Are speakers or headphones included with the Apple Vision Pro? What you NEED to know.
TL;DR: Does Apple Vision Pro have speakers or headphones?
- Short answer: Yes. The Apple Vision Pro has two speakers – one by each ear. 🔊
- AirPods: You can also use AirPods Pro (with USB-C case) if you prefer headphones. 🎧
- Formats: The Apple Vision Pro supports AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos. 🎶
The Apple Vision Pro comes packed with technology, including two main cameras, six tracking cameras, four eye tracking cameras, a TrueDepth camera, and more.
But what about its audio setup? Does the Apple Vision Pro come with built-in speakers or headphones? And what kind of audio formats does the Apple Vision Pro support?
Here’s what you need to know about the Apple Vision Pro’s audio capabilities…
Does the Apple Vision Pro Have Speakers?
Yes, the Apple Vision Pro has built-in speakers. Apple actually refers to them as “audio pods.” If you refer to the image above in this post, you can easily see one of the audio pods. It’s that oval-ish bump on the headband.
There is a left and a right audio pod and they direct sound towards your ears (they don’t cover them). The audio pods support Spatial Audio, which makes it sound like the sound you are hearing is coming from your surroundings.
Why Don’t the Audio Pods Cover the Ears?
It could just be a design choice on Apple’s part. Perhaps shifting the audio pods to be directly covering the ears would upset the delicate weight ratio of the device. Or perhaps having the audio pods directly over the ears would make the Apple Vision Pro look too goofy.
But another reason Apple may have chosen to make sure the audio pods don’t cover the ears on the Apple Vision Pro is so that the user can still be aware of their surroundings from real-world audio cues – like someone speaking to them.
Remember, Apple considers the Apple Vision Pro a spatial computer, and such devices are designed to meld the virtual and physical world so you can interact with people and objects in both. Blocking the ears with the audio pods would significantly hinder the wearer from still hearing people in their local surroundings.
Does the Apple Vision Pro Have Headphones?
No, the Apple Vision Pro does not have headphones. If you want to use the Apple Vision Pro out of the box, you are stuck using the audio pods for sound output. But that shouldn’t be a problem because the sound quality of the audio pods is surprisingly robust. A big part of that is due to its Spatial Audio capabilities.
However, you can use headphones with the Apple Vision Pro if you so choose. Well, you can use AirPods with the Apple Vision Pro–well, one kind of AirPods, specifically: the AirPods Pro second-generation with USB-C case.
If you have these AirPods you can pair them with your Apple Vision Pro and really take advantage of the best audio quality the device can put out.
Why Doesn’t the Apple Vision Pro Work With All AirPods?
This is unknown. It’s possible Apple doesn’t think other AirPods have the sound quality a premium device like the Apple Vision Pro necessitates.
However, the main reason is likely technical. Apple says the Apple Vision Pro supports an H2‑to‑H2 ultra‑low‑latency connection to the AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with a MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C). Previous AirPods do not have the H2 chip.
What Audio Formats Does the Apple Vision Pro Support?
The Apple Vision Pro supports a number of audio formats. Those include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos.
