Probably few people in North America have previously heard of GOOVIS (a name that doesn’t translate particularly well), but this is a company that has a well developed reputation in Asia for its work in high definition head-mounted displays (HMD). GOOVIS holds more than 150 global patents, and the product I’m reviewing from them today – the GOOVIS ART – shows every indication of being a mature, polished product. This is a not a VR (Virtual Reality) device; it is a head mounted display that allows you to watch what looks like a big screen (110″ at a 4 meter distance) in a very compact device. Most importantly, it just works – effortlessly and effectively. I’ve allowed a bunch of people to strap on the GOOVIS ART and tell me what they think, and the response (all the way up to my 85 year old father-in-law) has been a lot of “wow”.

The ART can be had for as little as $469 USD, and it might just become your best friend if you routinely commute on public transit systems, planes, or live in a small space where having a big screen just doesn’t work.

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Thanks to GOOVIS for sending me a review sample. As always, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

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AI SUMMARY: The article offers a detailed review of the GOOVIS ART head-mounted display, highlighting its high-quality micro-OLED screens, impressive resolution, and user-friendly design. It emphasizes the device’s plug-and-play connectivity with smartphones and other media devices, along with its adjustable settings for IPD and diopters, making it adaptable for various users. The open design provides a balance between immersive viewing and situational awareness, making it versatile for different activities like commuting or working out. Overall, the GOOVIS ART delivers a crisp, visually stunning experience at an accessible price point, though its open design may lead to some light leakage and reduced immersion.

Strengths:

• Excellent display clarity with high resolution and contrast
• Easy to set up and operate
• Comfortable, lightweight, and adaptable fit
• Situational awareness maintained due to open design

Weaknesses:

• Compatibility issues with older smartphones or devices
• Possible light leakage in bright environments
• Dependent on the connected device’s battery life
• Less immersive than fully enclosed headsets

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The basic principle is simple – the GOOVIS ART does not use an internal power supply but rather runs off of the USB-C cable that you plug into your phone, tablet, or media device. If you are using a source with HDMI, there is a simple adapter you can use that will adapt from the HDMI to USB-C.

When something like my iPhone 15 Pro is connected, the ART’s display will immediately turn on and mirror the display of the phone. When you go into media content it will display the proper horizontal view and fill the screen. There really isn’t much to figure out; I was shocked by how quickly I was up and running. As we’ll detail later on, that’s less true if you are using an older playback device.

There are several features that also help to accommodate the broad spectrum of human vision. First of all, there is a locking/unlocking switch on the top left that allows adjust the IPD (interpupillary distance adjustment) from 58mm – 74mm. This allows you to make sure that there is the proper distance between your eyes. The second adjustment is an independent diopter on the outside on each side to give you independent control for each eye. You can adjust from 0 to -3.5 to adjust for your vision…in each eye. This allows you to get very crisp detail even without wearing glasses, though if your vision falls outside that range, there is room to wear your glasses.

Other controls include the ability to switch between 2D and 3D, and you can long press that same button to swap between left-right images (the 3D function is side by side). I have been able to find some 3D content, but it isn’t easy.

There are also volume controls on the top of the ART as well which apply not only to the built in speakers but will also control the volume of any headphones you’ve attached to the 3.5mm earphone jack on the forehead section. If you are using Bluetooth buds your volume controls will be separate. The USB-C cable connects into the right side of the forehead rest, and there are several cable routing straps built into the head straps so that you can keep cables out of your way. I was able to use the GOOVIS ART even while working out by just running the cable under my shirt and putting my phone in my pocket. It worked surprisingly well, as the display moves with me even when I’m on my back and repping weights.

The twin displays each have a native 1920 x 1080P resolution and look very crisp. Resolution is an extremely high 4496 PPI (pixels per inch), considerably higher than, say, the 3,386 PPI of the Apple Vision Pro. The contrast ratio of the display is rated at an extremely high 100,000:1, and black levels look impressively good. The display type is a micro-OLED. Lag is extremely low if you want to use it for gaming, with a response time of <0.01ms. The GOOVIS ART uses Glass-Plastic Hybrid Aspheric Lenses (ASPH) lenses that produce very crisp results and delivers a distortion level less than 1%. Bottom line is that the display looks fantastic, and many people will be shocked by how much the viewing experience will change even familiar viewing material.

