Apple Vision Pro has 3.5 times lower passthrough latency for mixed reality than Meta Quest 3, Quest Pro and HTC Vive XR Elite, according to tests conducted by OptoFidelity 

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had his Steve Ballmer moment this week, claiming that Quest 3 is not just better value but "better, period" than Apple Vision Pro. Naturally, this assertion is being scrutinized these days.

As outlined in FlatpanelsHD's comparison table, Apple Vision Pro excels over the Quest 3 in various hardware aspects, particularly in display quality.

OptoFidelity, a provider of advanced test systems, has now contributed to the discussion.

- "Mixed reality glasses are complex devices made of multiple components that work together, aiming for total immersion. One of the biggest challenges with MR devices has been the see-through latency. With the new Apple Vision Pro now out, we wanted to see how well it compares to other MR devices out there," Tommi Björk of OptoFidelity wrote in a blog post.


Passthrough for mixed reality
During its announcement, Apple claimed that Vision Pro features passthrough latency of just 12 milliseconds. Passthrough latency refers to the time it takes for an image from the cameras to be displayed inside the headset to the user's eyes.

Reduced passthrough latency in a headset enhances mixed reality quality (allowing the user to see the outside environment) and diminishes the risk of motion sickness and related issues.


 How passthrough latency was tested. Photo: OptoFidelity 

Vision Pro has 3.5x lower latency
OptoFidelity employed a LED blinking system positioned in front of the headset and a 100 kHz backlight sensor placed behind the headset (directed at the lenses) to measure latency.

It added that "we decided to use the min. latency values, as those have the least to do with any setup parameters. Those represent the lowest latency that the Device Under Test (DUT) generates when its cameras and displays run on their individual frequencies".


 Apple Vision Pro has far lower passthrough latency than the competition. Graph: OptoFidelity 

In its tests, OptoFidelity was able to confirm Apple's claim, finding that the minimum latency actually measures a bit lower at approximately 11 milliseconds, whereas the competitors all have latency levels around 40 milliseconds. In other words, a drastic difference of multiple factors.

- "We can, therefore, verify that Apple’s claim of their groundbreaking reduction of see-through latency is true," said Tommi Björk.

- Source: OptoFidelity