Sander Saar, founder of AgentCDN, making videos work inside AI

Transcript

1. 0:00

   I've been regularly using Apple Vision Pro for the past year and a half, Samsung Galaxy XR for the last 2 weeks, and Meta Quest 3 for more than 2 years as my baseline. Here are the conclusions. For 90% of people, Meta Quest 3 at $500, it's the lightest headset, widest third-party accessory ecosystem, biggest game library, works for productivity, and you can buy 7 of them for the price of one Vision Pro. It's a smart choice. But if you're in the Apple ecosystem and work is a priority and you want the absolute best, than Vision Pro.

2. 0:28

   Mac integration is seamless, text is crystal clear, and it just works as the best portable monitor as well as the highest-end entertainment experience with Apple Immersive Video and spatial audio with AirPods Pro. $3,500 Is a pro price, but for mobile productivity, nothing gets close. If you're a Windows user who wants a premium display for PCVR and SteamVR and you can tolerate imperfect beta software, then Galaxy XR at $1,800.

3. 0:53

   It's got the best displays technically, open Android platform allows sideloading, but software is rough, content is lackluster, and comfort is a hit or miss. It's not ready for daily use yet. If you're interested in how I got here, let's dive in. First, here's what's useful to know for context. For price, one Vision Pro can get you almost 2 Galaxy XR devices or 7 Quest 3 devices. There's a massive difference between $500 and $3,500.

4. 1:18

   For weight, they all have about a 50-gram difference in weight. Vision Pro being the heaviest with glass and metal build at 621 grams plus external battery pack. Galaxy XR is about 54 grams lighter at 567 grams. It's still premium but mostly plastic build and requires an external battery pack like Vision Pro. And Quest 3 is another 47 grams lighter at 520 grams. These are substantial differences and matter for comfort.

5. 1:43

   For displays, Galaxy XR has the highest resolution by 3552 by 3840 pixels per eye, at 90Hz with Micro OLED and about 109 degrees field of view. For Vision Pro, it's about 3660 by 3200 pixels per eye, up to 120Hz refresh rate, also Micro OLED, but narrower 100 degrees field of view. And for Quest 3, they have an LCD display at 2064 by 2208 pixels, up to 120Hz, though it's not sustained, but it's got the widest field of view at 110 degrees.

6. 2:17

   For operating system, Galaxy XR runs Android XR, which is the first device ever to launch with it. Quest 3 runs Meta Horizon OS, which is actually also based on Android open-source version, and Vision Pro runs Apple's proprietary Vision OS. Let's get into comfort, which isn't about specs but how you feel when you're wearing it. Meta Quest 3 is the lightest. It's got built-in strap that's decent for sit-down experiences, even workouts for up to half an hour to an hour. But the big advantage here is that you can swap it out to any third-party straps from companies like BoboVR and others.

7. 2:46

   There's tons of options to customize a fit that's perfect for you. Apple Vision Pro is the heaviest. When it launched, it felt heavy, specifically front-heavy, and it was tiring on your neck. But you got used to it, but you certainly felt it. Apple has since released the new dual-knit band, which cross-strapped also on your head, and a rare weight balance. Now it's actually the most comfortable one for me of all of them. Even before, I've done 3 to 4-hour sessions multiple times.

8. 3:11

   As long as you can rest your head back, it kind of feels okay. And yes, you can also use third-party bands. There's growing third-party accessory market. Galaxy XR sits in the middle with 545 But here's the problem: it's got a fixed rigid headband that you cannot replace or swap. For some people online, they say it's the most comfortable headset they've ever worn, but equally as many people say, and myself included, that it's not good. I get this intense pressure specifically on the sides of my head after about 15 or 20 minutes of wearing it, like the forehead pinching feeling.

9. 3:42

   The rear knob also gets in the way when I'm leaning back on the couch or on the bed, and because you can't swap the headband, If it doesn't fit your shape, you're stuck. So make sure to try it before you buy the Galaxy XR. Let's get into the operating system interface and interactions, because this is what you see when you put it on. It makes or breaks your daily use. Vision Pro really set the standard for everybody else. Eye tracking plus pinch gestures. You look where you want, select, tap your fingers.

