Category: Technologies

The Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola is a welcome surprise. It’s aimed at corporate types with a PC, especially if it’s a ThinkPad. I’m not a business executive, nor do I own a PC, and yet after testing it for a few weeks, the ThinkPhone has become my favorite Motorola smartphone in years. And as the Tyler Perry-esque name suggests, the phone is made by Motorola and its parent company, Lenovo.

The ThinkPhone has personality, unlike many Motorola phones in the past few years. It’s more than just a bunch of tech specs voted on by marketing research participants and packaged together at a low price. And with phones, like dogs and pigs, personality goes a long way. The ThinkPhone is reminiscent of 2017-’20 era Motorola designs that made me appreciate how much value a Moto phone can pack compared to devices from Google, Samsung and, at the time, LG.

At $700 (which converts roughly to 565, AU$1,060), the Lenovo ThinkPhone is an incredible value. It has a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, (which feels speedy despite being a generation old), a 5,000-mAh battery, 68-watt fast charging (with an included power brick) and a lovely 6.6-inch 144Hz display, all wrapped in the Lenovo ThinkPad’s pinstriped and refined aesthetic.

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Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola

Like

• Cohesive design
• Incredibly fast charging
• Cross functionality with PCs
• Incredible value for the price

Don’t like

• The cameras are good, but struggle in low light
• The Google Pixel 7 is $100 less

It runs Android 13 and has a number of nifty shortcuts and cross-platform utilities with Windows. The cross functionality isn’t limited to Lenovo ThinkPads. In fact, the ThinkPhone can work with most Windows computers released in the last few years.

The phone was first announced at CES earlier this year and sells unlocked on Motorola’s website as well as Lenono’s site and B2B enterprise sales channels. Perhaps the ThinkPhone’s biggest drawback is that the $600 Pixel 7 exists. While the ThinkPhone beats the Pixel 7 in most aspects, it lacks Google’s head-of-the-class computational photo processing and lower price. To be fair, a Pixel 7 with 256GB of storage (which matches what’s on the ThinkPhone) costs $700. And that tips things in Motorola’s favor.

Buy the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola for $700 $700 at Motorola

Lenovo ThinkPhone design and performance

The ThinkPhone has a similar design as Lenovo’s popular ThinkPad laptop line, down to the signature red button. For a new phone that’s likely the first in a new product line, the design feels refined and mature; mimicking the ThinkPad’s corporate look. There’s even a ThinkPhone by Motorola badge on the back that’s identical to the ThinkPad logo. The diagonal aramid fiber weave inlay on the back gives the smartphone a sophisticated look and feels great in hand.

The phone is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance and can survive being submerged in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes; about 5 feet. But don’t worry, it also comes with a case.

The 6.6-inch display looks good, even under bright light. Its refresh rate can go up to 144Hz. What I did is leave it on “auto,” which switches the refresh rate by up to 120Hz depending on what’s on your screen. Under the screen is an optical fingerprint reader, which worked well.

The phone runs last year’s Snapdragon chip instead of the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip found in the OnePlus 11 or Galaxy S23. And to be precise, it’s the plus variant that debuted last summer. It’s a savvy way to balance powerful performance and excellent efficiency while keeping the price down. I wish more companies would use last year’s premium processor to help lower the cost. In fact, Motorola’s upcoming Razr Plus runs on the same chip, which I’m certain helps keep its price down.

Essentially, this is a Motorola phone that runs on a close-to-stock version of Android 13 with a few enhancements like Moto UX, shortcuts and features like GameTime, a mode that minimizes distractions during game play. It has Microsoft Office preinstalled and that’s where that red button on the side seems most at home. I can use the button with Microsoft Teams’ push to talk feature or program it for another shortcut. It’s a lovely addition that makes the phone more unique than its Motorola Edge cousins. I used the button to trigger the audio recorder app.

Performance was generally fast and smooth, aside from one minor “bug” I found during my testing. When I rotated the phone between a horizontal and vertical position, occasionally content stayed in landscape even though the ThinkPhone was vertical. (And no, the orientation lock wasn’t on.)

