Technologies

Meta Quest 3: What to Expect in 2023

Meta’s next headset should be a lot less expensive than Apple’s, and is arriving this year. Could it have an edge?

This has been a big year for new VR headsets: the PlayStation VR 2 and Vive XR Elite are already here, and Apple’s mixed reality headset should be announced in a matter of weeks. The biggest product of all of them, however, could be the Meta Quest 3.

Meta’s sequel to the most popular VR headset in the world right now will be a 2023 product, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg has already confirmed it will be priced similarly to the Quest 2. That should mean it’ll be a far more affordable headset than what Apple is readying.

Meta Quest 2 $400 at Meta

Will it also be the best? Here’s what we expect.

Meta Quest Pro virtual reality headset — The Quest Pro (left) next to the Quest 2 (right). The Quest 3 may be smaller in the front like the Pro, but with the Quest 2’s elastic head straps.

Scott Stein/CNET

Price: Somewhere around $400?

Meta’s work-focused Quest Pro headset that debuted last fall was a misfire, starting at $1,500 and now reduced to $1,000. Meta’s Quest 3 should fall in line with the $400 price of the Quest 2 headset (although that’s an increase from the Quest 2’s original price of $300). Although considering it will likely have better performance and features, it could end up being a little more expensive.

That price would be less than the PlayStation VR 2, which also needs a PlayStation 5 to work. And it would likely be thousands of dollars less than what the Apple headset is expected to cost, which many industry watchers are pinning at $3000.

Watch this: Meta Quest Pro Half a Year Later: Why I Wear It and Why You Should Wait for the Quest 3

06:31

Features: Mixed reality, but maybe not eye tracking

The future of VR is already moving towards mixed reality, blending VR with real-world surroundings using passthrough cameras projecting real-time footage in-headset. The Quest Pro and Vive XR Elite already do it, and Apple’s headset is expected to do the same.

The Quest 3 should have color passthrough cameras, much like the Quest Pro, Vive XR Elite and Pico 4 do. The Quest 2 has only a basic monochrome passthrough camera. The Quest 3 could also have better depth sensing capabilities, either through improved on-headset sensors or computer vision algorithms. Meta’s selection of mixed reality apps is pretty bare right now, but a mainstream Quest 3 that also taps into the possibilities could spark a lot more apps and games.

VR/AR YouTuber Bradley Lynch detailed a bunch of Quest 3 features last year based on leaks from Meta, which details a lot of what to expect: a depth sensor is planned to be onboard.

Eye tracking may be left out. The Quest Pro has eye tracking and face tracking, which can be turned off in settings and isn’t used for all apps. The PlayStation VR 2 uses eye tracking frequently to optimize graphics performance, but it’s also tethered to the PS5, and doesn’t have to deal with battery drain concerns. The Quest 3 might skip the feature to save on cost, or perhaps because Meta isn’t ready to deal with the privacy ramifications yet.

A new processor is expected, though. The aging Snapdragon XR2 chip could get a true follow-up (reports say it’ll be a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2), improving graphics and speed for the new headset, and maybe battery performance as well. Qualcomm already has a multi-year partnership with Meta, unveiling new XR chips that will roll out to other devices in the future. This could be the debut of a new chip, much like the XR2 was for the Quest 2.

Storage sizes and RAM might be upgraded as well, according to Lynch’s report from last year, with a 512GB storage option finally becoming available.

pico-4-vs-quest-2-size — The Pico 4 (left) is significantly smaller in the front than the Quest 2 (right), but the battery gets moved to the larger back strap. The Quest 3 should also be smaller, with the battery staying in the front.

Scott Stein/CNET

Slimmer design

Meta’s improved «pancake optics» lenses for the Quest Pro slimmed down the front of the VR headset versus the Quest 2, with a clearer lens to boot. The Pico 4 headset, another affordable Quest 2-range VR headset, added pancake optics last year. The Quest 3 should get this upgrade too, adding up to a much smaller headset size than the Quest 2.

