Meta Quest 3 vs Apple mixed reality headset: Price, specifications and more

Meta Quest 3 vs Apple mixed reality headset: On June 2, the Meta Quest 3 was unexpectedly unveiled and that too in an off-hand manner. Announcing the product, Meta said that the new headset will allow users to interact with both the virtual and real world simultaneously The timing and the AR + VR feature was interesting given it has been widely speculated that Apple is also expected to announce its own mixed-reality headset, Reality Pro, today, June 5 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2023. While nothing can be said for certain, their specifications are out in the public sphere. So, let us take a look at how these two headsets differ.

Meta Quest 3

Compared to the Apple Reality Pro, we know more about this headset since Meta has officially unveiled the product and has shared some details on what people can expect. The biggest part is its price tag. The Meta Quest 3 will start at $499, which is $100 more than the Meta Quest 2 and its price tag of $399. In fact, Quest 2 launched at the price of $299 but Meta has hiked the price since then.

Meta revealed that the headset will now be 40 percent slimmer. While the overall design is similar to its predecessor, it now features three vertical pill-shaped cutouts for cameras and sensors that allow it to have a mixed-reality feature.

The announcement of the Meta Quest 3 did not reveal details around the specifications, but it was said that the headset will feature “a next-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon chip”, but did not specify the name of the chip. Notably, Meta Quest 2 uses the Snapdragon XR2 chip, whereas Meta Quest Pro uses the Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 1 chip. Some rumors believe that the latter could be used for Meta Quest 3.

The chipset will be important since Meta has also revealed that the headset will feature twice the graphics performance by introducing a display with a resolution of 4128 x 2208 pixels (both eyes) or 2064 x 2208 pixels (per eye). It will also feature High-fidelity color Passthrough, which means you can see the real world in full color instead of monochrome like its predecessor.

Further, the base variant of the headset will get 128GB storage, and there will be “an additional storage option for those who want more space”. Finally, the company has also said that the Meta Quest 3’s Touch Plus controllers will be more ergonomic and get TruTouch haptics.

Apple Reality Pro

Most of what we know about the Apple mixed reality headset comes from various leaks and rumors since Apple has kept everything under wraps, which is expected to come off during tonight’s keynote session.

Coming to price, rumors say Apple has taken its headset to an entirely different level with a hefty price tag of $3000. That is four times the price of Meta Quest 3. But there is a reason to this madness. As per leaks, the device is being targeted at developers who will use it to build apps and tools in AR and VR to create Apple’s new ecosystem. And to justify the price, it has been rumored that Apple can add a wide range of high-end AR/VR features.

But this does not mean that it is simply a developer-centric gadget. Apple is likely to include its entire suite of gaming, entertainment, and productivity features in the headset.

Based on rumors, the headset will feature 12 tracking cameras, which will enable the AR aspect of the headset, and two 1.4-inch 8K displays which are placed in front of the user’s eyes. It has also been claimed that the device will feature LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors.

The headset will also be accompanied by tools to enable gesture control and rumored Continuity features which were mentioned in a recent patent. It has been claimed by some reports that the mixed reality headset can come with entertainment and gaming features as well as integration for Apple apps such as FaceTime, Maps, Mail, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and more.

Apple can also introduce a new operating system, which is rumored to be called xrOS (shortened for extended reality). The operating system will bring out a reimagined interface to interact with the Apple ecosystem.