Apple is working on a simplified mixed-reality headset, which analysts have called “Vision Air,” slated for a 2027 launch that targets two sore points: weight and price. The model is targeted to be more than 40% lighter than current Vision Pro and more than 50% cheaper — moves that could help Apple’s own spatial computing push hit a wider demographic classified as a deminority percentage of the population), TF International Securities analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo claims.
A Big Drop in Weight, Measured in Real Comfort
On my scale the Vision Pro weighs just under 1.375 pounds. Shave that by more than 40% and you’ve got yourself a sub‑one‑pound vsphere—about 0.825 pounds by back‑of‑the‑napkin calculation. That matters. There are plenty of mainstream headsets that clock in at or over a pound and comfort can drop as sessions lengthen. Less weight on the head means less neck strain, easier fit for more people and more willingness to use a device to get work done, not just to make a quick demo.
Previous supply‑chain chit chat has alluded to a titanium internal frame, slimmer design and tweaked battery enclosure. Between them, those three changes combined to move both absolute mass and where it is within the shoe — which is key to comfort — without sacrificing stiffness or increasing weight. It’ll be Apple’s use of tiny optics and advanced materials once again that will have to combine perfectly in order to achieve that.
Halving the Price to Unlock Volume
The Vision Pro’s $3,499 sticker price put it squarely in early‑adopter and pro territory. Kuo’s guidance is that the Vision Air will clock in at about half that, or about $1,750, which would put us in high‑end laptop territory. It’s still premium, but it’s a psychological and practical shift that brings education programs, mid‑sized enterprises, and consumers who might have been considering that second major device purchase alongside an iPhone or Mac into the fold.
Both IDC and Counterpoint Research expect continued double‑digit growth for the AR/VR category through the second half of this decade, with the lion’s share of the volume focused today on lower‑cost stand‑alone headsets.
A cheaper Apple product could change the equation, drawing developers and service providers toward higher‑value spatial apps in categories like collaboration, design, sports viewing, and training.
How Apple Could Trim Mass and Cost
There are a handful of levers Apple can pull without weakening the experience. A titanium set of stays would be lighter weight while retaining stiffness. A redesigned battery enclosure might improve balance, and adjustments in the optical stack — more efficient pancake lenses and tighter component packaging — can trim grams, even millimeters.
There are also cost implications: a streamlined sensor array, more mature micro‑OLED yields from suppliers like Sony, and next‑gen Apple silicon tuned for spatial workloads could reduce the bill of materials. Angela Lang/CNET Apple could also withhold some high-end features for the Pro tier in efforts to simplify Vision Air’s list of parts, industry watchers have also speculated. Combined with more modest decreases in chipset size, these savings add up.
Sales Outlook and Market Context
Kuo estimates one million Vision Air units during its first year on the market, a significant improvement on the 400,000 units estimated to be sold in Vision Pro’s inaugural year. Set against a market in which Meta trails on unit volume but offers aggressively priced hardware, Apple’s strategy looks increasingly like it is shifting from a halo product that establishes the platform to a two‑tier lineup intended for subsequent expansion.
The timing is right in a maturing ecosystem. VisionOS has continuously been adding developer frameworks, media partners and enterprise capabilities. A lighter, lower‑cost device could propel real‑world deployments — from private service calls with 3D overlays to immersive sports broadcasts — where comfort, battery placement and price are the difference between pilots landing or stalling.
What to Watch Next
Watch three signals: supply‑chain indications around micro‑OLED capacity and titanium machining; software updates that indicate features appropriate for longer wear times; and how Apple distinguishes the Pro and Air tiers. If Apple can throw in substantial comfort gains and an almost half-price cost reduction at the same time as retaining the signature experiences — high‑resolution passthrough, spatial photos and video, and tight integration with the Apple ecosystem — Vision Air could be the product that moves spatial computing from novelty to necessity.
Bottom line: A cheaper, lighter Vision Air would bring Apple’s first true volume play in mixed reality. The company doesn’t need to win on the spec sheet but win the category — it needs to make the headset people actually want to wear, for more than a demo.