The ThinkPhone handled gaming well when I played titles like PUBG Mobile, Super Mario Run, Alto’s Odyssey and Genshin Impact, especially in Motorola’s nifty GameTime mode. Remember the phone’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip is the same one that debuted on last year’s Asus ROG Phone 6.

Everyday tasks were peppy, as were running Motorola’s Ready For connectivity tools, some of which have been repackaged as Think 2 Think (get it?) to connect to PCs, monitors and TVs. For example, I copied and pasted text and photos from the phone to a ThinkPad laptop and used the ThinkPhone’s 50-megapixel main rear camera for a video call I took on the ThinkPad. The image looked good.

I was also able to pull up the ThinkPhone’s screen on a ThinkPad. There was the occasional lag but overall it worked OK. I can’t think of when I’d want my phone’s display to appear on my laptop or what I’d use that for exactly.

Like most Motorola devices, the ThinkPhone has Lenovo’s ThinkShield, which helps with data privacy. There are also utilities for remote management that are obviously aimed at a company’s IT team. While cross-platform compatibility isn’t unique to Motorola and Lenovo, the ThinkPhone and ThinkPad work together closer to what Apple does with its iPhone and Mac than other Android and Windows devices.

Since software productivity tools are vital to the ThinkPhone’s entire premise, it’s nice to see Motorola and Lenovo commit to three years of major OS updates and four years of security updates. That puts it on par with what Google promises for its Pixel phones and just behind Samsung, which offers four years of Android upgrades.

Lenovo ThinkPhone battery and charging

Supplying the proverbial gas is a big battery that easily lasts a day and then some. I ran a 45-minute endurance test that consisted of playing games, streaming video, making a video call and scrolling social media to see how much the battery would drain after a full charge. After the test, the ThinkPhone’s battery was at 96%, which is the best result on any phone we’ve tested this year. By comparison, the Pixel 7 dropped to 94% and the Samsung Galaxy S23’s battery drained down to 91% in the same test.

I also streamed a lovely YouTube video of a train ride through the Alps to see how much a full battery would drop over the course of three hours. As you can see in the results below, the ThinkPhone fared better than the Pixel 7 and Galaxy S23, which had identical results. It’s curious since the ThinkPhone has a higher resolution QHD display compared to the Pixel and Galaxy phones, which have lower resolution FHD Plus screens.

If all that battery heft still isn’t enough for your spreadsheet macros and Zoom marathon needs, the ThinkPhone has fast charging. And when I say fast, I truly mean it. The ThinkPhone comes with a 68W wall charger in the box. The ThinkPhone went from an empty battery to 92% in 30 minutes, making it one of the fastest-charging phones sold in the US. For perspective, the similarly priced iPhone 14 only added 42% in the same amount of time.

If you forget that lovely charger at home, you can use the ThinkPhone’s wireless charging to top off your battery. In 30 minutes, the battery went from 6% to 43%. For comparison, the new Pixel 7A wirelessly charged its battery from 37% to 47% in the same amount of time.

The ThinkPhone’s cameras, wrap-up

There are two cameras on the back, a 50-megapixel main one and a 32-megapixel ultrawide, which can double as a macro camera. Photos from the ThinkPhone are good, especially when taken under bright lighting. There’s a noticeable step down in quality when photographing in dimmer environments. Check out some of my favorite ThinkPhone photos below.

The ThinkPhone can record videos up to 8K resolution at 30 frames per second. The image quality in photos is definitely better than videos you record, which is fine as long as filming videos isn’t a priority. But video image quality suffers when recording under low light. Overall, this isn’t meant to be a camera forward device but should be more than capable of capturing everyday snaps.

With everything considered, the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola is a lovely surprise that’s competitive with some of the best Android phones you can buy. While it’s designed to be a business-minded phone, it doesn’t act much differently than a regular consumer phone. It definitely has a lot in common with the more expensive Motorola Edge Plus that came out last month, but the ThinkPhone’s lower price makes it a much better value. It even bests the Edge Plus in our battery and charging tests.

How we test phones

Every phone tested by CNET’s reviews team was actually used in the real world. We test a phone’s features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it’s bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s performance to the extremes using both standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.

All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily as well as running a series of battery drain tests.