10. 4:07

    And I've tested it with preschoolers and people in their 60s, and everybody just gets it within minutes. It's intuitive and it just works. The crucial part is that it works across every single app, native visionOS apps and iPad apps in compatibility mode. The interaction is identical and seamless, and window anchoring is rock solid. When you place something, it stays put, doesn't jitter, float, or move at all. It's rock solid. Also, your hands seamlessly blend with the interface.

11. 4:32

    There's no weird cartoon hands or cutouts that are kind of lagging behind. Quest 3 has hand tracking where you can use your hand as a laser pointer. But here's the catch. While it works quite well, most apps don't support hand tracking. They have to have separately integrated into the app. So for most experiences, you have to pick up the controllers in order to even open the app or use the app. The controllers, however, work great, but the inconsistency between those experiences is annoying.

12. 4:58

    Galaxy XR has both eye tracking and hand tracking, but it's confusing. When you launch an app, it often says the experience does not support eye tracking and forces you back to the hand tracking like Quest devices. You're constantly switching modes and it's, the system itself is never really sure of the input method. And this is not good for first-time users. Also, when both are enabled, it gets consistently confused whether you're pinching with your eyes or you're pointing with your hands.

13. 5:23

    There's lots of missed taps for me. Eye tracking sometimes feels unsure, and you can see this flickering interface of switching between buttons. In the beta, they also support hand occlusion, which you can actually see your hands in the content itself, but it really shows how underpowered this device is due to the lags and imperfect cutouts. For precise controls on Galaxy XR, you can buy controllers which cost extra $250, and they do have some cool touch-sensitive areas for scrolling menus, which are neat features, but it's an add-on that you need to buy separately.

14. 5:52

    The tracking and visual user experience is all driven by the performance underneath. Vision Pro runs a desktop-grade M5 chip. It's kind of a MacBook Pro-level performance on your face, plus dedicated R1 chip just for tracking. If you look at the Geekbench scores, M5 is 7 times more powerful than the Quest 3 device. In real-world use, it means zero lag, 120Hz refresh rate, buttery smooth performance, and windows stay exactly where you put them.

15. 6:18

    More importantly, that raw power is in foveated rendering, how the headset renders what you're looking at in your peripheral vision. Vision Pro's R1 chip makes foveated rendering instantaneous and imperceptible. Galaxy XR has Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 processor, which is about 40% faster than the Quest 3's chip, but it feels jittery and laggy with multiple windows open, for example, and the interface constantly floats, tries to recorrect its position.

16. 6:47

    So when I turn my head, things drift out of place just a little bit and then slowly correct itself. The foveated rendering is also a little bit slower and more noticeable. Quest 3 runs XR2 Gen 2, the previous generation processor, which is a mobile-level performance, but Meta has had 2 years to optimize it. Things stay locked in, occasional jumping when you first place them, but then it's rock solid. As with cameras and passthrough performance, Galaxy XR and Vision Pro are very close.

17. 7:13

    Both are crisp in good lighting, and both also struggle in low light with a lot of grain. Quest 3 is grainier overall, and you can't really read your phone through it like you can do with Galaxy XR and Vision Pro devices. Now to the actual use cases, and first up, work and productivity. Vision Pro has been my default travel desk. Mac Virtual Display now supports standard, wide, and ultrawide. Think 2 5K monitors wrapped around you in 32:9 aspect ratio.

18. 7:40

    Continuity means that your Mac keyboard and trackpad just work across everything, not just in your Mac apps, but also in your Vision Pro native apps. Audio is streamed natively through Vision Pro. As soon as you look at the MacBook, a connect badge appears. You tap on the connection. There's no need for standalone Wi-Fi. It works offline on planes. And Apple now also offloads a lot of the processing to the MacBook for higher resolution images. So the entire visual image is crystal clear, not just the foveated rendering portion where you're looking at.

19. 8:10

    That's where the ecosystem advantage truly shines. It's still heavy. I don't recommend really marathon sessions with it, but for 1 to 2 hours working blocks or working on a plane, it's the best portable monitor I've tried. And it also provides you privacy in public spaces, which is another bonus. You do get all the native Apple Notes, Reminders, Mails, etc., as well as Microsoft Suite on the device, but limited to other third-party productivity apps.

