Samsung Galaxy XR vs Apple Vision Pro vs Meta Quest 3: Which headset is right for you?

OK, look. I get it. Putting two mightily expensive headsets in the Samsung Galaxy XR and Apple Vision Pro M5 up against the cheaper Meta Quest 3 is like pitting two gourmet chefs up against my favorite Taco Bell order.

But also, it kind of makes sense when you take a closer look. As I’ve learned from all the best VR headsets I’ve tested, it’s not about the tech inside, but what you do with it that matters. And when it comes to that, Meta has truly taken advantage of its head start in this space with regular software updates to finely tune the experience.

Does that overcome the Android XR might of the Galaxy XR? Or even the literal M5 computer on your face in the Apple Vision Pro? The answer is a little complicated, so let’s break it down.

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Not to say that’s a bad thing! The Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 in the Quest 3 and the XR2+ Gen 2 in the Galaxy XR are capable of handling pretty demanding workloads that come in a mixed-reality atmosphere like positional tracking, low-latency passthrough and multitasking.

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

But the M5 paired with 16GB of memory in the Apple Vision Pro makes it a much more capable, almost desktop-class machine for multitasking — further enhanced with the R1 chip for impressively precise tracking and passthrough.

Then there’s the sensor side of things. The Galaxy XR and Quest 3 have enough sensors to do a good job of positional tracking and read hand gestures. But the Vision Pro is on another level with double the sensors — even introducing Optic ID iris scanning for a breakthrough level of security.

Winner: Apple Vision Pro

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

Sure, Apple Vision Pro may be the powerhouse of the three. But as is the case with a lot of tech, it’s not about the tools you have, it’s what you do with them that counts. And while there are plenty of compelling apps to dig your teeth into on the Vision Pro, there isn’t really that killer app that makes this a must-buy device.

(Image credit: Future)

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy XR has a slightly better (but smaller) offering off the rip. Running Android XR, it has access to Google services and apps, and there is actually a Netflix app here. But things are angled much more to content consumption rather than creation. That’s not a bad thing, but at $1,799, there’s still not quite the killer app.

(Image credit: Future)

The Meta Quest 3 isn’t necessarily a different story, but it does have the benefit of more time, a wider developer community, a slate of exclusives, and a far lower price tag to offset this.

At $500, you’ve got access to a lot of what the Vision Pro and Galaxy XR can do, and with a year’s head start on the original Apple Vision Pro and two years on Samsung’s headset, Meta’s gone through all of those growing pains to make for a slick UI to navigate too. Throw in a selection of over 1,000 apps on the Quest Store, including some real bangers of games like Batman: Arkham Shadow, and you’re onto a clear winner.

Winner: Meta Quest 3

(Image credit: Future)

AI is an interesting conundrum within a mixed reality headset. In something like smart glasses, it makes sense because you’re always out and about with it. But outside of the maniacs who wear a VR headset in public just because they can, these are very much home devices. So what can they do?

Well, AI-wise, they all do a lot of things you don’t see — algorithmic scene understanding is usually done by a trained model, hand tracking and body tracking are AI trained too. But once you get into the things we can see, each company has a different take on this.

Ray-Ban Meta (gen 2) glasses such as asking them to take a picture, or asking questions about what you see. Throw in the option for that AI assistant to grab real time information, and you’ve got a pretty nice, non-intrusive implementation.

Apple Intelligence Image Playground on the Vision Pro M5

Image Playground (Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

With Apple Vision Pro, the AI is a little more limited. Without the new and improved Siri until 2026, you’ve got the two key features we’ve grown accustomed to in the Image Playground and Writing Tools, but the lack of Visual Intelligence is a huge miss in something like this.

Samsung Galaxy XR Gemini Live

(Image credit: Future)

And then there’s Gemini Live in the Galaxy XR. This is clearly the leader in AI services within a mixed-reality environment — letting you ask questions of the real world around you or about the apps you’re currently in. There is an interestingly pesky DRM issue where you can’t ask about a YouTube TV show (all Gemini Live can see is a black screen). But for everything else, it’s versatile enough to give genuine advice in games, give tips on what to watch and accurately identify items in the world.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy XR

(Image credit: Future)

On paper, this is a tie. The Meta Quest 3 and Samsung Galaxy XR are the more preferable headsets for you to buy — based on comfort, experiences and AI features. That being said, the Apple Vision Pro is definitely a powerhouse of a choice, but we just hope that the killer app for this mixed reality experience comes through.

But ties suck, and that comes from someone who watches the Premier League religiously. So let’s get down to probably one of the bigger things we’re all considering right now, which is price.

I was hoping for a cheaper second gen Apple Vision Pro, but staying at $3,500, that’s out of the running. The Galaxy VR comes in at basically half-price at $1,799, which is a step in the right direction. But neither of these come close to just paying $499. Based on that, and for what you get, the choice is obvious.

Winner: Meta Quest 3

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