The first tests for the Apple Vision Pro are here. We’ll summarize for you how it performs.
Apple’s new high-tech glasses will go on sale in the USA on February 2nd. The reviews provide a first impression of Apple’s Vision Pro.
We don’t actually need to mention that almost all test reports complain about the extremely high price of 3,500 US dollars. But what do the reviewers see as the major strengths and where are the weaknesses?
This is praised
- sharp, impressive micro-OLED displays
- visionOS has succeeded
- the controls are largely intuitive
- Watching movies, 3D movies
- Connects the real and virtual worlds in an impressive way
This is criticized
- extremely expensive
- Battery life
- The selection of apps is still quite thin
- EyeSight is not convincing
- Persona feature needs improvement
Apple Vision Pro: This is what the first tests say about the glasses
Design and comfort
According to the Toms Guide tester, a break is necessary after a longer session.
The glasses clearly look futuristic, but do they also feel valuable? CNBC describes the build quality as excellent, which shouldn’t be surprising given the price.
»Apple used first-class glass, screens and metals. It feels like a premium headset and is comfortable to wear.«
And the wearing comfort? In short: less positive. The Verge comes to the following conclusion:
“The most noticeable thing about the hardware after a while is that it’s just… heavy.”
Tom’s Guide sees it similarly. The author Mark Spoonauer He doesn’t find it unpleasant, but breaks are necessary for him:
»After wearing the Vision Pro repeatedly for several hours, I didn’t find it uncomfortable, but I did feel the need to take regular breaks due to the weight«
Merging virtual and real reality
The surroundings remain visible when you put on the glasses.
Put on your glasses and… reality? The outside world is transmitted to the eyes as 3D video in real time through the glasses, including camera motion blur, which increases in low light conditions, as author Nilay Patel of The Verge describes:
»It is by far the best video passthrough ever delivered in a consumer device. … Poor light also causes the overall sharpness of the video passthrough to decrease when noise reduction kicks in.”
Author Scott Stein of CNET joins the conclusion:
»Apple’s passthrough cameras are the best I’ve ever seen, with almost no distortion. There is a little blur and delay«
Apple seems to have delivered well on this point.
Vision Pro with two micro-OLED displays
Consistently positive: the displays on the glasses are impressive.
Apple’s mixed reality glasses come with two impressive Micro-OLED displays. The Verge writes:
»Apple is very proud of the displays in the Vision Pro, and for good reason. […] They also generally look incredibly good – sharp enough to read text without thinking about it, and bright enough to do film justice.”
But Nilay Patel also points out the limitations: The field of view is limited and significantly smaller than the 110 degrees found in the massively cheaper Meta Quest 3.
Color deviations and blurring can also be observed towards the edges, which further restrict the field of vision.
Gesture controls impress until they stop impressing
The gesture controls are largely intuitive.
The elements of the glasses are controlled with the eyes and hands, or alternatively via voice control. The voice output for the (gesture) control of the Vision Pro is pretty much identical.
Nilay Patel writes that the first few times you use the hand and eye controls on the Vision Pro are impressive. However, he adds that this changes after first impressions and that in some cases the controls actually make it more difficult to use:
»But the next time you use hand and eye tracking, it won’t feel like a superpower anymore – and in some cases it will even actively make the Vision Pro harder to use. It turns out that having to pay attention to what you want to control is pretty distracting.”
Tom’s Guide also criticizes the floating numeric keyboard, which was not convincing in the test. The author Mark Spoonauer therefore used voice control when making entries.
Watch movies, 3D videos and photos
Watching films on the glasses should be a lot of fun.
Watching movies is said to be one of the highlights of the Vision Pro. Scott Stein puts it this way:
“Not only is it good enough to watch movies, as Apple always insists, it’s also better than any TV in my house.
The Verge also comes to a similar conclusion:
»Watching movies on the Vision Pro is a lot of fun, especially in the Apple TV app’s immersive cinema where you can choose where you want to sit.«
The sound quality of the headset is also positively highlighted. However, testers agree that the speaker noise can be heard by people around them and may feel disturbed by it.
Apple has touted spatial video for the Vision Pro as a highlight in the past. At least the iPhone 15 Pro now also has the function of recording spatial videos for the glasses.
Opinions differ on this topic. Tom’s guide enthusiastically describes the function:
»I was almost speechless when I watched a spatial 3D video of my three dogs walking towards the camera. It’s so captivating that you might get a little emotional.«
CNET, on the other hand, describes this feature in a cautiously positive way:
»That’s not the main reason I would use a Vision Pro, but it’s compelling. It’s fun to see all my photos and videos on a big screen«
Last but not least, author Nilay Patel from The Verge doesn’t blow this feature away.
How does visionOS perform in everyday life?
The well-known Apple apps are available for the glasses… but there’s still a lot missing.
The operating system of the glasses was well received by all testers. Joanna Stern The Wall Street Journal summarizes it as follows:
» …much of what the Vision Pro can do feels like science fiction. I flip through apps all over my home office. Several virtual timers hover above my stove. «
By the way, these windows can be supplemented by an iPad app or a Mac connected to WiFi. However, Apple currently only allows one screen display on the Mac.
CNET also describes working with visionOS and the headset quite positively:
»There are glitches and sometimes the controls feel too fluid, but in the first form I’m shocked at how good it already is.«
However, the lack of many applications typical of smartphones or Macs is one of the main criticisms.
Vision Pro: EyeSight und Persona
The persona function does not fare well in the first test reports.
Apple has equipped the glasses with functions that isolate the wearer less from the environment. This includes the EyeSight function, which transfers realistic images of the eyes to the front glass of the displays.
The Verge slams this feature as follows:
“In reality, it might as well not be there. It’s a low-resolution OLED with a lenticular panel in front of it that provides a mild 3D effect. … When people see your eyes, it’s a ghostly, low-resolution image that feels like CGI.”
The Persona feature, which is admittedly still in beta, is also not met with much enthusiasm. This allows you to create avatars of yourself, for example to get in touch with friends and family via FaceTime calls.
»“You look terrible,” my sister said,” as Joanna Stern emphasizes.
The battery life
The battery life raised initial concerns during the presentation, which are now confirmed. Critics like Scott Stein complain about the “limited battery life.”
Joanna Stern’s conclusion is as follows:
»It (Apple Vision Pro) is big and heavy, the battery life is terrible«
Mark Spoonauer describes the battery life soberly. However, he points out that operation with a power cable can be disruptive.
Apple Vision Pro: The Conclusion
What is the conclusion? Almost all of the Vision Pro testers are enthusiastic at first glance and consider the glasses to be a small revolution even in the first generation.
However, according to the testers, the glasses are not without errors and problems that will pose challenges for Apple in the future.
»There are a lot of ideas in Vision Pro, and they are all executed with a thoughtful intent that few other companies can ever achieve, let alone in the first iteration. But the shocking thing is that Apple may have inadvertently revealed that some of these core ideas are actually dead ends – that they can never be implemented well enough to become mainstream.
Nilay Patel, The Verge
The Apple Vision Pro is easy to despise because of its price. And I definitely can’t afford one for $3,500. But now that I’ve worn one and tested all of its features, I’d argue that it’s the most innovative Apple product since the original iPhone.
Mark Spoonauer, Toms Guide
Already knew? Apple offers an optional case for the Vision Pro so you can take it anywhere. Cost: a mere $200.
Release in Europey: It remains to be seen exactly when the glasses, including the “cheap” carrying case, will be in or on the shelves of Apple Stores in this country. The group has announced that this should be the case in spring 2024.
Table of Contents
