Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - Vision Pro | Valve - Index |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh rate | 100 Hz | 144 Hz |
| Field of view | 100 ° | 130 ° |
| Eye tracking | true | false |
| Color passthrough | true | false |
| Standalone | true | false |
Between the Vision Pro and Index, the Vision Pro comes out ahead in eye tracking / color passthrough, while the Index wins on refresh rate / field of view. Overall, the Vision Pro scores 70.8 and the Index scores 65.4 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Vision Pro edges ahead on the Mars Score (70.8 vs 65.4), but the 5.4-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Vision Pro if you care most about eye tracking / color passthrough. The biggest gaps in its favor are eye tracking, color passthrough, standalone. The single most decisive one: Has Eye tracking.
Pick the Index if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. Its strongest claims are refresh rate, field of view. The single most decisive one: Refresh rate — 44.00% more. 144 Hz vs 100 Hz.
There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.
Bottom line: the Vision Pro is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Which should you buy: Apple - Vision Pro or Valve - Index?
Apple - Vision Pro leads the current Mars Score by 5.4 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare refresh rate, field of view, standalone against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Apple - Vision Pro if…
Apple - Vision Pro has the measurable edge on has eye tracking, has passthrough color, is standalone.
Choose Valve - Index if…
Valve - Index has the measurable edge on refresh rate hz, fov deg.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Apple - Vision Pro wins
- ▲Has Eye tracking.
- ▲Has Color passthrough.
- ▲Standalone: true (vs false).
Why Valve - Index wins
- ▲Refresh rate — 44.00% more. 144 Hz vs 100 Hz.
- ▲Field of view — 30.00% more. 130 ° vs 100 °.
Spec comparison
Display
| Spec | Apple - Vision Pro | Valve - Index |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution per eye | 3660x3200 | 1440x1600 |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 100 Hz | 144 Hzlead |
| Field of view | 100 ° | 130 °lead |
| Panelⓘ | Micro-OLEDlead | LCD |
Tracking & Audio
| Spec | Apple - Vision Pro | Valve - Index |
|---|---|---|
| Inside-out tracking | truelead | false |
| Eye tracking | truelead | false |
| Face tracking | truelead | false |
| Color passthrough | truelead | false |
Compute
| Spec | Apple - Vision Pro | Valve - Index |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone | truelead | false |
| Battery | 2.5 hlead | 0 h |