Apple’s Vision Pro is available to preorder, but you might be wondering what’s included at the starting price of $3,500 and if you’ll need to pay extra for a battery. Given that there’s not a battery inside the headset itself, that’s a good question.
Along with the actual headset, the base model of Vision Pro includes a battery, charger, 5-foot charging cable, front cover, top strap, light seal cushion, and polishing cloth. That means you get everything you need to start using Apple’s exciting new spatial computer as soon as it arrives in the package.
Apple estimates battery life at two hours of general use when not connected to a charger or a Mac. When you’re just watching movies and videos, power might last up to 2.5 hours since that’s a less demanding task.
That’s not very long, considering some movies last more than three hours. Thankfully, Apple sells extra Vision Pro batteries separately, so you can have one or more spares to keep running without being tethered to another device for power. Add $199 for every additional battery pack you want.
Each Apple Vision Pro battery includes a fixed cable with a magnetic connector for quick and easy attachment to the headset. That helps explain the high cost of this accessory.
Apple didn’t share the capacity of the battery, but it must be substantial since it weighs over 12 ounces (or 0.75 pounds). It’s clear why Apple didn’t make the battery part of the Vision Pro headset, which comes in at one pound, five ounces in its lightest configuration.
If you don’t want to keep the heavy external battery in your pocket or your bag, Belkin makes a $50 battery holder for the Vision Pro with a cable management clip. It includes a strap that’s designed to be worn across your body.
That sounds like it could be a good solution to keep the battery close enough to avoid accidental disconnection from the Apple Vision Pro while providing enough comfort. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the strap or of a person wearing the product.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see more battery solutions appearing in the future. Higher capacity batteries and comfort straps seem like the most urgent accessories needed to address the Apple Vision Pro’s short run time and hefty weight.
If it’s starting to sound like the Vision Pro might not be the dream product you hoped for, you’re not alone. There are several concerning details we hope Apple addresses soon.
Since the Vision Pro is an ultra-premium VR headset that costs as much as $4,547 at its highest configuration, there’s plenty of room for accessory manufacturers to create solutions to help early adopters keep exploring Apple’s most complex and impressive hardware to date.
Unless you’ve already made up your mind about the Vision Pro, you might want to get some hands-on time to find out if the weight really is a problem. It’s a personal decision, and everyone is different. You might find that using Apple’s Dual Loop Band that goes over the top of your head makes it comfortable enough.
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