Vivo Vision: A New Challenger in MR for Apple, Meta

When Vivo revealed its new mixed reality headset — simply named Vivo Vision — it didn’t just debut a new device. It kicked open the door to a market that, until now, has been heavily dominated by two tech giants: Apple and Meta. The Vision clearly draws inspiration from Apple’s Vision Pro (very clear, in fact) — right down to its sleek ski-goggle silhouette and gesture-based interface — but it’s more than just a copycat play.

As someone who has followed the evolution of AR and VR for years, I can say with confidence that this is a pivotal moment. A third major player entering the MR space signals that things are heating up — and that’s just what the industry needs. Competition is good. It drives innovation, lowers costs, and ultimately gives consumers more choice. But for Apple and Meta? It means there’s another serious contender to worry about — one with strong momentum in Asia’s smartphone market and a reputation for making capable hardware at disruptive price points.

Let’s break down what we know about the Vivo Vision and why its arrival could reshape the mixed reality landscape.

What we know about the Vivo Vision (so far)

Hu Baishan, Vivo’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, officially unveiled the Vision headset during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025. While full specs haven’t been released, some key takeaways from the device’s physical design and early demos have already been revealed.

Let’s start with the obvious: it looks a lot like Apple’s Vision Pro. The Vivo Vision sports a sleek visor with a ski-goggle-style silhouette and a thick, cushioned headband. It’s not just aesthetics either — this design choice allows for a snug, immersive fit crucial for longer MR sessions. Embedded around the visor is a prominent array of sensors — up to seven visible external cameras, including stereo RGB sensors on the front (likely for passthrough) and downward-facing units that appear to support hand and gesture tracking, a feature central to both the Vision Pro and increasingly important in next-gen spatial computing.

A depth sensor, such as ToF or lidar, may also be included, though that hasn’t been confirmed.

That puts it closer in spirit to Apple’s controller-free interaction model than Meta’s Quest 3, which still relies primarily on Touch Plus controllers for navigation. However, Meta has made strides in hand tracking in recent software updates. If Vivo nails the tracking experience — and that’s still a big “if” until we see this thing in action — it could strike a compelling middle ground between Apple’s ultra-premium ambition and Meta’s mainstream accessibility.

While Vivo calls the Vision a “mixed reality” headset, the company has not confirmed whether it supports video passthrough — color or otherwise — for real-world integration. Without confirmation of stereo camera passthrough quality, latency, or use in spatial anchoring, Vision may lean more toward a high-end VR headset with MR ambitions.

Currently, Vivo has not released detailed specifications for the Vision, including display resolution, chipset, or operating system. It’s speculated that the device may use dual micro-OLED displays with pancake optics and IPD adjustment. For comparison, Apple’s Vision Pro packs dual micro-OLED displays with a combined 23 million pixels, while the Meta Quest 3 uses dual LCDs with pancake lenses at 2064 x 2208 per eye. Vivo may land somewhere between, potentially sacrificing some fidelity for cost savings.

The processor is unknown, but Snapdragon’s XR2 Gen 2 chipset is a likely candidate. Some industry watchers also expect 12–16 GB of RAM, 256–512 GB of onboard storage, and an external battery that connects via magnetic cable — a setup similar to Apple’s approach with Vision Pro.

Vivo has not confirmed which operating system the Vision runs. However, the company recently launched its own proprietary OS — BlueOS — which debuted on the Vivo Watch 3 in late 2023. Built in Rust and designed for cross-device connectivity via BlueXlink, a version of BlueOS could potentially power the headset. However, Vivo has not stated whether it’s being used in this context.

Some analysts also suggest that Vivo could leverage its BlueImage ISP pipeline — used in its smartphones — to enhance passthrough quality with HDR, low-light clarity, and semantic segmentation. However, this remains speculative and has not been demonstrated in any public forum.

This all means that, while the Vivo Vision is not just a concept device, many of its features and capabilities are still inferred rather than confirmed. Until Vivo provides deeper technical disclosures or developer tools, its true MR potential remains unclear.

While Microsoft’s HoloLens helped pioneer mixed reality nearly a decade ago, its enterprise focus left the consumer MR space open — and that’s the arena where Apple, Meta, and now Vivo are battling for dominance.