20. 8:35

    Galaxy XR is an open platform and promising, However, not-finished Android XR operating system feels like Android in your space. It works great if you live in the Google world. You get YouTube, Chrome, Google Photos, Maps, Gemini that can see your view. You can circle to search and real objects. While confusingly, as with all Samsung and Google collaborations, everything seems doubled. You get the same set of Samsung browser, Samsung Photos, Samsung Notes, and so on.

21. 9:01

    However, there are some notable launches coming to Galaxy XR, like the Project Pulsar from Adobe for spatial video editing. But it still looks very basic and not really usable for content creation. And most even Google apps are not optimized for the headset. But for work, PC Link for Galaxy Book exists, but it's clunky. I've not tested it myself, but almost all reviews online unanimously say it's clunky, missing mouse pointer overlays. It's got single fixed resolution virtual display that is just HD.

22. 9:29

    You can't scale up to ultrawide, and anchor stability is bad, and text crispiness are a notch below Apple Vision Pro. On Windows generally, the best results come with Virtual Desktop for high-resolution desktop and PC VR streaming. The displays are seemingly technically excellent, but the software integration isn't there yet. Quest 3 is shockingly capable. For $500, Quest 3 is legitimately useful for productivity. Workrooms for meetings, whiteboards, focus screens.

23. 9:56

    This is the most developed remote collaboration tool. And it works so well with low-latency spatial audio, Mixed Reality Link for Windows 11 is now built in with multiple monitor views. For Mac, there's also Meta Remote Desktop app that works seamlessly and connects as easily by just being on the same network. However, it is not as sharp due to low resolution for working with smaller tiny text, but it is still usable. There's noticeable mouse lag when compared to working on Vision Pro.

24. 10:24

    So the ranking for work is Vision Pro. If you're on a Mac, there's nothing that matches it. Quest 3, which is incredible value for Windows users but also Mac users. And Galaxy XR, I would say wait for major updates. Now entertainment, which is the second major use case for me. If you care about premium theater experience, Vision Pro wins hands down. Apple Immersive Video brings unparalleled 180-degree 3D 8K with spatial audio.

25. 10:49

    It's truly jaw-dropping every single time. Sports, concerts, documentaries. You can pair it with your AirPods Pro for Dolby Atmos It's kind of like portable IMAX, or actually even feels better. Every 2D screen after watching something on Vision Pro feels old. I love the short-form nature content, but I also love the longer documentaries and MotoGP. Watching Formula 1 with 3D track in front of you, having the driver's first-person view together with a broadcast stream, it's truly differentiated and amazing experience.

26. 11:18

    And Apple understood early on that they couldn't just deliver the headset. They have to create an entire ecosystem. They developed cameras with Blackmagic. They got certified lenses with Canon. They built the new video format to deliver that content that's now adapted by Meta as well. It's incredibly high fidelity. For your own content, Vision Pro is also unbeatable. Spatial videos from your iPhone look incredible. Spatialize any existing photo on your device. It works every time.

27. 11:43

    Panoramas, they curve around you and it kind of brings you back into that moment and reliving your memories. But gaming? Vision Pro has minimal native games. Most are just like copycat versions of the Quest games, and that's clearly not a priority for developers. And Vision Pro does not support PCVR or SteamVR. There's no wireless streaming from your gaming PC. However, there are now some third-party apps like iVRY, which do have workarounds for PCVR and SteamVR gaming.

28. 12:12

    Galaxy XR has got gorgeous micro-OLED screens, their best displays technically. But that's where it ends. They rely fully on YouTube immersive VR 180-degree videos or the old 360 videos or 3D videos. Some of them are cool to demo, but the library quality is really uneven. The storytelling craft varies widely. Some videos make you sick because they're not shot using the best practices. They're either too close to the object, horizon is not level, and overall there were only about 12 newer titles on YouTube for VR 180 4K published in the last month.

29. 12:43

    And even those don't look very good. Samsung presented YouTube VR as this revolutionary app, but it's the same app that's been available on Quest for years within the same limited library of content. Creators aren't really investing in this format because some of those videos only get 1,000 to 2,000 views on their channels that normally get millions. Netflix looks like the Android tablet app on Galaxy XR, not even optimized for immersive environments, not to even talk about the content itself.

