The repair experts at iFixit have just released the second part of their Apple Vision Pro teardown (along with an accompanying blog post). It’s revealed a bunch of fascinating facts about Apple’s high-end device just days after iFixit’s first investigation tore into the device – and most intriguingly, the demolition process has revealed a major reason why the headset is quite so eye-wateringly expensive.
Before the Vision Pro launched, leaked reports claimed it would come with a 4K resolution for each eye, promising incredible visual clarity unmatched by any rival device. At the time of release, Apple said the headset’s resolution was higher than that of a 4K TV, although the company didn’t actually say the Vision Pro crossed the 4K threshold itself, which is a 3840x2160 resolution.
So, does the Vision Pro live up to Apple’s 4K promise? Well, according to iFixit the teardown, each eyepiece in the Vision Pro comes with a sky-high pixel resolution of 3660x3200 (a figure we estimated back in June 2023).
That’s not quite 4K due to the lower horizontal resolution, but it equates to a pixels-per-inch (ppi) rating of 3,386 – way beyond anything Apple’s rivals can put together. The Meta Quest 3, for instance, is almost three times lower at 1,218ppi, while the HTC Vive Pro clocks in at a measly 950ppi.
The Vision Pro’s ultra-high resolution gives you about 11.4 million pixels per eye, which is very close to Apple’s claim of 23 million total pixels across both eyepieces. That incredible resolution goes some way to explaining why the Vision Pro is so much more expensive than its competitors: visually speaking, it’s far ahead of them.
That said, Apple’s price is still less than some resale sites are charging. As spotted by Bloomberg, some retailers outside the U.S. are listing the Vision Pro for way above its $3,500 asking price (around £2,780 / AU$5,385). In Japan, units have been sold for the equivalent of $5,400 (around £4,285 / AU$8,310), while one seller in Singapore sought $6,300 (around £5,000 / AU$9,695) for the device. That all makes Apple’s original price look downright affordable (well, almost).
More secrets revealed
The iFixit teardown revealed a bevy of other interesting tidbits surrounding the Vision Pro. For instance, it was recently discovered that the headset’s battery pack uses a custom Lightning-style connector, and there was concern that this would limit the availability of third-party battery packs.
This connector, iFixit believes, is actually due to the battery pack’s high voltage, which is above what most battery packs offer due to the headset’s beefy power demands. Apple used a custom connector, says iFixit’s team, to prevent people plugging in other accessories and accidentally frying them with the battery pack’s elevated output.
In the end, iFixit gave the Vision Pro a repairability score of four out of 10. The device scored points for its modular earpieces, straps and light seal, and for “what appears to be a complete lack of parts pairing” (meaning replacement parts should work as expected). However, iFixit dinged the device for how difficult it is to get into, its unrepairable front glass and OLED display, and the physically sealed battery pack.
Put together, iFixit’s report is a fascinating peek into the inner workings of the Vision Pro, and there’s plenty more detail listed in iFixit’s supplementary blog post. Sure, Apple’s headset is incredibly expensive, but at least when it comes to visual fidelity, you certainly get what you pay for.
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