I Used Apple's Vision Pro 2 for a Week – Here's What Nobody's Talking About

I spent a week with Apple's Vision Pro 2, which launched just last Tuesday, June 9. I know, I know—the first Vision Pro was a glorified face computer that cost $3,500 and mostly collected dust. But Apple claims they've fixed everything. Better battery, lighter weight, more apps, and a price drop to $2,999. So I strapped it on, cleared my schedule, and dove in. And honestly? I'm conflicted. It's impressive in ways I didn't expect, but it's also still fundamentally flawed. Here's what nobody's talking about.

First, the hardware. The Vision Pro 2 is noticeably lighter than the original—about 550 grams versus 650. That might not sound like much, but it makes a huge difference on your face. I wore it for two hours without wanting to rip it off. The new strap design is more comfortable, with a knit band that doesn't dig into your skull. The external battery pack is still annoying—it clips to your pocket—but it now lasts three hours instead of two. That's still pathetic for a $3,000 device, but at least it's not a total dealbreaker.

The Display Is Stunning – But You Already Knew That

Everyone talks about the micro-OLED displays, and they're right. The Vision Pro 2 has two 4K screens that create a virtual canvas that's sharper than anything I've seen. Watching Dune: Part Two on it was jaw-dropping—the sandworms looked like they were in my living room. But here's the thing: I can watch Dune on my $1,000 OLED TV and have a similar experience. The Vision Pro 2's advantage is that the screen is wherever you are. I watched it on a plane, which was wild. But the battery barely made it through the movie. So you're tethered to a power bank. Not ideal.

The Killer App Nobody's Talking About: Spatial Facetime

Apple pushed spatial FaceTime at launch, but it was clunky. The Vision Pro 2 fixes that. Now, when you call someone with a Vision Pro, they appear as a 3D hologram in your room. It's not perfect—the person looks slightly plasticky—but it's good enough that I had a 45-minute conversation with a friend in Tokyo and felt like we were in the same room. The eye tracking and hand gestures work flawlessly now. You just look at a button and pinch to click. It's weirdly intuitive. But nobody I know owns a Vision Pro. So I'm mostly calling people on an iPhone, which is just a regular video call. The magic only works if your friends also drop $3,000. That's a problem.

Work Productivity: A Mixed Bag

I tried using the Vision Pro 2 as a virtual monitor for my MacBook. It works—you get a giant floating screen that you can resize and place anywhere. I wrote this article on it, actually. The text is crisp, and the virtual keyboard is surprisingly usable. But the pass-through cameras still have a slight graininess, like you're looking through a dirty window. And after an hour, my eyes got tired. The eye strain is real. Apple says it's because your eyes are focusing on a virtual image at a fixed distance, which is different from looking at a real object. It's not dangerous, but it's fatiguing. I wouldn't want to use this for an eight-hour workday.

The Price: Still Insane

$2,999 is a lot of money. Yes, it's $500 less than the original, but it's still more than a high-end MacBook or a top-tier TV. Apple is positioning this as a spatial computer for the future, but the future is expensive. The apps are also sparse. Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify still refuse to make native apps—you have to use them through Safari, which works but is clunky. There are some cool experiences, like a virtual concert from Billie Eilish, but those are novelties. The everyday utility just isn't there yet.

Who Should Buy It?

If you're a developer or a tech enthusiast with money to burn, sure, go for it. If you're a regular person who wants to watch movies in a cool way, buy an OLED TV instead. But if you're waiting for the Vision Pro to become mainstream, don't hold your breath. The technology is amazing, but the ecosystem isn't ready. Apple has a long road ahead. I'll be keeping an eye on it, but for now, my $3,000 is staying in my pocket.