Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: A VR headset head-to-head

VR headsets might not have fully emerged into the mainstream, but building momentum surrounding spatial computing and Meta’s continued efforts to bring the hardware into the hands of millions for less is certainly pushing things in the right direction.

Meta Connect 2024 may be set to introduce us to Meta’s latest mixed-reality headset, the Meta Quest 3S. Similarly to mid-cycle releases such as the Nintendo Switch Lite, the Quest 3S is set to offer the same performance as the Quest 3, with a few caveats in visual specs and optics to accommodate an even friendlier price tag.

While the Quest 3S hasn’t been officially unveiled by Meta, it has been sneakily alluded to several times by the company, and a vast amount of information surrounding the headset has already leaked online.

In fact, so much information has surfaced, that we’re already able to get a decent measure of the device against its mainstay third-generation counterpart. So, Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S, which of these mixed-reality headsets is right for you? Let’s find out.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Specs

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Price and availability

The Meta Quest 3 launched with a $499 price tag for the 128GB model and $649 for the 512GB configuration. While we’ve no official word on how much the Quest 3S will retail for, it would seem clear that Meta intends to ship this headset at a lower price point.

Thankfully, that lower price point won’t result in a similar split hardware base as we’ve witnessed with mid-cycle releases for consoles like the Xbox One X or the upcoming Sony PS5 Pro.

From what we know so far, whether you buy a Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S, you’ll have access to the same vast library of games and apps, the same mixed-reality functions of Horizon OS, and parity in performance, visual fidelity, and overall experience.

While this means there will be no divide in the quality of content on Meta’s platform, it does pose limits on just how much the company can drive down the price of its already budget-friendly headset. However, there is potential for Meta to surprise.

Meta has claimed that a large portion of the Quest lineup’s total 20+ million sales are thanks to the Quest 2, which launched with a 64GB model for just $299 in October 2020.

The very same price point that sold so many on the possibilities of VR could be used to sell even more on the potential of mixed reality – which appears to be the case, as a recent leak has shown the Quest 3S advertised as starting from $299 with 128GB of storage.

As for availability, should the Quest 3S debut at Meta Connect 2024, then it’s likely we’ll see the headset roll out to stores in October.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Design

The Meta Quest 3 dramatically improves on the design of the Oculus/Meta Quest 2 that came before it. Not only is the body 40% slimmer, but it adopts a more curved design that in my experience prevents the ‘weight wobble’ of the wider ‘fenders’ of the Quest 2 when moving your head.

While the Quest 2 features a spacer insert, the Quest 3 includes a four-step spacer mechanism to create more space between its lenses and the face of the wearer. This is great if you wear glasses. Ironically, it’s not so great if you wear Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, whose Wayfarer-style frames do not fit within the Quest 2 or Quest 3’s viewing ports.

Similarly, the Quest 2’s manual three-point lens spacing mechanism has been replaced on the Quest 3 by a freely adjustable solution, controllable by the new IPD (Interpupillary distance) wheel found at the bottom of the headset (which ranges from 53mm to 75mm).

Also notably changing from second to third-generation Quest headsets are each temple’s built-in speakers. The Quest 2 has one speaker per temple, whereas the Quest 3 has two — each positioned to deliver immersive 3D audio at 40% louder volume.

Finally, the Quest 3’s facial interface, a very fancy way of referring to the headset’s cushioning, is made out of a fabric weave, ditching the irritating, coarse foam that came with the Quest 2.

Many of the other changes between generations come down to button layout, a repositioning of the USB-C charging/data port and 3.5mm audio jack, a minor tweak to the head strap, and a magnetic pogo pin connector array for use with a charging dock/cradle.

That’s a lot of talking about the Meta Quest 3 compared to the Quest 2, but what about the Quest 3S? Well, initial reports believed that the Quest 3S would feature the internal components of the Quest 3 while adopting the body of the Quest 2.

However, thanks to several recently leaked images of the Quest 3S, we can see that the Quest 3S’ chassis is incredibly similar to its sibling — though noticeably thicker. This includes the upgraded temple speakers, head strap refinement, and fabric woven ‘facial interface.’

According to the leaked images, the IPD wheel, pogo pin connectors, and 3.5mm audio jack are all absent, leaving only the power button and volume rocker as available inputs with the former now joining the rocker at the bottom of the headset.

The lack of an IPD wheel would suggest a return to the Quest 2’s manual three-point lens positioning, and while the images are unclear, the four-step spacing mechanism has likely been removed also.

Will these changes make a world of difference when it comes to the overall experience? Potentially. The lack of IPD and viewport spacing will be a considerable loss for fine-tuning the visual clarity and comfort of the device. However, from my past experiences with the Quest 2, the vast majority of users will be fine returning to the three-point lens adjustment system.

Still, these are excellent additions to the Quest 3, and the Quest 3S’ overall experience may feel somewhat less refined.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Display and optics

This is the section of the face-off where the Quest 3S’ differences will become much more apparent. While the Quest 3S is set to receive much of the same interior components as the Quest 3, we’re expecting Meta’s latest headset to adopt its optics and display tech from the Meta Quest 2.

