturer
- TrackingWhether content stays put in the room (6DoF), follows head rotation (3DoF) or is simply fixed.
- 3DoF (rotation only)
- Tracking camerasHow many cameras it uses to know where it is.
- Tracking cameras: not published by the manufacturer
- Tracking rateHow often position is recalculated. Higher is steadier.
- Tracking rate: not published by the manufacturer
- Depth sensorA dedicated sensor for distance, on top of the cameras.
- Depth sensor: not published by the manufacturer
- Hand trackingWhether bare hands can operate the interface, without a controller or the phone.
- No
- Face trackingTracks facial expression — for avatars, not for training scenarios.
- Face tracking: not published by the manufacturer
- Body trackingHow much of the body the device knows about. Estimated legs are not tracked legs.
- Body tracking: not published by the manufacturer
- Controllers includedWhether motion controllers come in the box, or are bought separately — or the device is hands-only.
- No
- Controller modelThe manufacturer's own name for the controller.
- Controller model: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller tracking6DoF controllers track position and rotation, so a hand reaches in space; 3DoF only point. “None” means hands only.
- None (hands only)
- Finger tracking on the controllerWhether the controller senses individual fingers, and how.
- Finger tracking on the controller: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller inputsButtons, sticks and triggers the controller offers.
- Controller inputs: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller hapticsVibration feedback in the hand.
- Controller haptics: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller powerDisposable cells or a built-in rechargeable — a fleet question.
- Controller power: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller weightOne controller, as the vendor weighs it.
- Controller weight: not published by the manufacturer
- Other input methodsWays in beyond controllers and bare hands.
- Voice · Touchpad on the temple
- Where it computesWhether the device computes on its own or depends on a phone, PC or belt-worn puck.
- Standalone (own computer)
- ProcessorThe processor and memory inside. This is what the performance grade above is derived from.
- Processor: not published by the manufacturer
- CPUCores and clocks, where the manufacturer publishes them.
- Quad-core ARM
- GPUThe graphics part of the chip.
- GPU: not published by the manufacturer
- MemoryRAM on the device. Together with the chipset it sets how complex a scene can be.
- Memory: not published by the manufacturer
- PlatformThe platform an application is built against — and what an MDM has to speak.
- Android 11
- SD card slotWhether storage can be added with a card.
- SD card slot: not published by the manufacturer
- BatteryRuntime as the manufacturer states it. A hot-swappable pack matters more than the figure.
- Battery: not published by the manufacturer
- Battery capacity (Wh)Energy in the cell. Bigger is longer, given the same power draw.
- Battery capacity (Wh): not published by the manufacturer
- Battery capacity (mAh)The same fact in the other unit vendors use. We never convert between the two.
- Battery capacity (mAh): not published by the manufacturer
- Charge timeFrom empty to full. Rarely stated by the manufacturer, so it usually comes from whoever timed it.
- Charge time: not published by the manufacturer
- ChargerPower of the supplied charger — it decides the charge time above.
- Charger: not published by the manufacturer
- External batteryBattery on a cable or a puck instead of on the head.
- External battery: not published by the manufacturer
- Charging caseExtra runtime carried in the case the glasses ship with.
- Charging case: not published by the manufacturer
- Hot-swap batteryWhether a charged battery can replace the empty one without ending the session. This is what decides if a headset can hold an all-day training station.
- Hot-swap battery: not published by the manufacturer
- Third-party appsHow a third party's application reaches the device: an ordinary Android package, a vendor-only SDK, or not at all.
- Ordinary Android app (APK)
- Runs Skillsive appsOur own statement about whether Skillsive training applications run on it today.
- No
- Suitable for trainingOur judgement on whether it survives real deployment: comfort, hygiene, fleet management.
- No
- Kiosk mode / MDMVendor tooling to enrol devices, push an app and lock the headset to it. Practically required above ten devices.
- Yes
- Business tierAn official business tier, so devices belong to the company rather than to employees’ personal accounts.
- Yes
- CertificationsIndustrial certifications stated on the manufacturer's own page. Empty means unconfirmed, never "probably fine".
- ANSI Z87.1
- PortsPhysical sockets and charging contacts.
- USB 2.0 Micro-B
- Wi-FiThe Wi-Fi generation — it decides how well wireless streaming holds up.
- Wi-Fi: not published by the manufacturer
- BluetoothFor controllers, headphones and accessories.
- Bluetooth: not published by the manufacturer
- Video from a computerWhether a computer can drive it, over a cable or wirelessly.
- Video from a computer: not published by the manufacturer
- AudioBuilt-in sound. Matters most where somebody has to hear a remote expert while working.
- Built-in speakers
- MicrophoneBuilt-in microphone — the other half of talking to a remote expert.
- Yes
- MicrophonesHow many. An array picks a voice out of a noisy hall; one does not.
- Microphones: not published by the manufacturer
- CameraA camera is what makes a remote expert call and photo documentation possible.
- Yes
- Price bandThe band it sits in, rather than a price that goes stale.
- Enterprise
- Launch priceThe manufacturer's launch price. Fixed history, so it never goes stale.
- $1299.99
- Price by configurationWhat each configuration cost at launch.
- Price by configuration: not published by the manufacturer
- Price todayApproximate current net price in USD — a general figure, since these barely differ between regions once tax is stripped out. A snapshot from the date shown, not an offer.
- $1289.99
Who this device is for
This suits an EHS or operations team that wants a spectacle-shaped screen for checklists, remote assist calls and photo capture in an environment that demands certified eye protection. It is not for anyone shopping for immersive training: no 6DoF, one eye, no controllers. Voice and the temple touchpad are the only inputs, which is exactly right for gloved hands and exactly wrong for interactive simulation.
What is missing, and what the manufacturer does not publish
Vuzix publishes almost no numbers for this device: no weight, no battery capacity or runtime, no RAM figure, no IP or drop rating, and no official resolution, brightness or field of view — the press release only says 'ultrabright waveguide optics'. The 480x480, 2,000 nits and 20 degrees in this record come from VRcompare, and one reseller datasheet lists a noticeably narrower diagonal than we record, which we could not settle against the maker. Vuzix has also removed the Blade 2 product page while keeping it out of its legacy list, so the exact end-of-sale and end-of-support dates are unpublished.
Vuzix Blade 2 — frequently asked questions
- Is the Vuzix Blade 2 still sold in 2026?
- Not by Vuzix. The Blade 2 product page is gone and the current Vuzix lineup is the M-series and the LX1, although the Blade 2 is still absent from the formal legacy list that covers the older Blade and Blade Upgraded. XR resellers in Europe still list it, around 1,289.99 USD, with limited availability, so treat any purchase as an end-of-life buy.
- Can Skillsive VR courses run on the Vuzix Blade 2?
- No. Our courses are binocular 6DoF VR applications and the Blade 2 has one 480x480 waveguide display, roughly 20 degrees diagonal, 3DoF head tracking and no controllers. Even though it runs Android 11 and accepts APKs, there is nothing to render a training scene into. Use a standalone VR headset for the courses and keep the Blade 2 for checklists and remote assist.
- Do the Blade 2 glasses count as safety eyewear on the shop floor?
- Vuzix certifies the frame to ANSI Z87.1 with full UV protection, which is unusual for smart glasses and is the main reason to consider it in industry. It does not carry any published IP or MIL-STD rating, so it is not a wash-down, dust-blasted or freezer device; Vuzix's own ruggedised models exist for that. Check your local PPE requirement, because Z87.1 is a US standard.
Compare this device
Consider these too
The nearest devices in the same class, ranked by availability and launch price — not by our opinion of them.
Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-10. Manufacturer's specification
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