Apple Vision Pro reviews and unboxing videos published ahead of launch

by MacRumors Staff

The first reviews and unboxing videos of the Apple Vision Pro were published today ahead of the mixed reality headset's US launch on Friday.

Below we have collected some videos from famous YouTube creators and reporters, including Marques Brownlee, Joanna Stern and others.

Videos

Reviews

Nilai Patel from The Verge:

There are a lot of ideas in Vision Pro, and they're all executed with the kind of thoughtful intent that few other companies can even pull off, let alone in their first iteration. But what's most shocking is that Apple may have inadvertently discovered that some of these core ideas are actually dead-ends, and that they can't be executed well enough to become mainstream. It's the best video headset ever made, and that could mean camera-based mixed reality might just be a road to nowhere. It's the best hand and eye tracking, and it looks like the mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen will remain unbeatable for years to come. There's so much technology in this thing that seems magical when it works and completely frustrates you when it doesn't.

Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal:

Apple's headset has all the characteristics of a first-generation product: it's big and heavy, has crappy battery life, few great apps, and can be buggy. Come on, have you seen what this thing thinks I look like?

However, a lot of what the Vision Pro can do seems like science fiction. I scroll through apps all over my home office. I have several virtual timers hanging above the stove. I watch holograms of my child petting a llama. This is the best mixed reality headset I've ever tried, much more advanced than its only real competitors, the much cheaper Meta Quest Pro and Quest 3.

These companies know these are the wrong devices , which we use. want. They're all working to turn virtual experiences into something more like a pair of regular glasses. In the meantime, they're just fooling us.

CNET's Scott Stein:

The very first thing I noticed about the Vision Pro in my first demo was how good the displays are. The 4K-per-eye Micro-OLED display technology that Apple is using is essentially the “retina” moment for VR and AR. It's vibrant, rich in color, HDR, and simply stunning. Not only is it good enough for watching movies (something Apple constantly touts), but it's better than any TV in my house.

Mark Spoonoer of Tom's Guide:

As for battery life, the Vision Pro battery is rated for 2 hours of normal use and 2.5 hours of video playback. In my testing, turning the Vision Pro on and off for 2 hours dropped the charge to about 60%, and then dropped to 40% after another couple of hours.

If you want to use the Vision Pro continuously, you can always Simply connect the battery using the included USB-C power adapter. Competing mixed reality headsets, such as the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro, have built-in batteries, which are more convenient, but they are also less powerful.