🍎🥽 Apple Vision Pro two-month review: an out of this world experience
🍎🥽 Apple Vision Pro two-month review: an out of this world experience
I tested the Apple Vision Pro for two months in four countries. Here's where it excels for early adopters and how it just got better this week
I’ve been testing the Apple Vision Pro for two months, became the first person to take it on an airplane and blog about it, and even traveled with the ‘spatial computing’ headset into the vast Sahara desert for the ultimate AR stargazing excursion.
Everyone who tried my headset – from the Berber people of North Africa, who “haven’t seen anything like this,” to my NYC friends who think they’ve seen it all – had the same reaction: “Wow. This is wild!” Funny enough… that was also my reaction upon paying off my Apple Card this month and the eye-popping $3,499 price tag.
So, what’s my updated verdict on this pricey tech that generates priceless reactions? By journeying around the world and back – with the precious headset intact – I clocked four countries and eight flights to fully vet the Apple Vision Pro. The good news is that it’s the best way to work privately, with an endless number of virtual displays, and watch entertainment in public in my own personal home theater. I don’t plan on flying in an airplane without this thing any time soon. And it’s getting new features. The visionOS 1.1 update now includes Spatial Personas, so I’m able to share the same space as other users, making the headset feel better.
But, you should be aware that while Vision Pro is better than it was at launch, it still feels like it’s in beta – ideal for developers and early adopters who want to spend big on a window into the future, yet a luxury purchase for the average consumer.
🏆 Review score: 4 out of 5
Pros
✅ 🍿 Immersive movie-watching experience, like you’re in a private theater
✅ 👨💻 Work anywhere by taking your multiple monitor setup with you virtually
✅ 🤏 Hand tracking and familiar Apple UI almost instantly feel natural
✅ 👀 Passthrough video and EyeSight help alleviate the “trapped in VR” feel
✅ 🦖 3D demos – like ‘Explore Encounter Dinosaurs’ – will blow your mind
✅ 🤯 Best cutting-edge piece of tech you can show your friends in 2024
Cons
❌ 💰 The price starts at $3,499, fit for early adopters and developers
❌ 🤪 Looks goofy to wear, but peoples’ weird stares vanish if they try it
❌ ⚖️ It can feel heavy on the face after a while if your fit isn’t perfect
❌ 🪶 I expect an ‘Apple Vision Air’ to launch eventually for the masses
🥽 Engineering marvel. This is easily the most advanced headset I’ve ever tested, with equal amounts of power and polish. It’s designed with a curved glass outside that completely hides the nerdy specs, but they’re there: 14 cameras and six sensors that work overtime for nearly lag-free eye and world tracking. The Micro-OLED displays on the inside project 23 million pixels, which Apple says offers more pixels than a 4KTV to each eye. Its new R1 chip and M2 chips bring everything together, and although there’s a thermal system that moves air through the Vision Pro, you’ll never hear it.
This is easily the most advanced headset I’ve ever tested, with equal amounts of power and polish.
💺 Ultimate airplane seat accessory. I’ve tested the Vision Pro on ten flights so far, and I refuse to leave the ground without it. My first flight – right after picking up the headset at the Apple Store – lacked a TV in the seatback. While everyone else was bored without entertainment, I was sitting back watching Ted Lasso on what looked like a 120” TV. On another trip, an international redeye flight to MWC, I got upgraded to a lie-flat seat. Instead of cranking my neck to watch Delta’s TV, I was able to watch Masters of the Air on Apple TV+ on the ceiling. It got surreal when strong turbulence with almost 700mph tailwinds over the Atlantic coincided with the dogfighting scenes.
Stargazing in AR with the Vision Pro
🌠 Stargazing in AR. Speaking of looking up, my other favorite use case involved using the Night Sky app to piece together constellations in the Moroccan desert (where you can actually see all of the stars, unlike NYC). Local uber-knowledgeable astronomer Mohammed (Moha) Segaoui of the Desert Oasis Astro Camp let me use his 200mm telescope and, in turn, I let him try out the Vision Pro.
Segaoui’s authentic joy at the technology was delightful when he started naming the constellations and planets he could see through augmented reality. AR use cases like this are something you can’t achieve on any other device, and it proved that the Apple Vision Pro can be a wonderful teaching tool. Best of all, my headset survived the seemingly endless sand dunes and a camel ride into and out of Erg Chebbi.
AR use cases like this are something you can’t achieve on any other device, and it proved that the Apple Vision Pro can be a wonderful teaching tool.
🐴 Productivity workhorse colt. This is where I found Vision Pro to have the most potential – and I can’t wait for it to get better. Right now, I can take my multi-monitor setup with me when I travel by surrounding my vision with multiple virtual screens. I’ve been able to work on an airplane, in a coffee shop and even in the back of an Uber (in travel mode), allowing me to see all of my open apps with a swivel of my head – Safari, X, my to-do list, Messages, etc. Sadly, you can’t pin windows to travel with you as you walk, but they do stay in place even when you walk away, which is kind of cool.
