Smartphone Giant Vivo Unveils ‘Vision’ MR Headset, Echoing Apple’s Name and Design

Another twist on the Vision Pro is making its way into the market, and interestingly, it’s borrowing part of the name. Meet the Vivo Vision, a new player in the XR arena introduced by China’s well-regarded smartphone maker, Vivo. Though Vivo might not be the first brand you think of, it consistently ranks among the top five in terms of market share thanks to its practical mid-range smartphones.

In a recent showcase at the Boao Forum for Asia, located in China’s Hainan Province, Vivo gave us a peek at their entry into the world of extended reality (XR). The company is describing the Vivo Vision as a “significant milestone” in their journey towards embracing mixed reality technology. This marks the beginning of their broader initiative that also includes venturing into robotics and other XR devices.

The Vivo Vision is poised for an official reveal by mid-2025, but for now, details remain scarce. There are still many unknowns about the specifications, operating system, price, release date, and availability outside China—essentially, the only thing we know so far is how it looks.

During the Boao Forum, Vivo’s booth gave attendees a glimpse of the device, which seems to draw heavy inspiration from Apple’s Vision Pro. Design elements like the headstrap, a digital crown-like button, and an external battery connected magnetically mimic features of Apple’s device.

Vivo typically outfits their smartphones with modified versions of Android—Funtouch OS for global markets and Origin OS for devices sold in China. Given this background, there’s speculation that Vivo might partner with Google’s soon-to-be-released Android XR OS for this headset. This OS is set to debut alongside Samsung’s own mixed reality venture, known as ‘Project Moohan,’ which is expected sometime this year, though details are still under wraps.

The emergence of devices mimicking the Vision Pro seems to be a trend among Chinese manufacturers. Earlier this year, Play for Dream made waves at CES 2025 with their MR headset that wowed attendees, including ex-Quest engineer Amanda Watson, who was particularly impressed by their demo, calling it “absolutely the best all-around HMD demo I saw on the floor today.” This shows we’re in for some exciting times with these new advancements.