As expected, the Apple Vision Pro will have an external battery unit that’ll power the headset, but it’ll only last for a couple of hours.
While the device, announced at WWDC 2023 today, will be available for all-day use when tethered to the mains, it’s a different story when running on mobile power.
Apple’s AirPods are available with a rare 22% discount
The celebrity of the wireless earbud world, the second-generation AirPods can be bought on Amazon today for only £108.99.
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The battery pack, which will be attached to the headset by a cable plugged into a port behind the ear, looks to be around the size of a small rectangular remote control and will comfortably fit into the wearer’s pocket.
Two hours of battery life is in-line with devices like the Meta Quest 2, which has an integrated battery, and is probably in-line with how long users should wear the headset per session.
However, given Apple has gone for the external battery pack route, it is rather surprising the company hasn’t boosted the size of the cell.
It would enable wearers to perhaps finish the movie they’re enjoying, the document they’re finalising, or the gaming session they’re immersed in.
It also remains to be seen how the different use cases will affect that two-hour battery life and whether AR or VR modes, or experiences that are more demanding on the processors will mean you get shorter battery life. If so, how much shorter?
Perhaps Apple will offer different battery size options in the future too? There are a lot of questions and right now not that many answers.
The Vision Pro headset will launch in the United States in early 2024 and cost $3,499. Launches in other countries will take place later that year, perhaps opening the doors for Brits. The headset, which is designed for both VR and AR experiences, will run on the new Apple Silicon R1 chip and a new operating system called VisionOS.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
