Exploring Hidden Gems: The Most Astonishing Aspects of Apple Vision Pro Uncovered

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The Vision Pro is here, and reviewers are for the most part impressed by Apple’s first-generation mixed-reality headset. There was a lot of discussion about what to expect before launch, but a few surprises have caught reviewers off guard.

The Batteries Are Hefty and Can’t Be Hot-Swapped

The Vision Pro uses a removable battery that weighs 12.45oz (353g), a decision that moves the weight from your head to your pocket or waistband. The battery has a capacity of 3166mAh, which Apple says is good enough for around two hours of general use (or two-and-a-half hours of movie watching). Some reviewers, like Brian Tong , managed to get an extra 30 minutes out of their units.

Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that the battery is so heavy and large compared to its overall capacity. The iPhone 15 has a 3349mAh battery and the entire device weighs just 6.03oz (171g). Nilay Patel of The Verge noted that the battery is “barely worth talking about” but that the battery itself is “very Apple” in terms of its limited capacity.

If you do spring for a $199 spare battery, be aware that you can’t hot-swap cells. That means when you disconnect one battery, the Vision Pro will shut down. It takes around 45 seconds for the unit to be usable again from a dead stop. You can charge the battery with the included 30w charger while you use the headset, though, effectively shackling yourself to a power outlet.

Interestingly, the Vision Pro battery pack appears to hide a jumbo-sized Lightning cable which can be removed using an iPhone SIM removal tool.

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Personas Are Technically Impressive but Strange to Look At

Personas are 3D representations of Vision Pro users, for use in FaceTime conversations. You can make a persona by scanning your face using the sensors on the front of the headset. From here, your persona is used when you’re on a FaceTime call, mimicking your expressions, movements, and even hand placement.

The feature has been launched in beta as it’s still not quite finished. One of the more impressive aspects of these personas is the way that the Vision Pro can pick up on micro-expressions, mouth movements, and other parts of your face that seemingly wouldn’t be well covered by the sensors.

There’s a fair amount of uncanny valley going on here, though. Personas resemble the wearer, but they don’t look exactly human. Hair doesn’t move and in some cases looks more like a hat. The same is true of any jewelry or clothing you were wearing when you did the scan. The feature is both technically impressive and slightly unsettling.

Your Eyes Aren’t Very Visible on the Front Display

Something that’s appeared heavily in pre-release materials is the fact that the Vision Pro has a screen on the front of the unit. Known as EyeSight, this is meant to give other people the impression that they can see your eyes. Cameras inside the unit watch your eyes and expressions and relay this to a display on the front that appears beneath a lenticular film, designed to give the illusion of depth.

Reviewers like Marques Brownlee noted that your eyes aren’t that visible, though, and the feature can lead to some strange problems like your eyes appearing too far apart or in the wrong position. Other commentators have speculated that this is a first-generation feature and that it might be dropped in subsequent revisions.

Some Big Apps Are Missing

Likely a blip on the radar in the long term, anyone hoping to get immersed in YouTube or Netflix streams might be disappointed in their Vision Pro at launch. These are by far the two most prominent apps that have yet to materialize, which seems odd on a device that heavily emphasizes its video capabilities.

The best and biggest TV you own is strapped to your face, but you’ll have to use a Safari window to access two of the most prominent streaming services on the web. You can’t add these to your home screen as web apps either (like you can on iPhone or iPad).

Interestingly, much like iOS and iPadOS apps on the Mac, developers have to opt out of having their iPhone and iPad apps appear on the Vision Pro . This means that the decision to withhold these apps was a very deliberate one by the developers. This limits your offline viewing capabilities and forces you to interact with the website instead.

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It May Take a While to Find That “Killer” App

There are purpose-built Vision Pro apps available right now, including 3D experiences from Disney, immersive star maps, and virtual DJ booths. Apple has adapted a great deal of its own software to work on the Vision Pro, and there are millions of iPhone and iPad apps that work out of the box. But there’s no single app right now that reviewers are pointing to as the reason to use a Vision Pro.

Marques Brownlee put forward the argument that Apple’s ecosystem might be the most compelling thing right now. Your photos, your notes, even your browsing sessions all come across when you set up your Vision Pro. It’s all there, waiting for you.

YouTube reviewer Brian Tong showed off the NBA app, which seems to be the killer app for basketball fans. The app shows live and archived streams, match and player statistics, and a multi-view feature that lets you watch more than one game at once and switch out what you see on the big screen. The logical conclusion to this is arguably a virtual court-side immersive view that works as a Vision Pro environment.

But this depends on what you’re into, what you’re hoping to use the Vision Pro for, and where the value proposition is for you.