I never say audio/video sync issues, though one thing to watch out for is that many apps will default to the built in speaks when playback starts. You can swap to your Bluetooth buds either by clicking the audio device icon in the upper left part of the screen (on your playback device) or often by pressing or squeezing your Bluetooth buds control for play/pause. I did run into one app where there wasn’t an option presented, but I plugged in wired headphones and had no problem.

You can connect the ART to a wide range of devices, from gaming consoles (would be very cool with a Nintendo Switch!) to smartphones to cameras to drones. Connecting the display to your camera while filming sounds interesting, but I never could figure out a way to make it work.

One of the unique features about the ART is that the display floats in front of your eyes but does not obscure your peripheral vision. The downside is that your ambient light could potentially impact your viewing experience (though it still works surprisingly well in brighter conditions), but the upside is that if someone comes to talk to you, it is possible to look around the display to see them. I could wear the display while working out, and still see to grab the weights.

The GOOVIS ART is very lightweight at just 110g, though if you add the padded forehead section (you’ll want to!) and the requisite USB-C cable the weight comes in at a still lightweight 277g. I never found wearing it got uncomfortable. You can add a “zero pressure headband” option, but I just found that it added unnecessary bulk and didn’t deem it necessary.

I never found using anything other than my phone to be necessary for playback, but if you have an older phone, you might potentially have some direct compatibility issues. Here’s a page where you can check your device. Direct iPhone compatibility, for example, only begins at the 15 stage, though there seems to be a deeper range of Android device support. You can get their D4H1 portable streaming device in a kit if you want to avoid using your phone. I tested the D4H1 device, which is about the size of standard 10,000 mAh power bank. This makes sense, as the D4H1 does have a built-in 8000 mAh power bank that will provide up to 6 hours of playback. It also has 16GB of storage along with a micro-SD slot for expanded storage if you need more space. That could be a good alternative if you in a situation where you won’t have Wi-Fi for streaming. The D4H1 runs a standard Google TV interface, which is familiar and easy to set up, and I do like the fact that it comes with a standard Google TV remote. Having a remote control is nice, actually, particularly if you need pause playback. My one critique of the D4H1 is that it leverages an HDMI output. That’s fine, if you are using it essentially like a dongle for a non-smart TV, but it means that you have to use the HDMI to USB-C adapter to use it with the ART, which feels unnecessarily clunky. I like having the HDMI out as a an option, but a USB-C output should have been a key component of design if GOOVIS is going to package it with their HMD models.

One tip: if you are on a long flight and using your phone as the media device, having a Qi wireless charger might be smart if you are using your phone since the USB-C port will be tied up with the connection to the display.

I found that I could often turn the display brightness down to about halfway because the display is so bright. I didn’t find any specification for how much power the ART draws, but I never noticed any kind of really obvious hit to my battery life.

All told, I found using the ART fairly painless and it made personal viewing a real joy. I’m not a binge watching, “down-the-rabbit-hole” type of media consumer, but I suspect the GOOVIS ART would truly enable that kind of behavior. Maybe its a good thing that your battery will die after a while…

Go outside and get some fresh air while your phone is charging!

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Things I Like

• Easy to use*
• Fantastic clarity
• Deep dark levels
• Comfortable to wear
• Like being able to see around the ART
• Great way to get a big screen on a relatively small price
• Extremely low lag
• Very small footprint

*Might be more difficult for those using older devices.

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Things I Don’t Like

• Can get a little light leak sometimes
• Running off the your phone’s battery could be an issue if you phone is nearly dead
• Not as fully immersive as a closed design
• Using the the D4H1 requires using the HDMI adapter

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Conclusion

I had little experience but a lot of interest in HMD going into this review, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the GOOVIS ART was to use and also by how great the viewing experience was. I wasn’t sure how the more “open” design would work, but I actually did find that in many situations I valued being able to retain some situational awareness. The downside is that the experience is potentially less immersive than more closed designs like their G3 models. At under $500, this is a pricey yet achievable bit of personal entertainment bliss.

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Purchase the GOOVIS ART @ Amazon https://amzn.to/44G8qnC or Amazon Canada https://amzn.to/4kcPf9x

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