Apple reveals the results of Vision Pro battery tests

As you probably know by now, Apple announced earlier this morning that it will celebrate Groundhog Day in the U.S., on February 2nd, by launching the Vision Pro spatial computer on that date. Along with that announcement, Apple disclosed some important information related to its $3,500 mixed reality system. The battery will support up to two and a half hours of 2D playback. That compares to the two hours of battery life that the cell will deliver during "general" use.

Apple revised its Vision Pro website to include this information about the battery. It also noted in a footnote that Apple conducted the battery testing last November using pre-production Apple Vision Pro units and software. According to the footnote, "general" use of Vision Pro consists of these tasks: video playback, internet browsing, spatial video capture, and FaceTime. Vision Pro batteries will plug right into the side of the spatial computer's headset and device owners can buy additional battery packs allowing them to plug in a fully charged battery quickly.

The video playback time was tested by viewing a 2D movie using one of the virtual Environment settings that Vision Pro users can select by turning the Digital Crown. Environment options include:

2D movies purchased from the Apple TV app were used to test the battery life of the Vision Pro. The battery life for Internet browsing on Vision Pro was tested using 20 popular websites. Apple tested the battery life of Vision Pro's FaceTime app by conducting video chats between two Apple Vision Pro units with Personas enabled. Personas are a representation of a Vision Pro user on FaceTime that accounts for facial and hand movements in real-time.

Apple notes that "Vision Pro's Battery life depends on device settings, usage, network, environmental conditions, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific Apple Vision Pro units; actual results may vary." The capacity of the battery used to power Vision Pro units is estimated to be 20000mAh. That compares tot he 4441mAh battery used on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Pre-orders for the Vision Pro will be accepted by Apple starting on January 19th at physical and online Apple Stores starting at 5 am PST/8 am EST.