Kuo: Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset Will Use Hybrid Lenses, to Weigh Under 150 Grams

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 23 Mar 2021

Apple Mixed Reality Headset

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shed more light on the lens design of Apple’supcoming mixed reality headset. He says that Apple is planning on using a hybrid Fresnel lens design for its MR headset to keep its weight under 150gms.

The analyst notes that using this lens will also help with the optical performance and allow for a broad field of view. Most MR headsets in the market currently weigh over 300 grams, and Apple is trying to ensure that its headset is notably lighter than the competition. It also wants to give its headset a sleek design rather than the bulky form factors of existing headsets.

Apple is seemingly planning on using a hybrid Fresnel lens, which consists of three stacked Fresnel lenses to allow for a thin and light design. Each side of the reality headset will feature three stacked lenses. To save on weight, Apple will be using lightweight plastic lenses with a customized coating to ensure its performance is similar to glass.

The lenses will be supplied by Young Optics, with Genius Electronic Optical being the secondary supplier. The Fresnel lenses will affect the brightness, and to compensate for that, Apple will use micro-OLED displays on its MR headset. Kuo had previously detailed that Apple’s mixed reality headset could feature 15 cameras for “innovative biometrics.” Additionally, the headset could also feature iris recognition.

The analyst believes that Apple will launch its mixed reality headset in 2022 at a price tag of $1,000 or higher, though there’s a possibility the launch could be delayed further. A sleek pair of AR Glasses will follow this in 2025.

Following a recent report mentioning that Apple’s rumored mixed reality headset will feature advanced eye tracking, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a research note obtained by 9to5Mac that Apple has been working on a hybrid ultra-short focal length lens aiming to keep the weight of the headset under 150 grams.

[Via 9to5Mac]