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Apple Vision Pro Reviews and Unboxing Videos Shared Ahead of Launch

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The first reviews and unboxing videos for the Apple Vision Pro were shared today ahead of the mixed reality headset's launch in the U.S. on Friday.

Apple-Vision-Pro-at-Steve-Jobs-Theater.jpeg

We have rounded up some of the videos below from well-known YouTube creators and reporters, including Marques Brownlee, Joanna Stern, and others.

Videos









Reviews

The Verge's Nilay Patel:
There are a lot of ideas in the Vision Pro, and they're all executed with the kind of thoughtful intention that few other companies can ever deliver at all, let alone on 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't ever be executed well enough to become mainstream. This is the best video passthrough headset ever made, and that might mean camera-based mixed reality passthrough could just be a road to nowhere. This is the best hand- and eye-tracking ever, and it feels like the mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen are going to remain undefeated for years to come. There is so much technology in this thing that feels like magic when it works and frustrates you completely when it doesn't.
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The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern:
Apple's headset has all the characteristics of a first-generation product: It's big and heavy, it's battery life sucks, there are few great apps and it can be buggy. And come on, have you seen what this thing thinks I look like?

Yet so much of what the Vision Pro can do feels sci-fi. I'm flicking apps all over my home office. I've got multiple virtual timers hovering over my stove. I'm watching holograms of my kid petting a llama. It's the best mixed-reality headset I've ever tried, way more advanced than its only real competition, the far cheaper Meta Quest Pro and Quest 3.

These companies know these aren't really the devices we want. They're all working toward building virtual experiences into something that looks more like a pair of regular eyeglasses. Until then, they're just messing with our heads.
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CNET's Scott Stein:
The very first thing I noticed about the Vision Pro in my first demo was how good the displays were. The 4K-resolution-per-eye, micro-OLED display tech Apple uses is basically the "retina" moment for VR and AR. It's vivid, richly colored, HDR and just stunning. Not only is it good enough for movies -- something Apple is touting constantly -- but it's better than any TV in my house.
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Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonaeur:
As for endurance, the Vision Pro's battery is rated for 2 hours of general use and 2.5 hours of video playback. In my testing of on and off use over 2 hours, the Vision Pro was down to about 60% and then down to 40% after another couple hours.

If you want to use the Vision Pro continuously, you can always just plug in the battery using the included USB-C power adapter. Competing mixed reality headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro have batteries built into the headset, which is more convenient, but they're also less powerful.
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What's in the Box

Alongside the Vision Pro, the following accessories are included in the box:
  • Light Seal
  • Light Seal Cushion (Two Sizes)
  • Solo Knit Band
  • Dual Loop Band
  • Front Cover
  • Battery Pack
  • Vision Pro Polishing Cloth
  • 30W USB-C Power Adapter
  • USB‑C Charging Cable
Apple also released an optional Vision Pro travel case for $199. It features compartments for the external battery pack, ZEISS optical inserts, fabric front cover, and additional accessories. Apple says the case has a fabric exterior with a polycarbonate protective layer, a soft microfiber inner lining, and a retractable handle.

Brian-Tong-Apple-Vision-Pro-Box-and-Travel-Case.jpeg

Apple said the Vision Pro will launch in additional countries later this year.

Article Link: Apple Vision Pro Reviews and Unboxing Videos Shared Ahead of Launch
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/review/apple-vision-pro/
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Solid reviews for first generation! V2 is going to be even more sickening. I can’t wait to see what Apple does with it next. I ended up purchasing another Vision Pro for my spouse to have one as well. We’re both in complete awe. We will likely give our Quest 3s away.
 
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abatabia said:
Haha. “Reviews.” Can you actually call them reviews?
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You can blame Apple. Apple used to have a press office that made review materials available to a much wider array of journalists and personalities. That shifted in the last few years to seeking "relationships" with only key influencers as a way to essentially manage the reviews they get, like a politician who chooses to only talk to certain friendly reporters. There are exceptions—MKBHD has a large enough audience that he can balance fair criticisms against the control-freak tendencies of a company like Apple. But anyone else knows to either toe the line and embrace the relationship by speaking only to the faithful (iJustine in particular has given some really illluminating interviews about the "role" she plays to satisfy an Apple user audience that "struggles to see criticism as anything but an attack"), or buy the product themselves on the open market, speak more freely (and run the risk of having press credentials conveniently not offered to the next keynote speak), but give up the chance to have a video ready prior to release.

Apple is obsessive about not liking reviews without guardrails, and they were doubly so with AVP reviews. Makes me wonder what their own confidence is in the product.
 
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Reactions: G5isAlive, uczcret, gusmula and 18 others
Just seen Brian Tongs unboxing. It tells me the device is fiddly to set up, too many parts to click into place / adjust and just not elegant. This clearly is not the form factor Apple wanted to introduce to the world, but they had no choice but to hurry this product’s release.
 
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