Apple Vision Pro review: I spent two weeks with a computer strapped to my face

Sure, the Vision Pro is Apple’s first new product in an entirely new category since the Apple Watch, and it does feel like the future— just book the demo at your local Apple Store and spend a few minutes with eye and hand tracking and you’ll see what I mean. But after two weeks with it, I also find it to be as intuitive, if not more so, than the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. 

After all, VisionOS uses familiar components from other Apple-made OS’s (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS). The big difference, though, is that the Vision Pro is a wearable computer designed to strap to your face.

As exciting as the Vision Pro is, it’s also not a product everyone can just walk in and immediately grab it off the shelf: Not only is it $3,500, but accessories like $149 prescription eye inserts and a $199 travel case could hike up your spend even further.

Let’s unpack all that and more as we dive into Vision Pro.

Apple Vision Pro specifications

Related: Mindfulness on the Apple Vision Pro is a calming, impressive highlight — here’s why

A big box

Opening the Vision Pro feels like an event. It comes in what I can best describe as an oversized shoebox that you’ll remove two pull tabs from and lift the top off. There, you’re greeted with the Vision Pro headset with the “Solo Knit Band” pre-installed and a protective fabric cover over the front. Underneath that, you’ll find the battery pack with a charging cable attached, the Dual Loop Band, an extra light seal, a user guide, an exclusive polishing cloth, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a 30-watt charger.

If you wear glasses like me, you’ll need to order the Zeiss Prescription Lenses for Vision Pro, which come in a separate, simple box. You’ll get the left and right lenses, a pairing code, and instructions. They’re well made and magnetically attach to the inside of Vision Pro super easily.

@jakekrol

It’s #AppleVisionPro time. Let’s unbox it and step into the era of spatialcomputing! AMA, ill be testing and reviewing it! #visionpro #apple #unbox #vr #ar #spatialcomputer #applevisionproheadset #appleheadset #goggles

♬ dance the night away sped – 💗 S O U N D S 🐆

An ultra-premium design

Fitting the $3,500 starting price, it’s made from a mostly aluminum body with magnesium underneath, carbon fiber, an all-glass front, and woven fabric.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Undoubtedly, the Vision Pro looks like a pair of ski goggles, albeit a highly futuristic premium pair. Fitting the $3,500 starting price, it’s made from a mostly aluminum body with magnesium underneath, carbon fiber, an all-glass front, and woven fabric. Like Apple Park, it’s curved glass on the front and hides a tremendous amount of technology underneath.

The Vision Pro is also front-heavy at over a pound; you’ll strap that part to your face, resting above your cheekbones, with either the Solo Knit Band or Dual Loop Band around the back of your head, adjusting the fit to ensure it stays on. Over the course of two weeks, I’ve found myself most comfortable for extended use in the Dual Loop Band. The extra top strap lets you relieve some of the weight—Vision Pro comes in at most at 1.4 pounds, depending on Light Seal and lenses. However, the Solo Knit Band is well-designed and works for shorter use times. It ultimately comes down to personal comfort, I’d say. Luckily, they are easy to attach and, like most other things, held together with magnets.

You’re also not pressing hard metal against your face, but a light seal is attached, and you’ll get two in the box. When ordering, you’ll do a Face ID scan, turning your head up and down and left to right to find the right fit. I’d suggest going to an Apple Store for a fitting to confirm this, as the light seal is particularly important with this product. You get a thinner Light Seal in the box, which is standard, and a thicker one if you’re using lenses, as they require a bit more separation from the displays.

There are two main buttons on the Vision Pro itself—an oversized Digital Crown and the aptly named Top Button.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

There are two main buttons on the Vision Pro itself—an oversized Digital Crown, much like what’s on AirPods Max, lives on the top right. You’ll use this to to pull up the Home Screen or turn it to adjust myriad options like volume or how much of an environment you’re in. On the left side, you’ll find a rectangular button that’s simply named the “top button.” Both will come in handy, but the main inputs are your eyes and hand tracking, with the all-important double tap gesture.

A ton of technology is hiding under the front, starting with two cameras that provide your pass-through view of wherever you are. Those are accompanied by two side cameras, two downward-facing cameras, a TrueDepth camera, a LiDAR Scanner, and two IR Illuminators. This works with the chips inside, VisionOS itself, and your inputs to pull the experience off.

