Are you trying to decide between Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro? It’s hard to say which one will be the market leader. Both have great specs, but they are made for different kinds of people.

At WWDC, Apple showed off its much-anticipated mixed reality Vision Pro gear. Even though Mark Zuckerberg of Meta tried to steal the show with his reveal, Apple’s Vision Pro made waves in the business world.

Meta’s Oculus Quest 3 is a mass-market product, while Apple’s first try at mixed reality, ARKit, is a very high-end device. The Vision Pro’s spatial computing lets you connect with the real world by using mixed reality. This could change how we use computers in our everyday lives.

On the other hand, Quest 3 uses a tried-and-true method for keeping prices low. It costs $499, which is a lot less than the Vision Pro, and is good for both experienced VR fans and people who have never used VR before. So, deciding between the Apple Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 depends on what you want from a virtual reality gear. This review of the two VR headsets can help you decide which one to buy next.

Specification

Specification	Apple Vision Pro	Meta Quest 3
SoC	Apple M2 chip, R1 Apple Silicon chip	Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
Resolution (Per-eye)	2160 x 3840	2064 × 2208
Display type	micro-OLED	LCD
Lenses	Pancake	Pancake
Features	Ambient Spatial Audio, EyeSight, Mixed reality, Hand tracking, Gesture control	Hand tracking, PC compatibility, voice commands, wireless, Mixed reality
Price	$3,499	$500

Price

• Apple Vision Pro cost: $3499
• Meta Quest 3 cost: $499.00

The Meta Quest 3 costs only $499, which is a lot less than the Apple Vision Pro. We don’t know how much the different versions of Quest 3 will cost, but even the most expensive one won’t be able to beat the $3499 price of Apple’s Vision Pro.

Design

A picture of the lenses of both the Apple Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 headsets

Meta Quest 3’s style seems to be an improvement on what came before it. You have a headset that you can put on your head. It has many devices, including cameras on the outside and a depth sensor on the front. Even though the company says the Quest 3 is much thinner than the Quest 2, it is still a big piece of plastic. It can pass through full color, which means it can do mixed reality.

It comes with a couple of controls that work with Bluetooth and can also be controlled with your fingers and hands.

On the other hand, the Apple Vision Pro looks like a high-end pair of ski goggles. It looks like other Apple goods, is made of aluminum, and has a 3D display in front that can show the user’s eyes. This makes the headset look like it is see-through. This is a one-of-a-kind feature that not only makes the gear more expensive but also makes the VR experience more real.

The Apple Vision Pro is different from most other headsets in that you don’t need extra controls to use it. Instead, you use your fingers and hand movements to move through menus, pinch and zoom pictures, and do other things. For work, the headset does work with a magic keyboard and a magic mouse.

The way the two headsets are made is another important difference between them. The Apple Vision Pro has an external battery the size of a smartphone that is connected to the headset. Even though the headset has a long enough wire to keep the battery pack in your pocket, the battery stays out when you use it.

The Quest 3 headset, on the other hand, has a battery built right into it, making it truly portable. You can probably guess that we like this design. But right now, we don’t know anything about how long either headset’s battery will last.

Games and Apps

In terms of the software, apps, and games that can be used, it will be another round of Android vs. iOS. The Quest 3 will be driven by a custom Android-based OS, and thanks to its predecessors, Meta already has a large library of apps and games for the new headset.

On the other hand, the Apple Vision Pro is run by visionOS, which is based on the iOS core. This operating system will get a collection of apps like the ones on the iPad and iPhone. Since it was made with iOS frameworks, though, you can expect a lot of apps by the time it goes on sale. Also, many brands are likely to make apps that work well with VR to support Vision Pro.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Apple Vision Pro: Which one should you buy?

Which one you choose will depend on what you want to do with it. The Quest 3 is a more consumer-focused headset that has a low price and is made for relaxed use, like playing games and watching movies. It will be made of plastic and won’t be able to compare to the Vision Pro’s better design and looks.

Also, it is a stand-alone device that is not limited by software or hardware. Meta doesn’t make any other computers or entertainment devices, so when it’s available, you can choose the Meta Oculus Quest 3 and enjoy its material.

Apple’s first step into virtual reality is the Vision Pro. It can be thought of as an experimental gadget that is used by customers. At $3,499, it’s more expensive than any other VR headset, and if stories from before its release are true, even Apple is already working on the second-generation device and isn’t counting on Vision Pro’s sales numbers.

So, Quest 3 should be your first choice if you want to buy a VR headset this Christmas season. Even if you want to buy an Apple VR headset, we think you should wait until the second-generation headset comes out. The second-gen headset is supposed to be much better and cheaper.