⌨️ Keyboard warrior. To get any real work done, I needed to skip the virtual keyboard that uses a mix of pinching or pressing and eye tracking. It gets the job done, but it’s a bit slow. Better options include pairing my MacBook, Apple Magic keyboard or the collapsable keyboard I bought on Amazon.
🖥️ Mac Virtual Display. Working is always best in conjunction with my MacBook, as I can extend the display (it hovered above my turned-off laptop screen) and continue to use a keyboard and trackpad as inputs on the giant screen that seems to have extra clarity vs other virtual screens. Apple has limited the Mac Virtual Display mode to one screen so far, but you can set up other virtual windows around the display.
⚖️ How heavy does it feel? “It’s not as heavy as I thought,” was the reaction of most people who tried my Vision Pro – if it was properly tightened to their face. But you can begin to feel the heft after an hour for one reason outside of the weight: pressure. I found the soft fabric of the light seal comfortable, but I can also tell that Apple was obsessed with stamping out light leak, a common problem on VR headsets (that, remarkably, isn’t an issue here). Because you want to eliminate light leak and avoid having the headset’s weight on your nose, the pressure of a tight fit can get to you.
🤔 More apps, please. There are no native YouTube, Instagram, Xbox, or PlayStation remote-play apps, and while some of these can be accessed via Safari or a third-party app knock-off, they make the Vision Pro ecosystem feel unfinished. Good news: I can access major apps like X, Slack, Zoom, Apple Maps as “compatible apps” (aka iPad apps) in my mixed-reality universe. But this feels like early iPad days, when not all apps were 100% compatible with the new technology.
🎮 Immersive gaming to an extent. Apple Arcade has a prominent place within the Vision Pro ecosystem, and games are fun in mixed-reality. Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, Synth Riders and Game Room use flailing hand gestures rather than a controller. As precise as it was to pinch chess pieces and slash my way through fruit, the Meta Quest 3 and PSVR 2 have the edge on 1:1 tracking via orb-shaped controllers. But, if you count Spatial Vacuuming as a game, then the Apple Vision Pro gets one small win.
🔋 You’re going to need a big battery. I bought a 20,000mAh mophie powerstation pro at the same time as I bought the Vision Pro, and it has become my go-to source of power to supplement the 2 to 2 1/2 hours that Apple’s battery provides. If you’re going on a flight that’s more than a puddle jumper and planning to watch a movie or do any meaningful work, you’re going to need a larger power bank.
⚡ You can charge faster. I found that the included 30W charger in the box works fine, but I was able to charge more quickly with a higher wattage. Knowing this might be the case, I also bought the mophie speedport 67W at the Apple Store at launch. Since it’s a GaN charger (charging technology I highly recommend), it’s not much bigger than Apple’s 30W charger despite offering more than double the wattage.
🙃 I actually like the separate battery. Call me crazy, but I think it was a wise move for Apple to make the battery a separate component from the headset (one might even say it took “courage!”). Instead of trying to stick the battery on the back of the headset band or miniaturize its capacity even more, Gen 1 of the Vision Pro is like carrying an external battery pack. That’s fine… for now.
👀 Passthrough video & EyeSight make a difference. You can’t really see through the Vision Pro headset and people can’t actually see your eyes, but it certainly looks like you can. The near-real-time video is a window into the outside world, and it’s better than any VR headset with passthrough I’ve tried before. And flight attendants can see a video representation of my eyes to eliminate the “Wait, can you see me? Do you have food?” questions. It creates a much more human experience with tech that, if not executed properly, could easily cause you to slip into a dystopian state.
It creates a much more human experience with tech that, if not executed properly, could easily cause you to slip into a dystopian state.
🚶♂️ Not meant for long walks on the beach. Yes, I’ve been able to walk around my NYC apartment and even try it out in a busy Grand Central Station (we just had to test it), but a limited field of view means it’s not ideal for the outside world.
🦖 Explore Encounters Dinosaurs great – we just need more of it. Seeing 3D-like dinosaurs in the brief three-and-a-half-minute demo is the best way to show off the Apple Vision Pro to first-time users. Seeing them interact with people and seemingly rip through my living room was an awesome way to realize what the Apple Vision Pro can do. But I feel like we need way more of this from Apple – I want monthly drops.
🏜️ 3D worlds delight. Apple also wows with 13 “environments,” which are immersive 360-degree worlds like Yosemite, White Sands, Mount Hood and the Moon, many complete with weather effects. Yes, it feels like you’re on the Moon (and can turn around and see a tiny Earth). It would be great for users to be able to capture their own 360-degree videos one day and see them projected inside the headset.
🧳 Travel case required. I bought the $200 Apple Travel Case for this review, and it’s the most reliable way to carry the Vision Pro. It’s supremely padded, though you will have time fitting it into your luggage (unless you have nothing else to pack). It may count as a carry-on item by itself.
