Vivo Unveils ‘Vision’ MR Headset, Echoing Apple’s Naming and Design

There’s another contender entering the XR (extended reality) market, bearing a familiar name—Vision. This time, it’s from Vivo, a brand not typically recognized in every household but one that consistently ranks among the top five smartphone producers globally, thanks to their reliable mid-range devices.

Unveiling their new venture into XR tech, Vivo introduced the Vivo Vision at the Boao Forum for Asia located in Hainan Province, China. In an official press release, the company revealed that Vivo Vision is part of a larger strategic move to expand into robotics and XR devices. They’re touting Vivo Vision as “a significant milestone in Vivo’s exploration of mixed reality technology.”

Though details are scarce at the moment, Vivo plans to formally launch the Vision in mid-2025. Right now, we don’t have concrete information about the headset’s specifications, operating system, release date, pricing, or even its global availability. What we do know is mainly about its external appearance.

At Vivo’s booth during the forum, attendees got a sneak peek at a display model. Observers noted that the design seems to take a few cues from the Apple Vision Pro, especially with its distinct headstrap design, digital crown button, and the way the device uses a magnetically-tethered external battery.

Known for their modified Android versions on their smartphones—Funtouch OS globally and Origin OS for the Chinese market—Vivo might do something similar with their XR endeavors. They could potentially employ Google’s forthcoming Android XR OS. This software is expected to debut alongside Samsung’s upcoming mixed reality project, ‘Project Moohan,’ slated for release this year. However, this remains speculative for now.

Vivo isn’t alone in leveraging Apple’s design ethos. Recently, Chinese manufacturers have been buzzing with Vision Pro look-alikes. A notable entry came from Play for Dream. Their MR headset not only captured the spotlight at CES 2025 but also earned accolades from Amanda Watson, a former Quest engineer, who lauded it as “absolutely the best all-around HMD demo I saw on the floor today.”