Vivo’s Apple Vision Pro Copycat Is An In-Store Demo Only, For Now

Vivo’s headset, which bears a striking resemblance to Apple Vision Pro, will be demoed in Chinese stores from next week, but won’t be shipping this year.

If you’re unfamiliar, Vivo is a Chinese smartphone company with around 10% global market share. It was originally owned by giant BBK Electronics, which also owned OnePlus, Oppo, and Realme, but all these subsidiaries were spun off into independent companies in 2023, with BBK ceasing operations.

Vivo Vision Looks Like A Blatant Apple Vision Pro Clone

China’s Vivo Vision was unveiled today, and it looks like a blatant Apple Vision Pro clone.

Vivo Vision was first announced back in March, though the company didn’t reveal any details beyond the name and design.

While some other headsets like Samsung’s and Play For Dream MR are clearly somewhat inspired by Apple Vision Pro, Vivo Vision verges into the realm of outright cloning. Its gray fabric facial interface, rear strap, external battery, and connector look almost identical to Apple’s, and even the name Vision was copied. The only notable core design departure is the side arms, which are metallic-looking instead of Apple Vision Pro’s white plastic.

Now, Vivo has released a short clip teasing a launch event next Thursday.

The company claims Vivo Vision will have an “ultra-lightweight design”. Visually, it does look to be more compact than Apple’s original.

However, Vivo also says that it will only be launching as “an experience” in its Chinese stores this year, with reservations for demos opening next Thursday. Vivo has thousands of locations in China, in cooperation with retail partners, a country where Apple has also been demoing and selling Vision Pro for over a year now.

The company specifically confirmed that the headset will not be shipping as a product this year, and calls the current version “Vivo Vision Mixed Reality Headset Discovery Edition”.