That said, Vivo’s biggest differentiator might not be features — it could be the cost, which would be a key part of its appeal. While the company hasn’t announced pricing, Vivo’s track record suggests it won’t aim for Apple’s eye-watering $3,499 price point.

Vivo’s target? Apple and Meta

The timing and design of the Vivo Vision leave little doubt: this is a calculated move to compete directly with Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s Quest 3 — two devices that currently define opposite ends of the mixed reality spectrum.

On one end, Apple is positioning the Vision Pro as the luxury model of MR — a premium, meticulously engineered device aimed at developers, professionals, and early adopters with deep pockets. Its price tag alone ($3,499) sets a high bar for entry. Apple’s hardware is unmatched in polish, and its ecosystem is second to none, but it’s not for the masses — at least, not yet.

On the other end, Meta’s Quest 3 brings MR to the mainstream with a more accessible price ($499), a broad content library, and an approach that favors practical features over polish. It’s less about redefining computing and more about making immersive gaming and productivity tools available to everyone.

Vivo seems poised to land somewhere in the middle. Its Vision headset borrows the form factor and interaction style of the Vision Pro, but if it can deliver even 70–80% of the experience at half (or even a third) of the cost, it immediately becomes a threat — especially in regions where Apple’s high price and Meta’s Western dominance create an opening.

Let’s not forget that Vivo has a track record of punching above its weight class. In the smartphone world, it’s known for delivering well-designed, high-performance hardware with competitive pricing, particularly in Asia. That brand equity could help Vivo gain traction quickly if the Vision lives up to its promise.

Vivo also announced a new robotics lab during the Boao Forum — part of a broader push into AI, spatial computing, and multimodal devices. That context suggests the Vision is part of a broader vertical integration effort, not just a one-off product.

And while Apple and Meta have the head start, they also have the most to lose. With competition heating up, both companies will need to move faster — and smarter — to maintain their leads.

Why this is good news for everyone (except Apple and Meta)

Let’s be clear: the arrival of a serious third player in mixed reality is nothing but good news for consumers, creators, and the future of spatial computing. MR has felt like a binary for too long: Apple’s ultra-premium vision versus Meta’s accessible but sometimes clunky execution. With Vivo stepping in, we’re finally seeing the kind of market tension that pushes things forward.

Competition fuels innovation. Apple is great at crafting seamless user experiences, but its walled-garden approach and steep pricing limit those who can actually participate in this new computing paradigm. On the other hand, Meta has done the legwork of building a developer ecosystem and courting gamers — but it’s struggled to elevate the Quest experience beyond novelty for many users. With Vivo in the mix, there’s real pressure on both companies to improve — not incrementally, but meaningfully.

It also puts pricing strategies under the microscope. If Vivo can offer comparable hardware and user interaction at a significantly lower cost, consumers will start questioning what exactly they’re paying for with Apple or Meta. We’ve seen this story before in smartphones and TVs: the premium brands lead, the challengers catch up quickly, and eventually, prices normalize while features explode.

And for developers, a broader ecosystem is a blessing. More headsets mean more potential users, and more demand for cross-platform content. It also opens the door for regional innovation — especially in Asia, where Vivo already has a strong presence and where Meta and Apple aren’t as dominant.

All of this makes the space more exciting. More dynamic. More accessible. The days of a two-player game in MR may be numbered — and that’s exactly what the technology needs to thrive.

The bigger picture: Vivo validates the MR race

Vivo’s Vision headset doesn’t just add another product to the shelf — it adds weight to the idea that mixed reality is no longer a niche experiment. It’s a growing battleground. And while we don’t yet know if the Vision will deliver on performance, price, or polish, its very existence changes the game.

This isn’t just mimicry. It’s validation. When a company like Vivo — with real hardware chops and market reach — decides to enter the MR space, it signals confidence that the category isn’t just hype. It’s a signal to investors, developers, and consumers alike: spatial computing is coming, and it’s not just for tech giants or Silicon Valley.

Will the Vivo Vision dethrone the Vision Pro or Quest 3? Probably not — at least not right away. But that’s not the point. What it does is turn up the pressure on Apple and Meta to evolve faster, expand access, and deliver real value beyond novelty. It raises the bar and broadens the audience.

And for the rest of us — whether we’re creators, developers, or just curious users — that’s the kind of progress we’ve been waiting for.