🛅 Choose your case wisely. I invented my own “travel case” for my international flights. Ryanair to Morocco only allows for one carry-on (or your ticket is double the price). To slim down, I bought a fabric VR lens cushion for $12.99 and a variety pack of camera lens body microfiber pouches for $20. The headset already comes with a fabric front cover, so it survived. Total cost: $33. And the fact I was able to squeeze the Vision Pro into my already-stuffed tech-filled backpack? Priceless.
👮♂️ Security and limitations. It’s hard to explain what a “spatial computer” is to security, and using it in public invites inquiring minds. Taking photos (while waiting for a meeting) at One World Trade Center did illicit a call from security: “Sir, we just don’t know what this is.” We also know (thanks to The Shortcut subscriber Chris) that Disney theme parks banned the headset after the first week. This isn’t meant to be used outside of the house or office normally, but you may run into limitations while people get used to this new tech in certain business environments.
🧠 Smart, intuitive UI. Sinking into Vision Pro is a piece of cake with minor guidance, and the fact that the initial start-up lets you immediately see through the passthrough camera (“hello” is being written out in calligraphy) is very Apple. The team behind this wanted this to be the anti-”I’m trapped in VR” headset. From there, everything, from pinch-swiping through the app menu to resizing windows, feels very natural.
🤝 Remote access. There’s a “Share your view” feature that allows others to peak at what you’re seeing inside the headset from a Mac, iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. It helps so much when directing first-time users or showing off a new app. But I do wish the button was accessible from the remote device, not just inside the headset (where new users won’t know how to access Command Center).
💰 Early adopter tax. The price starts at $3,499 and goes up $200 for each higher storage size (although you might not need it). The official case is $200, the belt clip is $50 and AppleCare+ costs $500. Living on the cutting-edge has never been cheap, and the Vision Pro reminds us all that early adopters pay the biggest price.
🗄️ Larger storage sizes weren’t for me. I initially bought the 512GB size because, on pre-order day at 5am PT, there were suddenly three capacities Apple didn’t tell us about: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. I panicked and went with the middle option for $200 more. After two weeks, just before Apple’s 14-day return window ended, I realized I probably won’t fill 256GB right away and this is first-gen technology, very likely to be replaced next year. I’d rather have $200 back on my Apple Card.
😮 Showing it to people is the best part. So why buy it? I’ve let close to 50 people use my Apple Vision Pro because I love showing off new technology and getting that “Wow” reaction from everyone. That no longer happens when I’m testing new single-screen laptops and smartphones. Every time someone put on my Vision Pro, they were impressed – even the skeptical ones. If you get a kick out of delighting people with new tech, you’ll have a reason to buy the Vision Pro.
😎 Glasses in 10 years. I’ve seen some comments saying, “Apple should have waited until they could fit this technology into a pair of normal glasses.” But I admire that the company is pioneering the headset in its current form factor. It needs to build out that ecosystem for those eventual sunglasses that, I predict, will be here in 10 years. In the meantime, the display, battery and weight will only get better.
🕶️ Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses comparison. I’ve also been testing Instagram-focused glasses, and I like them a lot. You can capture photos and videos while still staying in “the moment.” It’s much easier to record videos while riding on a camel via glasses vs whipping out an iPhone (though I did that too). If you want something cool, these aren’t as expensive as the Vision Pro – just know they it’s not nearly as ambitious and has no nifty display.
🪶 Apple Vision Air on the way? I get asked this all of the time, and I think it’s a sure thing in about 18 months (maybe at WWDC 2025?). Apple is going to want to reach the masses with its new technology, and only some of its fans can afford $3,499. The headset also needs to get lighter.
🥽 🥽 Two Apple Vision headsets to come? I’ll double down on my prediction: I think Apple could launch two new headsets in 2025 – an Apple Vision Air that’s lighter and cheaper with some Air-like trade-offs, and a more robust Apple Vision Pro 2 at or near the $3,499 price level. If Apple launches only a cheaper Vision Air that’s better than the Pro 1, early adopters would feel burned.
Should I buy the Apple Vision Pro?
If you still haven’t decided, let me basically tell you if you should get it:
Yes, if…
✅ 💸 You have more than $3,499 to spend on first-gen technology
✅ 🤯 You’ve been called an ‘early adopter’ who loves blowing friends’ minds
✅ 🥽 You’re already a VR fan who wants Apple’s next-level AR headset
✅ ✈️ You love watching movies when traveling – this is first-class
✅ 👨💻 You yearn for multi-monitor setup when you’re traveling
✅ 🔋 You have a 20,000mAh battery to supercharge this headset
No, if…
❌ 😭 You’ll regret it when a cheaper, better one launches (early adopters’ curse)
❌ 🎮 You want a traditional gaming VR headset with controller (get Meta Quest 3)
❌ 😎 Your priority to capture video for social (get Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses)
❌ 🤨 You get frustrated with new technology that’s in its infancy
No MS Flight Sim or Google Earth VR means no sale.