We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds and foldable displays among others that can be useful. And we balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever its price is, actually represents good value.

If you’re looking to buy one of the best phones out there, Apple consistently tops our list of great options with its latest iPhone, year after year. Likewise, its various Apple Watch models are often featured on our list of best smartwatches. But Apple devices come at a premium, often costing significantly more than competing brands. However, if you don’t mind a preowned device, you can get a great deal on refurbished Apple products. Woot currently has a variety of refurbished Apple Watches and iPhones to choose from, which can save you hundreds versus buying from Apple directly.

The majority of the devices you’ll find at this sale are listed as “Grade A” refurbs. According to Woot, that means that these items have been tested to be in full working condition and will show minimal signs of cosmetic wear and tear. Batteries are also tested to function at minimum 85% capacity.

While this sale doesn’t include Apple’s most up-to-date flagship phone — the iPhone 14 — there are still some great phones worth checking out. The previous-gen iPhone 13 lineup remains a solid option for most people, and if you want to save on a really recent model, Woot has the large iPhone 13 Pro Max available at a good price. It has an impressive 6.7-inch display, 128GB of storage and you can get it in several color variants for $860 right now, which saves you $239 over its initial list price.

If you want to spend a little less, the iPhone 12 is still an excellent phone that’s more than sufficient for most people, thanks to its 5G capabilities, OLED display and powerful A14 Bionic chip. It’s a great value starting at just $380, which is over $200 less than buying new from Apple directly, or $340 for the iPhone 12 Mini. In our iPhone 14 review, CNET’s Patrick Holland said there isn’t a compelling reason to upgrade to the iPhone 14 from the iPhone 12, meaning this is still a great phone for a lot of folks today.

On the smartwatch side, the Apple Watch Series 7 from 2021 is the latest model, available from $230. Outside of the temperature sensor and crash detection features found on the Series 8, the older Series 7 has basically the same display, battery life, connectivity and features making it a solid option in 2023. The first-gen Apple Watch SE is available for even less — just $160 — and it will still work well for the average user and is a good bargain for someone just testing the waters with their first Apple Watch.

Overall, these are some of the best value Apple deals you’ll find right now. These offers will end tonight, June 14. However, many of the refurbished models have already sold out, so we recommend acting sooner rather than later.

The Nothing Phone 2, the next version of UK brand Nothing’s Android phone, will launch July 11, the company said in a teaser posted Tuesday on Twitter. The teaser encourages people to “come to the bright side” and points to Nothing’s website.

The Nothing Phone 2 is expected to be a more high-end phone than the first version. Nothing has already confirmed it’ll include Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.

The phone brand, which was launched by OnePlus founder Carl Pei in 2020, is relatively new to the market but has already gained attention for its affordable price and design. Pei tweeted Tuesday that the next operating system, Nothing OS 2.0, will also be launching to Nothing Phone 1 users by the end of August.

CNET’s Andrew Lanxon admired the Nothing Phone 1, a 5G device, for its “unique, flashy design” and “solid processor and camera performance.”

On the Nothing 1’s 399 price tag, Lanxon said, “It’s a low price, but what you get is a phone that feels like a premium product.”

Watch this: Nothing Phone 1 Is a Superb, Affordable Phone

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Will the Nothing Phone 2 be available in the US?

Unlike its predecessor, the Phone 2 will launch in the US alongside its release in the UK and Europe. There’s no word yet on what price point it will be offered at, or whether you’ll be able to get the phone through a carrier.

While the Nothing 1 did not launch in the US, you can get your hands on a beta of the company’s first phone for $299. However, CNET’s Mike Sorrentino said that just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. The phone mainly supports 4G, limiting carrier compatibility, and some apps may not function properly with the beta.

If you’re looking for a new phone, here are CNET’s lists on the best phones you should buy right now and the best Android phones of 2023.

At WWDC 2023, Apple announced the Vision Pro AR/VR headset, which offered an impressive amount of technology and an equally imposing $3,500 price tag. Yet one of the things that helps the Vision Pro stand out from cheaper products from Valve and Meta is the use of a new type of display called micro-OLED. More than just a rebranding by the marketing experts at Apple, micro-OLED is a variation on the screen technology which has become a staple of best TV lists over the last few years.