30. 13:09

    Samsung, however, did announce that exciting new fan experiences are coming from NBA, but there's no experiences available today. One of the most well-optimized experiences on Galaxy XR was Google Maps Immersive View, which was really fun to play around with. But due to low fidelity, I don't see myself using it much beyond the cool demo. But there's certainly a lot they can do there. For your own photos, Google Photos promises the same feature to spatialize existing images or turn them into video. However, it often failed on me, about 1 in 3 times.

31. 13:37

    And it didn't look as good as Apple Photos spatialized. But Galaxy XR can now also play 360 videos, which Vision Pro can't do, which is useful as I have quite a bit of 360 videos and 180-degree videos that I've recorded over time. This is really great to relive those memories. Gaming on Galaxy XR has got limited native catalog. Apps are pretty scarce, but PC VR via Virtual Desktop and SteamVR work well over streaming on Wi-Fi 7 based on latest reviews.

32. 14:04

    You do need controllers for that, which adds another $250. Meta Quest 3 has got the most mature gaming ecosystem by far. There's thousands of apps, exclusive titles like Batman: Arkham Shadow, Beat Saber, and all the classics. This is a true value winner. For content, most video streamers are also present on Quest, including Google's YouTube VR app with all the same content. Platform maturity and network effects really matter. PC VR and SteamVR streaming also work great on Quest 3 over Wi-Fi.

33. 14:30

    For movies, Quest is fine. It's less contrast than OLED, of course, but the LCD is good enough. It is lower resolution device, so don't expect cinema fidelity. Meta Quest does not synchronize with your Apple Photos or Google Photos, so you have to import them one by one to view them on the device. So overall, for entertainment, if you want premium cinema and your own spatial photos, Vision Pro. If you're into gaming and social content, Quest 3 is absolute winner. And potentially with great displays, Galaxy XR could be a good choice.

34. 14:58

    But there's no content to show for it today. Moving on to the third main use case, which is digital presence and collaboration. Vision Pro has spatial personas that look nearly photorealistic now, and they've been getting better with every single update. The latest one is using Gaussian splats, which makes a huge difference. Paired with industry-leading face and hand tracking, everything really feels and looks natural. They work seamlessly with Zoom, Teams, and 2D windows, but really when it comes to life is on FaceTime calls or other apps that support personas in your physical space rather than on a flat window.

35. 15:28

    SharePlay is great for co-watching, and nearby shared sessions really feel great. You don't have many people hanging out on Vision Pro unless they work in an enterprise, which seems to be their focus with only 500,000 units sold so far. Quest 3 has the biggest collaboration ecosystem. For business, Horizon Workrooms is mature. Spatial audio, low-latency whiteboards, screen sharing, and feeling presence with the animated cartoons is great. Most major VR social platforms are on Quest, like VRChat, Rec Rooms, and Meta's own Horizon Worlds.

36. 15:56

    This is where the action is. They've got the highest market share, which means there are actually people to meet. Over 10 million Quest devices in the world makes it, the shared experiences even viable. Galaxy XR has the Samsung cartoon avatars that look worse than Quest, both in fidelity and animation. Samsung and Google previewed the more realistic Spatial Personas in their demos, but those are not available yet. Google Meet exists as a video calling app, but there's no native immersive collaboration tools.

37. 16:21

    You'll just be a 2D character in a Google Meet box. I'm sure they're working on making it fully immersive, but the platform is too new and too small. The winner for collaboration and social category is Quest 3, simply because enough people own it. If you, your colleagues, and your friends are in the Apple ecosystem, then you'll not get a higher fidelity experience than Vision Pro. And Galaxy XR, it's just not ready yet. Many call augmented reality the interface of AI. Basically, AI adds a digital layer to the world around us.

38. 16:47

    Everything becomes searchable and interactive. And Galaxy XR stands on its own here. Gemini is deeply integrated throughout the operating system. Gemini Live sessions work well, where Gemini sees what you see. You can circle to search, which works on real-world objects, and it understands the context you're in. The implementation is the most visible on all 3 devices. But there's a disconnect. Gemini doesn't understand the device's own interface, guides you to wrong menus that sometimes don't even exist.