Smaller could mean more portable. Will new cases and accessories emphasize this? Being able to take a Quest 3 on trips more easily would be a big advantage. HTC’s Vive XR Elite folds down into the size of a pair of (big) glasses, with an optional tube-shaped carry case.

It could work with Meta’s new Quest Pro controllers

Meta updated its controllers with the Quest Pro, adding cameras for better tracking consistency and shrinking down the size. These controllers are currently an expensive upgrade for Quest 2 owners, they sell for $300 separately, but would Meta include them with the Quest 3? Or could they still be optional upgrades?

Another possibility could be another redesigned set of controllers. Meta doesn’t seem ready to get rid of controllers completely for the Quest, although that seems to be the long-term strategy as hand tracking continues to improve.

Lynch also showed leaked looks at the headset last year that suggested the Quest 3 might charge in the current Quest Pro dock.

Games should be a major focus, once again

Meta’s experiments in work and social apps – aka, the metaverse – haven’t taken off, which means gaming is still the biggest use for the Quest 2 (along with fitness). Meta’s upcoming games showcase on June 1 is emphasizing that the Quest 2 is, first and foremost, a game console.

With an expected fall debut, the Quest 3 will likely be positioned again as a game console with a lot of potential fitness, work and social benefits. It’s Meta’s safest bet, and with its expected console-level price, not an absurd proposition in a year where there aren’t expected to be any other new game console debuts to compete with.

Will Quest 3 spark a wave of mixed reality apps?

The Quest 3’s bigger mixed reality focus, and its lower price than the Quest Pro, should finally trigger a wave of new apps that aim to use mixed reality more often. It’s the Quest 3’s biggest new feature, and with Apple likely to show off mixed reality quite a bit as well, it might mean developers are finally going to think in a more AR-like mindset. It’s Meta’s biggest opportunity to try to advance the Quest experience beyond its VR-minded status.

If you’re looking to buy a headset, you should wait

At this point, the fall isn’t far away. The Quest 3 looks like it’ll be the best Meta VR headset, and could be one of the best options for its price when it arrives. Anyone looking for a headset right now should hold off and see what’s coming, especially with both this and Apple’s headset on the horizon.

MWC Barcelona 2026: All the New Tech, Phones, Wearables and AI We Expect to See

This year’s Mobile World Congress starts Monday and will be packed with reveals from Xiaomi, Honor, Nvidia and more.

Every year, the moment we witness the very earliest signs of spring, CNET takes its cue to decamp to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress.

This is the world’s most important mobile show, and one of the most exciting events in the tech calendar. This year, we’re sending a bigger team to bring you all the news from the show as it happens.

It’s set to be a bonanza of new phones and wearables, with the odd robot thrown in for good measure. Sure, some of the fun tech we see at MWC never makes it out into the wider world, but we’ve also seen some of our most beloved tech debut at the show over the years — so expect a little of both.

Big themes are set to include AI and 6G, and with keynotes from SpaceX and Qualcomm, we’ll no doubt get a solid glimpse of the future of mobile. With Gemini in everything and satellite dominance on the horizon, it’s an exciting time for the industry.

Here’s more of what we expect to see.

What are the key dates for MWC?

MWC 2026 is set to run from March 2 to 5, although we’ll be in town a couple of days beforehand to report on some of the big launch events scheduled for this weekend. Don’t miss Xiaomi’s launch event on Feb. 28 and Honor’s event on March 1.

How to watch along

No matter how far away you live from Spain, there’s no need to feel like you’re missing out. The best place for all the latest MWC news is on our CNET live blog.

We’ve been attending this show for decades (this is MWC’s 20th year in Barcelona, by the way), and we have a team of experienced reporters and reviewers on the ground.

We’ll show you everything we deem interesting and important, and we’re not just admiring new products from afar. We’re touching, tinkering with and trying not to drop them, so be sure to follow us across Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube, too.

What phones to expect at MWC 2026

For the past few years, Chinese phone-makers have dominated MWC, and 2026 looks to be no different.

