Background

After much speculation, Apple unveiled their Vision Pro mixed reality headset as their entry to "spatial computing" at WWDC on June 5th, 2023. The Vision Pro is a mixed reality AR/VR headset that aims to "seamlessly blends digital content with your physical space." It doesn't use controllers, instead relying on eye tracking and hand gestures for control. The Apple Vision Pro is a premium offering that competes with the likes of the HTC Vive XR Elite, Meta Quest Pro, and Valve Index, although its focus is on more everyday tasks and less on gaming.

The Vision Pro sports a modular design, with a 3D-laminated glass and milled aluminum enclosure, a flexible cushion called the Light Seal, and a woven headband. Unlike most VR headsets, the Vision Pro can connect magnetically to a battery pack for portable use. The Vision Pro runs a new, bespoke operating system dubbed "visionOS" on an Apple silicon M2 SoC paired with a new sensor-processing R1 chip designed specifically for Vision Pro.

Apple announced that the Vision Pro will start at $3499 and will be available early 2024.

Identification

The Vision Pro can be identified by its distinctive light gray, woven, ribbed headband, three-dimensional curved front glass, gray aluminum enclosure, and white speaker straps. Orange accents are found on the strap, and the top of the enclosure has cooling vents, one button, and one dial.

The included battery pack is unique to the Vision Pro, and can be identified by a rectangular aluminum enclosure with an inset engraved Apple logo and tethered woven cable.

Technical Specifications

Displays

  • Dual micro-OLED displays, 23 total megapixels
  • Curved Front-facing OLED display

Processors

  • Apple M2 3.48 GHz 8-core CPU running visionOS
  • Apple M2 integrated GPU

Cameras and sensors

  • 2x side-facing cameras
  • 2x downward-facing cameras
  • 2x forward-facing cameras
  • TrueDepth camera system
  • LiDAR scanner
  • 2x infrared flood illuminators
  • LED and IR camera eye-tracking array
  • 6 microphones

Battery

  • Tethered, aluminum-encased battery pack, up to 2 hours of use

Design Features

  • Speakers on the audio straps with Spatial Audio
  • Digital Crown for navigation and top button for spatial photos
  • Front-facing display for EyeSight passthrough
  • Magnetically-attaching Light Seal
  • 3D laminated glass
  • Custom aluminum enclosure
  • Head band and Fit Dial
  • Optional custom Zeiss optical inserts

Additional Information