Apple’s long-rumoured cheaper Vision Pro headset may have hit a major roadblock. The company is allegedly shifting its attention away from XR headsets and towards AI-powered smart glasses instead.
According to The Elec, Samsung is winding down work on a new glass-substrate micro-OLED display. This display was reportedly being developed for a lower-cost Vision headset, often referred to in rumours as the Apple Vision Air. The project is likely to end in September after discussions about shutting it down reportedly began earlier this year.
If the report is accurate, it suggests Apple’s plans for a more affordable Vision headset may have changed significantly.
The display was expected to be one of the biggest ways Apple could reduce the headset’s price. Previous reports suggested the cheaper model would use lower-resolution panels than the current Vision Pro to help bring manufacturing costs down without completely redesigning the device.
Interestingly, the report doesn’t blame the display technology itself. Instead, it claims Apple is prioritising the development of AI-powered smart glasses over another mixed-reality headset, making it more of a strategic shift than a technical setback.
That lines up with rumours that have been circulating for some time. Reports last year suggested Apple was putting greater focus on lightweight smart glasses rather than expanding the Vision Pro family.
There’s still plenty of uncertainty, though. While Samsung has reportedly ended work on Apple’s display project, it plans to continue developing similar lower-cost micro-OLED panels for its own XR products. That suggests the company isn’t abandoning the technology itself.
It’s also worth treating the AI explanation with some caution. The Elec attributes the decision to Apple’s growing focus on AI hardware, but doesn’t provide any evidence that Apple has officially cancelled the cheaper headset as a result of those efforts. It’s equally possible the company is simply reallocating resources between multiple long-term projects.
For now, Apple’s spatial computing ambitions don’t appear to be disappearing altogether. But if the latest report is correct, buyers hoping for a more affordable Vision headset may have a much longer wait than expected.
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