The first big phone launch event is scheduled for 6 a.m. PT Saturday, Feb. 28, when we expect Xiaomi to unveil its latest camera-focused flagship. We loved the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and the 14 Ultra before it, so we’re excited to see what the company has in store for us. A teaser image hints at its partnership with premium camera brand Leica and promises a «new wave of imagery.»

Next up, we have Honor on Sunday, March 1, when the company has said it will unveil its Magic V6 phone, alongside the MagicPad 4 and MagicBook Pro 14. Perhaps more exciting still, Honor has said it will give us a first glimpse of a working version of its Robot Phone, and will also unveil a humanoid robot at its event.

For other phone-makers, MWC is likely to serve as more of a victory lap for its existing devices — particularly Samsung, which held its own event in San Francisco this week to unveil the flagship S26 series. Motorola will be in town, likely showing off its Razr, which just like the Samsung Galaxy TriFold, has yet to be seen much in Europe.

On the whole, MWC 2026 is likely to be a big show for foldable phones, which, according to Ben Wood, CMO and chief analyst at CCS Insight, «is now becoming quite a mature category.»

Another major trend in the phone space is likely to be a focus on batteries, particularly silicon carbon-based tech, Wood said in an MWC preview session. «We’re expecting to see phones with some of the biggest batteries we’ve seen for a long time, [with] fast charging — perhaps 300-watt charging — being introduced,» he added.

MWC 2025: The Coolest Phones We’ve Seen at the Show

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See all photos

What other tech to expect at MWC 2026

After the early flops that were the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1, we’re seeing more companies moving to jump on the wearable AI bandwagon. We expect to see a number of devices and demos pop up at MWC — perhaps trying to beat OpenAI and Jony Ive to the punch.

This will include AI- and AR-based glasses, said CCS Insight analyst Ben Hatton during the firm’s briefing session. «We are expecting to see a huge number of glasses on show this year, not just from Meta, but also from the smaller players, [like] TCL and Oppo, looking to take a slice of the pie,» he said.

One of the key challenges for these companies will be differentiation, Hatton said. «Ultimately, there’s still a long way to go before these become generally mass market products,» he added, pointing out that at this stage, compelling use cases are still a bit thin on the ground.

It’s been two years since Samsung launched the Galaxy Ring at MWC, and smart rings have been fairly thin on the ground ever since — although Oura CEO Tom Hale is slated to speak at the show. We’re not necessarily expecting to see any new rings this year, but there’s always an outside chance.

Much more likely to show up are a slew of new laptops and tablets. They rarely get top billing at MWC, but we’ll keep an eye out for the most exciting launches. There’s also likely to be some intriguing concepts on show from the likes of Lenovo and Samsung Display, which is responsible for the tech behind the new Galaxy S26 Ultra’s scene-stealing Privacy Display.

The big themes: AI, 6G and beyond

No surprises here that AI will, of course, be a major theme at MWC. For the past few years, Google has dominated the AI conversation at the event by showcasing Gemini’s capabilities and its widespread integration. Will this year be any different? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean the AI conversation has stalled.

We expect to see more sophisticated AI agents that are more deeply integrated into wearables, offering live translation, more actionable health insights and more personalized experiences. Some of the biggest players in the AI game will be present, including Nvidia and Qualcomm, on the hardware side. They’ll likely have saved some juicy announcements for the show and, hopefully, have some exciting demos we can try out.

Wind the clock back a decade, and everyone was talking about 5G and what a dramatic difference it was going to make to our lives. Now that 5G is old news, we’re looking forward to 6G. Most discussions about 6G so far have focused on its impact on the industry, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be excited about.

At the Web Summit in November, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told me that 6G will make our phones faster than ever and connect us to an «always-sensing network.» This could include wearables, smart devices, cars and even robots. No doubt, Amon will expound on this subject further during his MWC keynote, which is all about 6G and AI.

