Apple Vision Pro was launched in the US in April, and the company's first mixed reality headset is now available in a handful of countries, excluding India. Reports suggest that the company is already working on a more affordable version of the Vision Pro headset, which is priced at an eye watering $3,499 (roughly Rs. 2.95 lakh) in the US. A publication has now revealed one of the components Apple might opt for in order to deliver an inexpensive version of the mixed reality headset.
Apple Could Use Samsung's Display Technology for More Affordable Vision Pro Headset
A report in The Elec, citing industry sources, states that Apple is looking to switch to a less expensive display technology that has a higher pixel density, for the company's next mixed reality headset. Apple is expected to launch a headset that is more affordable than the first-generation Vision Pro model, and is reportedly considering two display technologies for the device.
Apple is expecting to equip the purported headset with a display panel that has a pixel density of 1,500ppi, as per the report. This is just over half of the pixel density of the one used on the Vision Pro (3,391ppi).
The more affordable panel would still have a considerably higher pixel density than most display panels used on smartphones today. According to the publication, Apple could use a technology called White OLED with Color Filter (W-OLED+CF) which is a less expensive version of the OLED on Silicon (OLEDoS) panel used on the Apple Vision Pro.
The color filter component would be used to form the colors from the White OLED board, as per the report. While the Vision Pro uses an OLEDoS panel that comprises a silicon plate, the more affordable headset would need to use a panel that is built using a glass plate.
Apple is reportedly attempting to design the color filter component in such a way that it is located on the thin-film encapsulation of a single glass sheet, instead of using a second sheet and increasing the overall thickness of the panel.
Samsung is expected to be the supplier for these W-OLED+CF panels with a high pixel density, based on Apple's specifications, according to the report. Earlier this week, TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple's affordable version of the Vision Pro would be delayed beyond 2027, which means that we might not learn more about the purported headset for several months.