Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has tried Apple's Vision Pro headset. His conclusion in a video posted online is that Quest 3 "is the better product, period". Is it really?
Apple's debut headset has attracted a lot of attention, and Mark Zuckerberg is now trying to stir up some drama to redirect focus to Meta's Quest line of headsets.
The Quest 3, which is equipped with low-quality, low-contrast LCD panels and poor-quality passthrough, is a lot more affordable – about seven times, as pointed out in the video – but is not only better value, it is also a better product in Zuckerberg's questionable assessment.
Here is a comparison table of how Quest 3 and Vision Pro stack up (green denotes superiority):
| Meta Quest 3 | Apple Vision Pro |
| Operating system | Android-based | visionOS
compatible with iPadOS apps |
| Graphical performance | Up to 1.25Tflops | Up to 3.6TFlops |
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB |
| Display type | LCD | micro-OLED |
| Resolution (per eye) | 2064x2208 pixels
1218ppi | approx. 3660x3200 pixels
3386ppi |
| HDR capable displays | No | Yes |
| Color gamut | sRGB | 92% DCI-P3 |
| Refresh rate | Up to 120Hz | Up to 100Hz |
| 3D video | MV-HEVC (max 3D 1080p SDR) | MV-HEVC (3D 4K Dolby Vision) |
| Audio | Spatial Audio | Personalized ray-traced Spatial Audio
Dolby Atmos |
| Lenses | Pancake | Pancake |
| Controllers | Hand tracking
Touch Plus controllers
Game controllers | Eye tracking
Hand tracking
Game controllers |
| Sensors | 4x IR cameras
2x RGB cameras
1x depth projector
Motion sensors | 2x cameras
6x outside tracking cameras
4x eye‑tracking cameras
1x TrueDepth camera
1x LiDAR Scanner
4x inertial measurement units (IMUs)
Flicker sensor
Ambient light sensor |
| Pass-through (MR) | Yes, 4mp SDR | Yes, 6.5mp HDR |
| Weight | 515g (including battery) | 600–650g (excluding battery) |
| Battery life | Up to 2.2 hours general | Up to 2 hours general |
| Connectivity | Wi‑Fi 6E
Bluetooth 5.2 | Wi‑Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Price | $499 / $649 | $3499 |
FlatpanelsHDMore content, but worse 3D
Mark Zuckerberg does raise some valid points, though, relating to weight and comfort. The Quest weighs more than 100 grams less.
In addition, Quest 3 offers more immersive content due to Meta's head start, including a wider selection of games, an area in which Apple has yet to invest significantly.
On the other hand, 3D movies in 4K Dolby Vision, including the first in High Frame Rate (48fps), are only available on Apple Vision Pro, as it is currently the only device to support Dolby Vision profile 20.
Also read: Is Apple Vision Pro the future of home cinema?
Quest as the Android of VR/AR?
Mark Zuckerberg ended his video by touching on the closed versus open debate of operating systems, positioning Quest as the Android of VR/AR as opposed to Apple's 'closed' ecosystem.
He argues that while Apple's closed iOS has won in the mobile industry, Microsoft's open Windows model prevailed in the PC era. He suggests that VR/AR, or spatial computing in Apple's terminology, is the next battleground.
However, is Meta Quest truly open? Apps and games are sold through Meta's store, which imposes a significantly higher commission rate of 47.5% on developers compared to Apple's 30% commission rate.
Zuckerberg's message is clearly designed to reassure anxious Meta employees after Apple has managed to shift the narrative, but some of his criticism brings back memories of Steve Ballmer and Blackberry's comments regarding the original iPhone's high price and lack of a physical keyboard.
See for yourself:
