The Vision Pro VR headset is such an Apple product — meticulously designed and packed with incredible tech, but designed to be used Apple’s way, whether you like it or not. For many, that means the headset is aggressively uncomfortable to wear due to its weight distribution. For the last several days, though, I’ve been testing a solution Apple now sells that’s so simple, so obvious, that I’m actually miffed at Apple for not including something like it from the very beginning: the Belkin Head Strap.
Belkin’s strap works in tandem with Apple’s Solo Knit Band. The Solo Knit Band wraps around your head with an elastic cushion, clamping the headset to your face but putting a lot of strain on your neck. Belkin’s strap gives you more support by distributing some of the Vision Pro’s weight to the top of your head.
Apple’s Dual Loop Band, which also comes with the Vision Pro, does this, too. But the Dual Loop Band is a lot more of a hassle to use and a lot less comfortable to wear. You have to go back and forth between the two straps to make adjustments, whereas it’s quick work to adjust Belkin’s strap, stop when it feels right, and then quickly cinch the Solo Band by turning its dial.
The Dual Loop Band also lacks the comfy cushioning of the Solo Band, and its thin bands place more pressure where the upper strap meets your head; it makes that spot on my head unpleasantly numb after about 30 minutes. Belkin’s strap gives you the best of both worlds — you get the cushy strap from the Solo Band, with the better weight distribution of the Dual Band.
Belkin’s strap feels well made. It’s soft and flexible, and tightening it is almost as easy as adjusting the Solo Knit Band — it works exactly like the Apple Watch Sport Loop, using a Velcro-like fastener to secure it to the tightness you want. The band is also simple to attach. You disconnect the battery, removing the Solo Knit Band, and slide the clips on either end of the head strap over the tips of the speaker arms.
Using the strap is undeniably better than using the Solo Knit Band alone or the Dual Loop Band when wearing the Vision Pro while sitting down or standing upright, particularly for longer stretches of time. I’m one of the freaks who can wear the headset and be reasonably comfortable for a long time, so I can’t tell you I went from using it for 30 minutes to 10 hours. But I can say my neck feels better, and so does my face since I don’t need to clamp it as tightly to keep the headset in place. It also feels a bit more stable while I’m doing something physical like playing Synth Riders, one of the few good games available for the Vision Pro.
The only part I’m not a fan of is the $49.95 price tag. It’s not just that it’s expensive — and it is! — it’s that it costs that much to buy something that Apple should’ve put in the box from day one. The company even seemed to have one in the works! Remember that one guy from the WWDC presentation who was wearing a top strap (which looks a lot like Spigen’s cheaper alternative) with the Solo Knit Band? What happened to that?
The cynic in me says Apple didn’t include that top strap because it was just too proud of the Solo Knit Band — in photos, the headset looks undeniably sleeker without a top strap, and the Dual Loop still offers a slimmed-down profile. Whatever the case, now that Belkin’s Head Strap is here, it’s clear how much this was needed all along. Still, if you’ve already tried similar options like those from Spigen or Annapro and found them wanting, Belkin’s strap is well worth a shot.
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