Smartphone Leader Vivo Unveils ‘Vision’ MR Headset, Echoing Apple’s Branding and Design

It seems like yet another Vision Pro imitation is making its way onto the scene, and interestingly enough, this one carries the ‘Vision’ moniker, too.

While Vivo might not have the same name recognition worldwide as some of their competitors, the Chinese company has carved out a solid reputation for producing reliable, mid-range smartphones. In fact, it frequently finds itself among the top five smartphone manufacturers when it comes to market share.

Today, at the Boao Forum for Asia held in China’s Hainan Province, Vivo unveiled its much-anticipated foray into the extended reality (XR) market with their latest innovation: the Vivo Vision. In a press release, Vivo expressed their broader ambition to dive into robotics and XR devices, describing the Vivo Vision as a “significant milestone” in their journey toward harnessing mixed reality technology.

Despite the buzz, details on the Vivo Vision remain scarce. We are still left in the dark about most of its specifications, its operating system, or its launch date. Pricing and global availability also remain a mystery, with the only revealed details being the outward appearance of the device. Yet, a prototype did make an appearance at Vivo’s booth at the Boao Forum. It clearly drew inspiration from the Apple Vision Pro, borrowing elements such as the distinct headstrap design, a digital crown button, and an external battery that’s magnetically attached.

Currently, Vivo’s innovative smartphones operate on customized versions of Android. Funtouch OS caters to their international audience, while Origin OS serves those within China. As Vivo embarks on this XR venture, there’s speculation that they might take a similar route with Google’s upcoming Android XR OS. This OS is set to debut with Samsung’s much-anticipated mixed reality project, ‘Project Moohan’, slated for release sometime this year. However, that’s merely conjecture at this stage.

It seems we are witnessing a growing trend where multiple manufacturers from China introduce their own versions of Vision Pros. Take, for instance, ‘Play for Dream’. Their MR headset not only captured attention at CES 2025 but also received accolades from Amanda Watson, a former Quest engineer, who praised it as “absolutely the best all-around HMD demo I saw on the floor today.” It’s evident that the competition is heating up in the mixed reality space.