Meta Quest 3 vs. Meta Quest 3S: Which One Is Right for You?

Forget the HTC Vive and Apple Vision Pro. The Meta Quest’s arch competitor is itself, or rather, a new version of itself.

Meta’s two most current VR headsets are the Quest 3, which packs Meta’s most advanced virtual reality technology, and the Quest 3S, which debuted a year afterward as a more affordable version that used more budget components.

Having spent time with both the Quest 3 and Quest 3S back to back, I’ve got an answer as to which is superior and, well, it’s pretty obvious…

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Meta quest 3: it’s All About the lenses

I’ll save you the hassle of scrolling all the way to the bottom to learn the answer. The winner between the two is the Quest 3. And that makes sense, given that it starts at $500, compared to the Quest 3S’s $300 starting price.

More than anything, my preference for the Quest 3 comes down to its use of pancake lenses over the Quest 3S’ Fresnel lenses. The Fresnel lenses tended to make me feel cross-eyed when “objects” inside the headset were close to my face.

They were a little blurrier and less in focus, whereas the same “objects” on the Quest 3’s pancake lenses were more comfortable to look at. I tested this with contact lenses in my eyes, with my glasses, and without either, and the difference held up in all circumstances.

The Quest 3 has a correspondingly wider field of view at 110 degrees, versus the Quest 3S’ 96 degrees, and 2064 by 2208 resolution per eye, versus 1832 × 1920 per eye. The Quest 3 is also noticeably less bulky than the Quest 3S, although it wasn’t enough to make any discernible difference while I was wearing them. They were equally comfortable.

Meta stopped making the 128GB version of the Quest 3 when they released the Quest 3S. Good. There was too little storage for a $500 headset. The only storage choice on sale now is the 512GB version, which is more than plenty.

The Quest 3S comes in 128GB ($300) and 256GB ($400) options. The version I tested was the 128GB model, and it was more than adequate for streaming content over Wi-Fi. If you don’t need to download heavy-duty games or apps to the headset itself, there’s no need to fork over another $100.

And if you do run heavier programs and require the space, upgrade to the Quest 3. The $100 difference between it and the 256GB version of the Quest 3S isn’t pocket change, but it’s not much of a leap, given the improvements in processor, display, size, and lenses.

Unlike phones and laptops, VR headsets don’t receive annual refreshes. New generations come every few years. There have been no leaks or even semi-credible rumors floating around about the Quest 4 or when we might see one.

I’d say it’s a good time to buy a VR headset. Yes, Meta released the Quest 3 in October 2023 and the Quest 3S in October 2024. That wouldn’t stop me from buying either one, though.

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