Another theme likely to be prevalent at the show is the role of satellites in enhancing network connectivity. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell will be on stage to talk about Starlink, and all the world’s biggest carriers will have their own booths where they’ll show us what they’re doing to tap into the latest network technologies.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Feb. 28

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 28.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? As is usual for Saturday, it’s pretty long, and should take you longer than the normal Mini. A bunch of three-initial terms are used in this one. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Rock’s ___ Leppard
Answer: DEF

4A clue: Cry a river
Answer: SOB

7A clue: Clean Air Act org.
Answer: EPA

8A clue: Org. that pays the Bills?
Answer: NFL

9A clue: Nintendo console with motion sensors
Answer: WII

10A clue: ___-quoted (frequently said)
Answer: OFT

11A clue: With 13-Across, narrow gap between the underside of a house and the ground
Answer: CRAWL

13A clue: See 11-Across
Answer: SPACE

14A clue: Young lady
Answer: GAL

15A clue: Ooh and ___
Answer: AAH

17A clue: Sports org. for Scottie Scheffler
Answer: PGA

18A clue: «Hey, just an F.Y.I. …,» informally
Answer: PSA

19A clue: When doubled, nickname for singer Swift
Answer: TAY

20A clue: Socially timid
Answer: SHY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Morning moisture
Answer: DEW

2D clue: «Game of Thrones» or Homer’s «Odyssey»
Answer: EPICSAGA

3D clue: Good sportsmanship
Answer: FAIRPLAY

4D clue: White mountain toppers
Answer: SNOWCAPS

5D clue: Unrestrained, as a dog at a park
Answer: OFFLEASH

6D clue: Sandwich that might be served «triple-decker»
Answer: BLT

12D clue: Common battery type
Answer: AA

14D clue: Chat___
Answer: GPT

16D clue: It’s for horses, in a classic joke punchline
Answer: HAY

Technologies

Ultrahuman Ring Pro Brings Better Battery Life, More Action and Analysis

The company’s new flagship smart ring stores more data, too. But that doesn’t really help Americans.

Sick of your smart ring’s battery not holding up? Ultrahuman’s new $479 Ring Pro smart ring, unveiled on Friday, offers up to 15 days of battery life on a single charge. The Ring Pro joins the company’s $349 Ring Air, which boosts health tracking, thanks to longer battery life, increased data storage, improved speed and accuracy and a new heart-rate sensing architecture. The ring works in conjunction with the latest Pro charging case.

Ultrahuman also launched its Jade AI, which can act as an agent based on analysis of current and historical health data. Jade can synthesize data from across the company’s products and is compatible with its Rings.

«With industry-leading hardware paired with Jade biointelligence AI, users can now take real-time actionable interventions towards their health than ever before,» said Mohit Kumar, CEO of Ultrahuman.

No US sales

That hardware isn’t available in the US, though, thanks to the ongoing ban on Ultrahuman’s Rings sales here, stemming from a patent dispute with its competitor, Oura Ring. It’s available for preorder now everywhere else and is slated to ship in March. Jade’s available globally.

Ultrahuman says the Ring Pro boosts battery life to about 15 days in Chill mode — up to 12 days in Turbo — compared to a maximum of six days for the Air. The Pro charger’s battery stores enough for another 45 days, which you top off with Qi-compatible wireless charging. In addition, the case incorporates locator technology via the app and a speaker, as well as usability features such as haptic notifications and a power LED.

The ring can also retain up to 250 days of data versus less than a week for the cheaper model. Ultrahuman redesigned the heart-rate sensor for better signal quality. An upgraded processor improves the accuracy of the local machine learning and overall speed.

It’s offered in gold, silver, black and titanium finishes, with available sizes ranging from 5 to 14.

Jade’s Deep Research Mode is the cross-ecosystem analysis feature, which aggregates data from Ring and Blood Vision and the company’s subscription services, Home and M1 CGM, to provide historical trends, offer current recommendations and flag potential issues, as well as trigger activities such as A-fib detection. Ultrahuman plans to expand its capabilities to include health-adjacent activities, such as ordering food.

Some new apps are also available for the company’s PowerPlug add-on platform, including capabilities such as tracking GLP-1 effects, snoring and respiratory analysis and migraine management tools.