I’m one of the few people who spent $3,500 on the Apple Vision Pro on launch day, and one year later, I have regrets. I’ve always been intrigued by extended- and mixed-reality headsets since I spend long hours working on computers and love watching immersive content. After an impressive in-store demo, I paid the price of a used car for my Vision Pro. The honeymoon phase wore off in the weeks and months that followed, and now, the recent Samsung Galaxy XR launch has me thinking I invested in the wrong XR platform.
The dream of having a do-it-all device that can handle your productivity, entertainment, and gaming needs is still very much alive. I question whether the hardware is mature enough to deliver on that dream, but one thing’s for sure: Samsung’s Galaxy XR comes closer to realizing it than Vision Pro. I’ve lived with the mistakes Apple made in creating the Vision Pro as an early adopter, forcing me to take extreme measures like 3D-printing custom comfort accessories, buying extra straps, and paying for overpriced digital content.