Marques Brownlee says Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pros are just “gathering dust” two years later

Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, has taken aim at Apple’s mixed reality headset, saying most people who bought the $3,500 Vision Pro are barely using it two years after launch.

In a video titled ‘What’s Going on with Apple Vision Pro?’, Brownlee looked at the second-generation Vision Pro, which now runs on Apple’s M5 chip but otherwise remains almost identical to the original 2023 model. He said the 2025 version “is more or less the same as the original from two years ago,” adding that aside from a new dual-knit strap, “everything else is unchanged.”

“The weight of the new one is listed as higher than the original because it comes by default with this new Dual Knit Band,” he explained, noting that Apple’s main focus this time seems to have been improving comfort rather than performance.

While the new band “is significantly more comfortable,” Brownlee said, “it’s not a game changer.”

He also described the new M5 chip upgrade as “incremental,” saying it allows apps to load faster and improves efficiency, but doesn’t change how the headset feels to use. “It’s not exactly a game changer,” he said, adding that the Vision Pro’s displays, cameras, and overall experience are still largely the same.

Apple’s headset isn’t living up to expectations

After testing the new version, Brownlee suggested Apple’s expensive headset hasn’t lived up to the company’s expectations. “Two years later, it turns out most of the use of Vision Pro has been watching movies and gathering dust,” he said. “Which is a shame because it’s capable of so, so, so much more.”

He compared Apple’s slow progress to the rapid development of smart glasses like Meta’s Ray-Ban range, which he said are “much more appealing to way more people” due to their convenience and lower social stigma. Brownlee argued that Apple appears to have realized the Vision Pro “isn’t going to be some gigantic smash hit” and has started shifting resources toward developing its own smart glasses.