Inside, looking at your eyes, you will see a tracking system consisting of LEDs and fast infrared cameras. Since your eyes are the cursor, they track gaze and every other aspect. This way, the app will open when you look at Photos and tap your thumb and index finger. The Apple-made Micro OLED display boasts 23 million pixels and equates to an individual 4K display for each eye. Watching content is a joy and can rival an ultra-expensive mini LED or OLED TV. I’ll have a lot more to say on that below.

Powering all of Vision Pro is Apple’s M2 Chip, which might sound familiar as it also powers the MacBook Air and iPad Pro. It features an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, which keeps VisionOS running smoothly minus a few bugs. It’s still version 1.0 software; apps sometimes crash, or a window might get stuck. Pro tip: you can long hold the top button and Digital Crown to pull up the force quit menu.

The battery connects to the Vision Pro with a special connector.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

M2 is paired with an R1 chip designed by Apple, which manages all the cameras and sensors. Remember, it’s five sensors and 12 cameras plus six microphones and displays. Lastly, two fans are part of the Vision Pro thermal system; you won’t hear them go off, but the unit can get hot under pressure. You will also notice two vents on the top and a grill at the bottom.

Lastly, there is the battery pack, and it was a design decision on Apple’s part not to build it into the headset. I don’t believe it to be bad, as you get a lengthy attached cord connecting the clearly Apple-designed aluminum battery pack. It’s about the size of an iPhone 15 and can easily be stored in a pants pocket or kangaroo pouch on a hoodie. Depending on use, you also get about two to three hours of runtime, but you can plug it in via USB-C for unlimited use.

Setup is intuitive

While at first it was a bit of trial and error for the first few days, after two weeks of use, I’m much more comfortable putting on the Vision Pro quickly getting the right fit with no light leaking in. You can rotate the dial on the Solo Knit or adjust the top and back bands for the Dual Loop Band, and you’re good to go. 

On the first start, you’ll be greeted with a floating “Hello” and invited to press the Digital Crown to get started. Behind the scenes, Vision Pro measures your PD (pulmonary distance) and moves the displays to match. From there, you’ll quickly move through hand and eye tracking setup. Essentially, you’ll hold your hands up in full view as the Vision Pro scans them, and then you look at various colorful dots in either normal or bright light to set up eye tracking. You look at the dot each time and perform the double-tap gesture. It’s an easy onboarding meant to ease you into the Vision Pro experience while also upping your comfort with using the OS.

A look at Persona settings on the Apple Vision Pro.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Considering the Vision Pro lives in Apple’s ecosystem, you can hold up your iPhone to speed through the rest of the setup and link your iCloud account. You’ll also go through setting up your Persona here, which is a digital recreation of you for FaceTime.

To set it up, you’ll take Vision Pro off and hold it with both hands facing you. It will use the forward-facing cameras to scan you in and get a good look at your face. Siri guides you through it, and you can see a selfie view of yourself on the Eyesight screen. You’ll look to the left, right, up, and down, make two smiles, raise your eyebrows, and close your eyes. Then, and only then, you’ll put Vision Pro back on and see a version of yourself. I look familiar to a degree, but getting used to it simply takes some time. My friends and family have described it as creepy, weird, strange, and even AI Jake.

After the initial scan, you can adjust the lighting and brightness and add a pair of glasses. You can see how I look in the photos above and below. But Persona was a needed end to a means to a degree; after all, you have Vision Pro on your face, so it can’t capture a live view when it’s on.

@jakekrol

What do you think of #Personas on #AppleVisionPro and would you #FaceTime like this? #visionpro #apple #applevisionpro2023 #persona #avatar #digital #people #calling #headset #vr #ar #spatialcomputing #CapCut

♬ ultimate vibes – morgan hardy

Add to that the fact it’s designed to be worn around others. So when you’re near other folks or communicating with them, your eyes appear on the front screen. It does indeed work, but like the Persona, it takes some time to get used to and can be creepy at first. I’d also like to see the hardware for EyeSight and the front screen improve in future generations. As mentioned, the display can be dim, and the front glass is quite glossy.

