While Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headset is without a doubt the best you can buy, with prices starting at a whopping $3,499 it’s anything but affordable. This has allowed companies such as Meta, owner and operator of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, to make a grab for the more budget end of the market. And this is what Meta is doing with the new Quest 3S, where prices start at $300.
Also: Meta Quest 3S unveiled at Connect 2024: Everything to know about the VR headset
Why can you buy almost a dozen Quest 3S headsets for the price of a single Vision Pro? It’s all down to the hardware specs.
Quest 3S tech specs
- Processor: Snapdragon XR2 Gen2
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Display resolution: 1,832 x 1,920, 20 pixels-per-degree
- Field of view: 96-degrees horizontal, 90-degrees vertical
- Lenses: Fresnel
- Thickness: 73.9mm
- Mixed reality sensors: 4MP RGB, 18ppd
- Weight: 514g
- Battery life: 2.5 hours
- Storage sizes: 128GB, 256GB
Apple’s Vision Pro is right at the bleeding edge, and as such it’s packed with eye-wateringly expensive components. A quick scan through an estimated bill of materials shows that the twin 3,660 by 3,200 pixel 1.41-inch micro-OLED displays costs Apple over $450, the processors add another $240, and there are even a $150 worth of cameras in the headset.
This all adds up, to the point that the components alone – excluding things like R&D and assembly — cost Apple over $1,500.
To get to that $300 price tag Meta will have had to strip the specs down dramatically. For example, there’s no room for the best displays, so instead the Quest 3S makes use of more modest 1,832 x 1,920 LCD displays. The processor is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen2 system-on-a-chip, a chip that’s been specifically designed for mixed-reality headsets, but being mass market will bring significant cost benefits.
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And turning to mainstream components that other companies such as Samsung, Microsoft and HTC Vive have access to also shaves a significant chunk off the cost of the device.
Rumor has it that Apple is also looking to cut costs and make a cheaper version of the Vision Pro, turning to lower-cost, lower resolution displays.
Comparing Apple to Meta is a bit of an apples and oranges situation though, as Apple is going after the cream of the market, with Meta looking to sweep up as much of the mainstream market as it can.
Meta Quest 3S is considerably cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro not just because of the hardware but also because due to differences in target audience and market positioning. The Quest 3S is designed to be an accessible VR headset for a broader audience, while the Vision Pro is a high-end premium device aimed at a niche market of early adopters, developers, and businesses.
