Apple’s cheaper, lower-end Vision headset might reportedly arrive as early as 2025. It will seemingly cost around $2,000 and make several compromises to reach the lower price tag.
The Cupertino company is also “considering” launching its own pair of smart glasses in 2027 alongside AirPods with cameras.
Cheaper Vision headset to cost around $2,000
Apple’s first “spatial computer,” the Vision Pro, launched in early 2024 for $3,499. This was after Apple showcased the headset at WWDC 2023, showing off its impressive AR capabilities. Following a US launch, the headset’s availability expanded to Asia, Europe, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK in late June.
Despite the wider availability and some innovative use cases, Apple’s AR headset failed to click with consumers. As noted in our Vision Pro review, the headset is too heavy and provides an isolating and expensive glimpse into the future.
For wider adoption, Apple is reportedly working on a cheaper Vision headset. In the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reveals that the low-end Vision headset “cost about $2,000 and probably use an inferior processor and cheaper materials.”
To achieve the lower price, Apple will drop EyeSight support. This means the headset won’t show the wearer’s eyes on the outer screen. It may also use a lower-resolution OLED display to keep its component cost in check.
With the lower price tag, Apple expects to sell twice as many AR headsets as before. And the wait won’t be terribly long — as previously reported, Gurman reiterates that the cheaper Vision might launch next year.
While a $2,000 MSRP would be almost 50% cheaper than the current-gen Vision Pro, it would still likely be too expensive for most consumers.
Second-gen Vision Pro to debut in 2026
Following the cheaper Vision headset, Apple will reportedly launch the second-gen Vision Pro headset with a more powerful processor in 2026.
For 2027, Gurman claims Apple’s engineering team is “considering launching smart glasses on par with the Meta Ray-Bans, as well as AirPods with cameras.” Previous reports indicate Apple could launch AirPods with IR cameras in the future on in-air gesture control.
With these devices, Apple seemingly wants to “salvage the billions of dollars spent on the Vision Pro’s visual intelligence technology.”