It can take some folks by surprise, to say the least, but Apple does note it’s in beta, so it should get better over time with updates—hopefully some that make the Persona a bit more lifelike.

Hello, VisionOS

Using the Vision Pro is as simple as looking and tapping your finger and thumb together.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

After setup, you’re in the VisionOS home screen, which should feel immediately familiar if you’re coming from an iPhone or iPad. It’s three rows of apps, and the big hitters made by Apple are all here: TV, Music, Mindfulness, Settings, Freeform, Safari, Photos, Notes, App Store, Mail, Messages, Keynote, and Compatible Apps.

You’ll notice a floating navigator bar on the left side — Apps, People, and Environments. Apps lets you access content, People allows you to easily message or FaceTime folks, and Environments lets you be transported elsewhere.

The backdrop for all this isn’t wallpaper either; it’s whatever space you’re in, or it should look pretty clear as the pass-through here is strong. It can sometimes be fuzzy in lower lighting, but it’s leagues better than what I’ve used on competing headsets. There is clarity, and you’ll feel comfortable navigating your space.

The Home Screen on Apple Vision Pro.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Part of what makes the Vision Pro successful on day one is the integration with Apple’s ecosystem. In my previous hands-on, I’ve commented on Spatial Video playback here, which you can shoot on the device and on an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max, but then you can go look at it in your photo library, add it to your bookmarks, or send it via mail or Messages. It makes everything feel familiar and is a grounding experience.

Some familiar versions of controls are here also. To click, you’ll use the “Double-Tap Gesture,” which is a glance along with a tap of your finger and thumb (also featured on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2). You can use that to select any app, button, or piece of the interface. You’ll also pinch with those two fingers to scroll up or down, left to right, and swipe between pages on the Home Screen or a document. You can make the same gesture with your left and right hands while pulling in or out to zoom in and out. It might seem funny to read, but it’s easy to get the hang of in practice—so much so that as I’ve been testing the Vision Pro around my family, my two-year-old niece quickly picked up on the gesture and mimicked it.

Two applications open on Apple Vision Pro.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

When you open any application, it will appear as a window floating in your space. You can move it around and have it stick in that chosen position. To do so, you’ll glance down to the centered rectangular white bar, pinch with your finger and thumb, and move the window to wherever you’d like it to live. You can also glance to the left or right corner of the window to resize it. So, a FaceTime could take up a whole part of your wall, or you can stretch a Safari window to well over 100 inches. Or be like me and write your Vision Pro review on a giant Word document.

You can also look up at any point, glance at the downward-facing arrow, and double-tap to open quick settings. Here, you’ll see the time and date up top and if cameras or microphones are being used. You’ll also see four icons: the Home Screen, Environments, Control Center, and Notifications. All should feel familiar, just placed on a new canvas.

I’ve started working a lot in Vision Pro from my kitchen center island. I’ll start by opening Slack, placing it to my left and resizing it, then opening up Safari, Mail, and Messages. I can join my daily stand-up via Google Meet—that app is not supported natively here, so on the web, it is—and even start writing a story in Notes or Microsoft Word, as much of the 365 suite is supported here.

Safari open to TheStreet homepage on Apple Vision Pro.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Then, and this is an epic feature, I can have the best external display for my MacBook ever. I glance up at the top, open Control Center, and select Mac Virtual Display. From there, it connects in a few seconds, my MacBook screen goes black, and a new rectangular window of my Mac appears in front of me. I can control it through the built-in keyboard and trackpad or with a Bluetooth peripheral like Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. And, like Universal Control, I can move those peripherals with other apps. Sometimes, it might be Mail or Photos for VisionOS, but then jumping to my Mac or even Slack for iPadOS running on the Vision Pro. That’s a stellar feat of technology.

Using Environments

A look at all the pre-installed Environments you can use on Apple Vision Pro.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

For the environments, I open the Home Screen by clicking the Digital Crown and selecting environments on the side. You’ll see a range of options, including Joshua Tree, the Moon, Yosemite, White Sands, Mount Hood, Haleaklā, and various color filters, with several others marked as coming soon. Let’s say I jump to Joshua Tree; I can use the Digital Crown to adjust the level of immersion to ease myself in or go full throttle. Complete with the environment all around me and with matching audio—in this case, wind whistling with some animal sounds here and there. There, I can get in my zone.

