Apple
Apple Vision Pro (M5)
$3499
Released 2025-10
Best VR Headsets · head-to-head
A sourced, side-by-side comparison. HTC Vive XR Elite is cheaper at $899. Every spec and price links to its source.
Apple
$3499
Released 2025-10
HTC
$899Cheaper
Released 2023-02
The Apple Vision Pro (M5) wins 2 of the 3 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 1. The HTC Vive XR Elite is the cheaper at $899. Get the Apple Vision Pro (M5) for the stronger spec sheet, the HTC Vive XR Elite to spend less.
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The numbers that decide it, drawn to scale — longer bar wins, the accent bar is the stronger figure.
✓ marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.
| Spec | | |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $3499 | $899 US launch MSRP |
| Brand | Apple | HTC |
| Released | 2025-10 | 2023-02 |
| Display per eye | 3660x3200 | 1920x1920 |
| Refresh (Hz) | 120 | 90 |
| FOV (°) | 100 | 110 |
| Tracking | inside-out (6 world cameras + 4 eye-tracking cameras + 4 IMUs) | inside-out (4 wide-FOV cameras + depth sensor) |
| Standalone | Yes | Yes |
| Storage (GB) | 256 | 128 |
| Weight (g) | 775 | 625 |
| Passthrough | Yes | Yes |
| Release | 2025-10 | 2023-02 |
Sources — Apple Vision Pro (M5): en.wikipedia.org (verified 2026-06-15). HTC Vive XR Elite: en.wikipedia.org (verified 2026-06-15).
Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (6 of 8). Matching specs are omitted.
Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.
No sourced tester review yet.
Across one full review (TechRadar) and two CES hands-ons (RoadToVR, UploadVR), testers praise the XR Elite's lightweight, comfortable modular design and, for two of three, class-leading mixed-reality passthrough, but flag a steep $1,100 price, weak Viveport software, poor controllers, and tracking hiccups. Only TechRadar tested at length; the sole reported number is an observed ~2-hour battery life, with no lab-instrument measurements. (3 sourced reviews, 1 lab-tested.)
Praised: Lightweight, comfortable modular design (battery-pack strap or ultra-light goggles mode); High-quality mixed-reality passthrough with accurate depth; Good pancake-lens clarity and solid performance running games.
Flagged: Steep $1,100 price undercut by cheaper or more capable rivals (Quest Pro/Quest 2); Weak Viveport software library versus Meta's Quest store; Poor controllers and ergonomic misses (nose room, cloth face cover).