Taking a look at the same photo leak from earlier, we can see that the Quest headset pictured is using fresnel lenses, indicated by the pattern of concentric circles within its reflective surface.

Meta made the leap to pancake lenses for the Quest 3, a style of lens that is far thinner and more lightweight than a fresnel lens with its housing, no doubt greatly impacting the company’s ability to make its headset slimmer.

Pancake lenses typically provide a much better image, one that is clearer, sharper, and has fewer visual artifacts. But how pancake lenses work causes a very high (up to 90%) drop-off in light, meaning they require much brighter panels to work with.

On the other hand, fresnel lenses will typically lose only 20% of the light that passes through them, meaning they don’t require more powerful, brighter displays to fully function. That said, fresnel lenses are also more prone to artifacts such as “god rays” and the loss of clarity around the edge of the frame.

While both the Quest 3 and 3S will likely make use of 120Hz LCDs (with the Quest 3S using a single panel across both lenses, while the Quest 3 has a dual-display configuration) the differences between the two further as the Meta Quest 3 has a per-eye resolution of 2064 x 2208 with a 25.5 pixel per degree (PPD) measurement and a 105-degree field of view (FoV) compared to the Quest 3S’ expected 1832 x 1920 resolution at 20 PPD with a more narrow 89-96-degree FoV.

Jargon aside, this positions the Quest 3 as the superior headset of the two in terms of visual output. It’s able to produce sharper, clearer images that show a wider virtual space, resulting in a more immersive overall image.

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Controllers and tracking

The Quest 3 repositioned many of the Quest 2’s sensors onto the front of the headset, separated into three columns. The outer columns each contain two cameras, one acting as a 6DoF (Six Degrees of Freedom) IR tracking sensor, and one 4MP (18 PPD) RGB lens for full-color video passthrough.

The middle column houses a depth sensor (in the form of an IR line projector) to aid with mixed reality positioning and dynamic occlusion (allowing virtual objects to appear ‘behind’ real world objects), and the sides of the headset host individual “Canyon” 6DoF IR tracking cameras that also aid with hand and inside-out body tracking.

The Quest 3S layout appears quite different at first glance. But that’s mostly due to the shift from three island-like blocks being replaced for a trypophobia-inducing floating lens design. The two 6DoF IR tracking sensors and 4MP (18PPD) RGB lenses remain in the same position, as do the “Canyon” IR tracking sensors on the flanks of the headset.

However, differing from the layout of the Quest 3, the Quest 3S features two depth sensors, positioned at the outer edges of each of the other pair of lenses. These IR illuminators offer a stereo approach to depth estimation that could lead to more accurate results than the base Quest 3 headset’s monocular capabilities — potentially improving on the Quest 3S’ mapping, hand tracking, and dynamic occlusion accuracy.

The Quest 3 also introduced a new controller for the platform, the Quest Touch Plus. The Touch Plus controllers ditch the halo tracking ring for a sleeker design, shifting the IR tracking lights to the rim of the peripheral’s faceplate.

While this could potentially lead to reduced tracking when compared to the Quest 2’s Touch controllers, Meta CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth stated that the company’s AI models for position estimation have now gotten “so good we don’t need them anymore.”

Meta will likely keep the Touch Plus controllers for the Quest 3S. However, some reports have suggested that the company could be willing to ship its latest headset without controllers to keep its price tag down.

This would make the leaked $299 price point more of a realistic possibility, and wouldn’t be too out of sorts after Apple’s Vision Pro also shipped without any peripherals, relying solely on hand tracking — the Quest 3S’ stereo depth sensors may make this configuration even more viable due to potentially improved hand tracking.

We do know that the Meta Quest 3S will be fully compatible with Meta’s Touch Plus controllers thanks to an early update to the Meta Quest Help section of the Meta homepage which confirms: “At this time, Meta Quest Touch Plus controllers can only be used with Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S.”

Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Performance and battery life

Both the Quest 3 and Quest 3S are expected to feature identical Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipsets backed up by an Adreno 740 GPU and 8GB of RAM. On paper, both headsets should be able to perform almost identically.

Interestingly, due to the Quest 3S’ lower resolution, it may have the performance advantage thanks to the potential for smoother frame rates, even if that comes at the cost of a narrower FoV and less overall visual fidelity.

Beyond this, both headsets will offer the same overall experience, with the cheaper headset not facing any sort of limitations in terms of compatible apps and games or AR passthrough capabilities.

In terms of battery life, the Quest 3 houses a 4879 mAh, 18,8 watt-hour (Wh) Li-ion cell, whereas the Quest 3S is expected to contain a similar battery with a 4324 mAh, 16.74Wh capacity.

Given the differences in optics, with the Quest 3 requiring two brighter panels to offset its pancake lenses, battery life could swing in favor of Meta’s newer headset. However, the difference in total capacity may balance things out to a more even keel — where each headset will likely be able to run for between 2-3 hours per charge.