If you’re considering forking out $3,500 for the Apple Vision Pro, then you can rest assured that the device is pretty darn durable. Apple’s latest spatial goggles were placed under the ringer, and the results were quite unexpected. You’ll need a high constitution to watch, though. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see such an expensive piece of tech get smashed to smithereens, no matter how necessary.
AppleTrack conducted a variety of drop tests and walked into walls and doors, so you don’t have to. It might sound strange, but someone has to test the likelihood and potential damage that might occur from accidents. Scientific it is not, but incredibly useful for those wondering how much of a beating the ultra-high-end headsets can actually take. It turns out that the Apple Vision Pro is one tough nut to crack.
At the beginning of the test, Sam Kohl made one important discovery: whatever you do, don’t grab your $3,500 AR/VR headset by the light seal. It’s magnetically attached, but the connection isn’t very strong. Pick it up using the seal and chances are it’ll come loose, potentially sending your expensive hardware on a collision course with the floor.
The results
For minor oopsies, you don’t have to worry about the expensive front glass smashing into a million pieces. Well, kind of. For one, it’s shatterproof, but it’s also quite tough and resilient. Kohl amusingly spent about 40 minutes walking into walls and doors, and the glass held up pretty well. He even dropped the device from varying heights on carpet and hardwood floor.
Unsurprisingly, at extreme heights of around 10 to 12 feet, the first layer of glass finally met its match. Fortunately, the outer layer is mostly for protection anyway. The insides remained completely safe and the device was entirely usable without it. Sam discovered that without the front glass, the weird googly-eyed EyeSight feature “may even look a little bit better.” I wouldn’t recommend taking it off willingly, though, as it’ll be much weaker without it. Plus, I still think the digital eyes are a bit creepy.
The only real damage from the drop affected the left speaker, which no longer outputs audio. “I was not expecting that to be the part of Vision Pro that goes first,” Kohl laments, and to be honest, neither did anyone else. Thankfully, these are replaceable. The Apple Vision Pro has two mega lightning connectors on either side, which iFixit discovered could be for custom developer straps but also doubles as an audio connection for the down-firing speakers.
Nevertheless, after the gruesome test, the plastic housing cracked on both sides. It’s more than likely that this will be the weakest point of the entire device, outside of the flimsy Light Seal.
All in all, the Apple Vision Pro is quite a sturdy device. Whether it’s worth the $3,500 price tag is another story. Still, at the very least, it’s quite reassuring to know it can take so much punishment.