And that speaks to a key use case: when you engage in an environment, the Vision Pro can transport you somewhere else to focus or experience it. These environments are a compelling experience and one that I want more of.

Working on what feels like an endless Mac display with countless other apps running and music playing while sitting in Yosemite is something I keep coming back to and one thing that the Vision Pro excels in. You wouldn’t know it in use, but it can handle running many different apps like an easy lift; once again, Apple hardware and software work seamlessly.

Vision Pro for play

Disney+ with the Avengers Tower Environment on Apple Vision Pro.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

For play and entertainment such as watching a film or TV show, Vision Pro is unlike any other device. It’s far more convincing than Meta Quest 3, thanks to the sheer technology being used here, but it’s also implemented so well that it doesn’t need to be a 3D-optimized visual for it to succeed.

Take this: I’m a big Larry David fan, so I hopped on a FaceTime with my friend Benjie in Vision Pro; my Persona greeted him, and we did our preamble before diving into “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” I opened the Max app, engaged the Iron Throne environment, and was presented with a massive, Dolby Cinema-sized display in the comfort of my living room. I saw Larry David larger than life, and it made the content super engaging. The audio was also especially crisp with either the onboard Spatial Audio capable speakers or AirPods Pro 2nd Gen. I’ll also note that voice isolation when on a FaceTime call is astounding—you’ll simply just hear your voice, even with music from several Sonos speakers playing in the background. It’s out of this world good for voice pickup.

The thrill of watching a film from Luke’s Landspeeder at night with the two moons is just marvelous.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Max, like Disney+, is optimized here, but the Walt Disney Company really outdid itself. You get four environments out of the box—the Disney+ theater, Monsters Inc. Scare Floor, Avengers Tower, and Tatooine—and I hope more are on the horizon. The thrill of watching a film from Luke’s Landspeeder at night with the two moons is just marvelous. It’s the same for watching from the scare floor with screams in the background or noticing Easter eggs at the top of the Avengers Tower. Disney also did the legwork of creating a 3D-optimized catalog of classics like “Frozen II” and “Encanto,” which offers some subtle effects; the same goes for Star Wars and Marvel titles.

A look at the Tatooine environment in Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Even with non-optimized content from, say, Apple TV, you can get immersed by the sheer size of the screen and choose to watch it from various locations like White Sands or even a theater where you can pick the front of the house or rear of the balcony. It’s compelling and rivals a multi-thousand TV or projector setup with a Dolby Atmos sound system. I even watched part of the Super Bowl, including Usher’s halftime show, via the Paramount+ iPad app on Vision Pro. It performed well and gave me a screen larger than 100 inches to watch the game, making my 75-inch TV seem smaller and less immersive.

There is also a growing library of games, from more basic ones ported over to ones that take advantage of the Vision Pro capabilities. Things like Lego’s “Builder Journeys” have you spinning a map and pinching to carefully move individual Lego pieces to the charming “Loóna,” which offers 3D puzzles. For finite control, you can also connect a controller like a PS5 DualSense or Xbox Wireless Controller. You can even stand up to game to get the body moving into the “Beat Saber”-like “Synth Riders” or a reimagined version of “Fruit Ninja.” I plan to break out gaming in more detail soon, so stay tuned for a deeper dive into that.

You also have the entertainment of your photo and video library, allowing you to relive memories, and it is still as captivating as my earlier demo experiences. When done right, the Spatial Video effect can evoke emotions and transport you back to that moment. But I also found myself looking back at photos from family gatherings with folks who have passed on, and the effect was emotional for me. It speaks to why the integration with the rest of Apple’s services is so key here—your library of content is simply readily available.

The other type of content is Apple Immersive Video, which is specially shot and places you in the middle of the action. I watched someone walk a tightrope with no wires high across a mountaintop, visit animals in their natural habitat, and even saw a rehearsal with Alicia Keys up close. I can only hope we’re getting something similar with Bruce Springsteen. It proves that content shot in this way ups the immersion, and as more people opt for Vision Pro—likely a future version—Apple will hopefully have a larger catalog to pick from.