You Only Get One Virtual Mac Screen

For some, the promise of using the Vision Pro as a Mac display is huge. This works, and it works well on a giant crisp 4K display that you can scale and reposition wherever you want. Unfortunately, you can only use a single display in this iteration, which dashes any hopes you may have of a virtual multi-monitor setup.

You can still open other windows in visionOS alongside your virtual Mac display. And you can smoothly move your cursor between them and the Mac screen, but everything they’ll be limited to visionOS apps, like Safari windows and the Notes app.

Arranging Windows in Space Rules

One big takeaway from Marques Brownlee’s review was that the spatial aspect of the Vision Pro works very well. If you’ve tried augmented reality on an iPhone you’re probably used to objects feeling “floaty,” not quite sitting still on the surface they appear on, or glitching out.

The Vision Pro seems to have enough sensors and cameras pointing in every direction that this is no longer a problem. Windows genuinely seem to “lock” in place, and this is visible from much of the review footage we’ve seen. Multiple reviewers noted that this is the best video passthrough and most convincing mixed reality implementation they’ve ever seen and, considering the price, that’s a relief.

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Spatial Audio Is Convincing (But Not Private)

There are two downward-firing speakers on the edge of the Vision Pro, and these deliver a spatial audio experience that has been heavily praised. It works well, but it’s possible for others in the room to hear what you’re doing.

This means that if you want to watch a movie on a flight and not draw attention to yourself, or you want to avoid distracting team members while you work listening to music, you’re going to need to put in some headphones. Fortunately, you can use any Bluetooth headphones with the Vision Pro, as long as you can get them to comfortably fit.

Siri Is a Big Part of the Experience

The Vision Pro is an Apple product, so of course Siri was going to make an appearance. Perhaps what’s most surprising is how much you’ll end up leaning on Siri, as Brian Tong noted in his review. You can access the majority of functions using Siri, including launching and closing apps, switching to different immersive environments, and dictating text.

Text input is an interesting one. There are several ways to input text using the Vision Pro, and Siri is perhaps the easiest of the bunch. The built-in on-screen keyboard has been criticized for its poor typing speed and like any non-tactile typing surface the experience is far from satisfying.

You can use a real keyboard with the Vision Pro, just as you can use Apple’s trackpad, but you’re not always going to have these to hand. Ergo, you’re going to be dictating messages, launching software, and even dictating web searches and URLs out loud while you use the device for best results.

You Can’t Rearrange Your Home Screen (Yet)

visionOS is based on iPadOS, which gave Apple a big head start in terms of ecosystem and basic functionality. But customization isn’t quite there yet, and nowhere is this more evident than on the Home screen. Reorganizing your apps is currently not supported, which means you can’t put things into folders either.

Instead, you’ll get a screen of Apple apps with a folder for “Compatible Apps” designed for iPhone and iPad. After this, you’ll see a long list of third-party apps arranged in alphabetical order. This probably wasn’t a high priority for Apple, or maybe Apple’s just not sure how to implement this feature just yet.

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For now, you’ll have to stick with Siri if you want to get things done quickly, or simply pinch and drag to get where you want.

You Might Prefer To Do Things Without the Vision Pro

The Vision Pro is a VR headset, even though Apple doesn’t use those terms. Reviewers noted that even though you see the world around you while you’re wearing the Vision Pro, this is relayed through cameras. This is the best Apple (or any company) can do right now with the current technology, and there are some downsides to contend with.

Weight and comfort are big deciders, and your personal tolerance will dictate how you feel about that.

Brian Tong noted that he only really wants to use the headset for an hour before taking a break. Nilay Patel pondered whether you’re happy to wear a headset that messes up your hair every time you take it on or off. Marques Brownlee noted that the Dual Loop Band (which comes in the box) provides a more comfortable experience, but it arguably looks worse and interferes with the top of your head.

And then there’s the slightly more existential stuff. In particular, Nilay Patel’s wrap-up talked a lot about being “out there” (in the “real” world) and “in here” (wearing the Vision Pro) and emphasized that the experience can be lonely and isolating. The EyeSight feature performs poorly and there’s a real disconnect between you and those around you while wearing the headset.

Despite the best-in-class passthrough and Apple’s attempts to bridge the gap between the wearer and everyone else, you might prefer to do many tasks outside of visionOS. It’s harder to share ideas on a screen while wearing visionOS, you can’t beat a FaceTime call where the other person can see your real face, and you can’t enjoy movies with anyone but yourself.

The Apple Vision Pro starts at $3,499, but that price tag might not be as shocking as it first sounds . You can book a demo for yourself at an Apple retail location, and we’d strongly encourage trying before you buy. Before you book that demo ask yourself some of the harder questions like “Do I really need this, and what am I going to use it for?”

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Exploring Hidden Gems: The Most Astonishing Aspects of Apple Vision Pro Uncovered