Micro-OLED’s main difference from “traditional” OLED is right in the name. Featuring far smaller pixels, micro-OLED has the potential for much, much higher resolutions than traditional OLED: think 4K TV resolutions on chips the size of postage stamps. Until recently, the technology has been used in things like electronic viewfinders in cameras, but the latest versions are larger and even higher resolution, making them perfect for AR and VR headsets.

Here’s an in-depth look at this tech and where it could be used in the future.

What’s OLED?

OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode. The term “organic” means the chemicals that help the OLED create light incorporate the element carbon. The specific chemicals beyond that don’t matter much, at least to us end-users, but suffice it to say when they’re supplied with a bit of energy, they create light. You can read more about how OLED works in this article: What Is OLED and What Can It Do for Your TV?

The benefit of OLED in general is that it creates its own light. So unlike LED LCD TVs, which currently make up the rest of the TV market, each pixel can be turned on and off. When off, they emit no light. You can’t make an LED LCD pixel totally dark unless you turn off the backlight altogether, and this means OLED’s contrast ratio, or the difference between the brightest and darkest part of an image, is basically infinite in comparison.

OLED TVs, almost all manufactured by LG, have been on the market for several years. Meanwhile, Samsung Display has recently introduced OLED TVs that also feature quantum dots (QD-OLED), which offer even higher brightness and potentially greater color. These QD-OLEDs are sold by Samsung, Sony, and, in computer monitor form, Alienware.

Micro-OLED, aka OLED on Silicon

Micro-OLED, also known as OLEDoS and OLED microdisplays, is one of the rare cases where the tech is exactly as it sounds: tiny OLED “micro” displays. In this case, not only are the pixels themselves smaller, but the entire “panels” are smaller. This is possible thanks to advancements in manufacturing, including mounting the display-making segments in each pixel directly to a silicone chip. This enables pixels to be much, much smaller .

If we take a look at Apple’s claims, we can estimate how small these pixels really are. Firstly, Apple says the twin displays in the Vision Pro include “More pixels than a 4K TV. For each eye” or “23 million pixels.” A 4K TV is 3,840×2,160, or 8,294,400 pixels, so that should equate to around 11,500,000 pixels per eye for the Apple screens.

Next, Apple partnered with Sony (or maybe TSMC) to create these micro-OLED displays and they are approximately 1-inch in size. To calculate the size of each pixel I’m going to use 32-inch 4K TVs as a comparison, and these boast about 138 pixels per inch (ppi). We don’t know the aspect ratio of the chips in the Vision Pro, but if they’re a square 3,400×3,400 resolution that would be a total of 11,560,000 pixels, so that’s a safe bet. So, if that’s the case, these displays have a ppi of around 4,808(!) and that’s more than almost anything else on the market, and that’s by a lot. Even the high-resolution OLED screen on the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a ppi of “only” 500. Regardless of the panel’s production aspect ratio, the ppi is going to be impressive. Apple didn’t respond immediately to CNET’s request for clarification.

AR and VR microdisplays are so close to your eyes that they need to be extremely high performance in order to be realistic. They need extreme resolution so you don’t see the pixels, they need high contrast ratios so they look realistic, and they need high framerates to minimize the chance of motion blur and motion sickness. In addition, being in portable devices means they need to be able to do all that with low power consumption. Micro-OLED seems able to do all of these, but at a cost. Literally a cost. The Vision Pro is the most high-profile use of the high-end of the technology and it costs $3,500.

The Micro-OLED technology isn’t particularly new, having been available in some form for over a decade. Sony has been using them in camera viewfinders for several years, as have Canon and Nikon. Like all display techs, however, micro-OLED has evolved quite a bit over the years. The displays in the Vision Pro, for instance, are huge and very high resolution for a micro-OLED display.

How is micro-OLED different from MicroLED? Despite the fact that they’re written slightly differently, they are superficially similar in the way they are both self-emitting, or can make their own light. But on a more in-depth level, the differences between the carbon-based OLED and the non-carbon LED are sadly beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say right now, MicroLED is better suited for large, wall-sized displays using individual pixels made up of LEDs. Micro-OLED is better suited for tiny, high-resolution displays. This isn’t to say that MicroLED can’t be used in smaller displays, and we’ll likely see some eventually. But for now they’re different tools for different uses.

The future is micro?

Where else will we see micro-OLED? At MWC 2023, Xiaomi announced its AR Glass Discovery Edition featured the technology, and future high-end VR headsets from Meta, HTC and others will likely use it. Currently, a company named Engo is using a tiny micro-OLED projector to display speed and other data on the inside of its AR sunglasses. I know I sure don’t need these, but I want them. Then there’s the many mirrorless and other cameras that have been using micro-OLED viewfinders for years.

Could we see ultra-ultra-ultra high-resolution TVs with this new technology? Technically, it’s possible but highly unlikely. Macro micro-OLED is just OLED. The resolutions possible using more traditional OLED manufacturing are more than enough for a display that’s 10 feet from your eyeballs. However, it’s possible micro-OLED might find its way into wearables and other portable devices where its size, resolution and efficiency will be an asset. That’s likely why LG, Samsung Display, Sony and others are all working on micro-OLED.

Will ultra-thin, ultra-high resolution micro-OLED displays compete in a market with ultra-thin, ultra-high resolution nanoLED? Could be. We shall see.

As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines and a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

The evolution of VR and AR is in major flux, and right now Apple’s bleeding-edge, ultra-expensive Vision Pro headset is sitting at the top of the heap — and it’s not even expected to arrive until 2024.

After a demo at WWDC, I came away instantly impressed at how the Vision Pro hardware synthesized so much of what I’ve seen in VR and AR over the last five years. But this time it was all done with Retina Display-level resolution and smooth, easy hand-tracking finesse. At $3,499 (around 2,800 or AU$5,300 converted), Apple’s hardware is priced far beyond VR headsets like the Meta Quest 2, and also aims to be a full computer experience in AR (as well as VR, even though Apple doesn’t outright acknowledge it).

Even so, there are notable absences from the Vision Pro, at least based on what Apple presented at WWDC. I had expectations as to what Apple might make the killer apps and features for its spatial computer headset, and only some of them materialized. Maybe others will emerge as we get closer to Apple’s 2024 headset release, or get introduced via software updates much like Meta has done with the Quest over time.

Still, I’m surprised they’re not already part of the Vision Pro experience. To me, they’ll eventually make everything I saw work even better.

Read more: Best VR Headsets of 2023

Fitness

The Meta Quest’s best feature, other than games, is its ability to be a portable exercise machine. Beat Saber was my pandemic home workout, and Meta’s acquisition of Within (maker of Supernatural, a subscription fitness app that pairs with the Apple Watch) indicates how much fitness is already a part of the VR landscape.

Apple is a prime candidate to fuse VR, AR, fitness and health and take the experience far beyond what Meta has done. Apple already has the Apple Watch and Apple Health and Fitness Plus subscription workouts. And yet, the Vision Pro has no announced fitness or health apps yet, except for a sitting-still Meditation app that’s more of a breathing prompt.

Even more puzzling: The Vision Pro seemingly doesn’t work with the Apple Watch at all. This could change. Maybe Apple is waiting to discuss this aspect next year. Or, maybe, it will arrive with a future version of the Vision hardware.

Some VR sporting game app makers are already announcing ports for the Vision Pro, including Golf Plus, an app that works in VR with controllers. The assumption, for now, is that these apps will find a way to work just using eye and hand tracking.

Apple didn’t even demonstrate that much active motion inside the Vision Pro; my demos were mostly seated, except for a final walk-around experience where I looked at a dinosaur up close.

Is the dangling battery pack part of the concern? The headset’s weight? Or is Apple starting with computing interfaces first and adding fitness later?

iPhone, iPad and Watch compatibility

Speaking of fitness and the Apple Watch, I always imagined Apple’s AR headset would emphasize seamless compatibility with all of its products. Apple didn’t exactly do that with the Vision Pro, either.

The Vision Pro will work as a monitor-extending device with Macs, providing high-res virtual displays in a similar way that headsets like the Quest 2, Quest Pro and others already do. I didn’t get to try using the Vision Pro with a Mac, and I didn’t get to use a trackpad or keyboard, either. The Vision Pro will work with Magic Trackpads and Magic Keyboards to add physical trackpad/typing input options, again, like other VR/AR headsets, in addition to onboard eye- and hand-tracking.

And yet, the Vision Pro won’t interface directly with iPhones, iPads or the Apple Watch. Not yet, at least.

The Vision Pro primarily runs iPad-type apps. This is why the iPad Pro seems to be the best computer companion to the Vision Pro: it has a keyboard, a trackpad, built-in motion tracking that’s already AR-friendly, front and rear depth-sensing cameras that could possibly help with 3D scanning environments or faces, and it has a touchscreen and Pencil stylus.

Apple is emphasizing that the Vision Pro is a self-contained computer that doesn’t need other devices. That’s understandable, and most of Apple’s cloud services, like FaceTime, will work so that the Vision Pro will essentially absorb most iPhone and iPad features. Yet I don’t understand why iPhones, iPads and Watches wouldn’t be welcome input accessories. Their touchscreens and motion controls could help them act as remotes or physical-feedback devices, in a similar way to how Qualcomm is already looking at the relationship between phones and AR glasses. I hold up my iPhone all the time to enter passwords on the Apple TV. I seamlessly drop photos, links and text from my iPhone over to my Mac.

Touchscreens could act as virtual keyboards. Drawing on the iPad could mirror a 3D art interface. With Apple’s already excellent passthrough cameras, iPhone, iPad and Watch displays could become interactive second screens, tactile interfaces that sprout extra parts in AR. Also, there’s the value of haptics and physical feedback.

No haptics

The buzzing, tapping and rumbling feelings we get on our phones, watches and game controllers, those are feedback tools I’ve really connected with when I go into VR. The PlayStation VR 2 even has rumbling feedback in its headset. The Vision Pro, with eye and hand tracking, has no controllers. And no haptic feedback. I’ve been fascinated by the future of haptics — I saw a lot of experimental solutions earlier this year. For now, Apple is sitting out on haptic solutions for Vision Pro.

When I use iPhones and the Watch, I feel those little virtual clicks as reminders of when I’ve opened something, or when information comes in. I feel them as extensions of my perceptual field. In VR, it’s the same way. Apple’s pinch-based hand tracking technically has some physical sensation when your own fingers touch each other, but nothing will buzz or tap to let you know something is happening beyond your field of view — in another open app, for instance, or behind you in an immersive 3D environment.

Microsoft made a similar decision with the HoloLens by only having in-air hand tracking, but former AR head Alex Kipman told me years ago that haptics were part of the HoloLens roadmap.

Apple already has haptic devices; the Apple Watch, for example. All those iPhones, too. I’m surprised the Vision Pro doesn’t already have a solution for haptics. But maybe it’s also on its roadmap?

Will there ever be other accessories like the Pencil?

One of the wildest parts about a mixed-reality future is how it can blend virtual and real tools together, or even invent tools that don’t exist. I’ve had my VR controllers act like they’re morphing into objects that feel like they’re an extension of my body. Some companies like Logitech have already developed in-air 3D styluses for creative work in VR and AR.

Apple’s Vision Pro demos didn’t show off any creative apps beyond the collaborative Freeform, and nothing that showed how 3D inputs could be improved with handheld tools.

Maybe Apple is starting off by emphasizing the power of just eyes and hands here, similar to how Steve Jobs initially refused to give the iPad a stylus. But the iPad has a Pencil now, and it’s an essential art tool for many people. Dedicated physical peripherals are helpful, and Apple has none with its Vision Pro headset (yet). I do like VR controllers, and Meta’s clever transforming Quest Pro controllers can be flipped around to become writing tools with an added stylus tip. As a flood of creative apps arrive on the Vision Pro in 2024, will Apple address possibilities for dedicated accessories? Will the Vision Pro allow for easy pairing of them? Hopefully, yes.

The Apple Vision Pro is a long way from arriving, and there’s still so much we don’t know. As Apple’s first AR/VR headset evolves, however, these key aspects should be kept in mind, because they’ll be incredibly important ways to expand how the headset feels useful and flexible for everyone.