The App Store

Apple Arcade within the App Store on Apple Vision Pro.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Rather than living on a screen, the App Store, like any other application on Vision Pro, is living in your space. While writing this part of the review, it’s floating above my coffee table or in the darkness of space above the moon’s surface. It is home to around 600 apps designed for Vision Pro or updated to take advantage of the interface as of the time this review is publishing. Millions of other iPhone and iPad apps run here on Vision OS.

Like on an iPad or Mac, you’ll see featured apps and collections, many of which are highlighted for Apple’s latest devices. The sidebar has a dedicated section for Apple Arcade. You also can search, and results are broken up by Vision Pro apps or iPhone & iPad apps.

The battery

The battery pack for the Apple Vision Pro is super well-made and about the size of an iPhone 15.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Whether you want to watch a full-length film, work a full day, or even just for a bit, it’s best to consider the Vision Pro as needing to be plugged in. Yes, the battery is external, but it’s only rated for two to two and a half hours of use, although you could plug that battery into another external battery for a longer runtime while out and about.

To recharge the battery pack, you’ll use a USB-C cable and charger.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

At $199 each, I wouldn’t recommend running out and buying multiple batteries for your minimum $3,500 Vision Pro—it’s just not needed, and money can be spent better elsewhere. If you notice it starting to get low, and you will get a 20% warning, you can plug it in via USB-C. And when the battery is plugged in, you get unlimited hours of use. Well, if you want to be in the headset.

It is clear that Apple needs to extend the battery life at some point in the future—it could be generation two, three, maybe even four. But if the eventual goal is for Vision Pro to be more conducive for all-day wear, it needs to ditch some pounds and be able to do what it does for longer, without needing to be plugged in.

Siri is a star on Vision Pro

While Apple has yet to show all its cards in the generative AI and AI race, the technology giant’s voice assistant is in great shape on Vision Pro. Beyond just looking and double-tapping to open apps or issue commands, you can call on Siri to open an app, bring all your windows to the front, close all your windows, control your smart home gadgets, send a message, and even make a FaceTime call.

More so than other Apple devices of recent memory, maybe even more than the HomePod or HomePod Mini, I’ve found myself using Siri quite a bit on the Vision Pro. And she hasn’t been delivering errors or the wrong function here. It’s also a great trick for easily responding to messages, especially if you haven’t gotten the hang of the built-in keyboard.

Related: iPhone owners just got access to a life-changing feature

With it, you’ll see the familiar QWERTY keys pop up. From there, you can either glance at each key and tap your thumb and index finger for a key press or physically reach out and hit each key. Both are neat, and you’ll feel like Tony Stark, but it takes a lot of practice to become proficient. I don’t think I’d be comfortable writing an entire story or a lengthy email with it, but you could dictate with Siri and then line edit to fix any mistakes.

I’ve been using a connected Magic Keyboard for writing stories, and it works, which I think is the best implementation. It adds to the cost, though, and is something to consider.

Bottom line

The magic and amazement of using Vision Pro hasn’t yet worn off for me after two weeks of using it.

Jacob Krol/TheStreet

Make no doubt about it: spatial computing, as Apple calls it, is here to stay. The experience of using the Vision Pro, even in generation one with a heavier build, two-hour battery life when on the go, and software blips that can result in frustrating moments, still feels like the future today.

Now, at $3,500, it’s clear that Generation One is very cost-prohibitive to potential Apple fans, early adopters, and folks with the cash to spend. I don’t think it’ll disappoint, and I still want to work in Vision Pro in tandem with the Mac, experience the new apps as they come out, and watch boatloads of content in a private theater with what feels like an iMAX screen. Still, you need to know about some of the compromises with first-generation production.

All that said, the magic and amazement of using Vision Pro hasn’t yet worn off for me after two weeks of using it. I’m curious how this will change how we work and interact, and it’s clear that Apple and developers have more to say in this category.

Apple’s made something unique and special with Vision Pro—it’s unlike the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac but feels inherently familiar with the interface. It’s leagues better than other headsets I’ve tried, and Apple succeeded with a lot of what they were promising, but, most importantly, if this is the future of computing, they’ve convinced me to wear a computer on my face.

At a minimum, I’d encourage you to head to an Apple Store and demo Vision Pro; you’ll at least get a taste of the future.

Apple Vision Pro pros and cons