39. 17:15

    And Gemini Live can't take actions on your behalf. It can't actually use the headset for you. So it's useful in the same way as you can use it in the Gemini app on your phone. Since Galaxy XR isn't a device to take outside your house, the usefulness is pretty limited. Why would you circle to search objects in your own living room? Quest 3 has Meta AI, but it's not deeply integrated. Meta is putting the AI that sees what you see focus into their Ray-Ban Meta glasses for outdoor use.

40. 17:43

    Not the headset. And I'm sure they'll be bringing more of it in the future, but currently it's not a priority on Quest devices. And Vision Pro has no AI assistant presence at all. Apple Intelligence only exists on specific tasks like depth mapping on photos and persona creation, but there's no Siri equivalent for XR. It's absent. Looking at the future, XR finally has a healthy ecosystem from $500 Quest device to $3,500 Vision Pro.

41. 18:08

    That's the classic platform maturity curve: entry, mid-premium, and ultra-premium. But it's not just about the headsets. This is just the start, and we're gonna have multiple form factors in the future. As Mark Zuckerberg has explained, they're making Quest headsets on one hand the best possible experiences there could be in immersive experiences, and on the other hand, they're making the ultimate form factor in terms of glasses, trying to fit as much tech into it as possible and slowly building towards the device that is as capable as Quest but as small as Ray-Ban.

42. 18:37

    However, the more likely scenario is that we will have both, similarly as we have mobile phones and laptops. Headsets for high-performance workloads and glasses for all-day wear, just like we still have MacBooks even though we have iPhones. Different tools for different purposes. Meta is doing both, high-performance headsets and lightweight Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Google and Samsung announced that AR and AI glasses are coming in 2026, Apple is also expected to launch glasses in the next year or 2.

43. 19:05

    One thing I really wish for, I want Apple, Meta, Samsung, everyone to really integrate the Neuroband navigation and interactions. EMG wristbands that detect muscle and nerve signals so you don't need your hand movement and eye tracking at all. It's so much easier, more natural than controllers or hand tracking. Some startups are working on this, but none of the major players have integrated it yet. One thing to note when you're spending that much money is customer service matters. Meta's customer service has been okay for a few times I had to deal with it.

44. 19:32

    Returns were straightforward and support was responsive enough. Samsung is consistently bad based on the years of experience. They literally say easy returns on the Galaxy XR order page. In reality, I spent 2 hours on chat, talked to 3 different agents trying to upsell me with $180 refund to keep the device or fix the lagging performance remotely. They kept asking why I wanted to return it and finally charged a $90 restocking fee.

45. 19:58

    Nowhere on their website does it clearly state this. In their terms and conditions, they say some devices may have a 5-10% restocking fee. They're not transparent, not customer-friendly. Apple, of course, is the gold standard here. Returns are easy, no questions asked, no restocking fees. 14 Days, ship it back, and you get your refund. That's easy. Keep that in mind when you're deciding. Here's the bottom line: buy Meta Quest 3 if you want the best value. $500 Gets you 70% of the premium experience, especially if you value gaming and social experiences.

46. 20:27

    You want the lightest and most comfortable option. You want the biggest app library and the most mature platform. And you value PCVR and SteamVR streaming. Quest 3 is great for that. Buy an Apple Vision Pro if you're in the Apple ecosystem. You have a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. And work productivity is your primary use case with Mac Virtual Display, which truly is unmatched. You want the absolute best content, Apple Immersive Video with Spatial Photos. And of course, money isn't your primary concern and you want something that just works with zero tinkering.

47. 20:53

    Buy Samsung Galaxy XR if you're a Windows user who wants premium displays, you can tolerate some rough edges and beta software and are betting on future improvements, you want an open platform with sideloading, you want PCVR and SteamVR, and more importantly, you've actually tried it on to make sure the fixed headband works for your head. The best headset really is the one that matches what you actually use it for. Don't buy based on specs or future promises as MKBHD said. Buy based on what works today.

48. 21:18

    Thanks very much for watching, and I hope to see you next time.