The Apple Vision Pro certainly made a splash in the tech community when it came out. It wasn't always a positive splash, as our Apple specialist Brady Snyder gave it a pretty scathing 6.5/10 in his review, and Karthik Iyer couldn't help but notice that his $500 smart glasses did things a lot better than the Apple Vision Pro - but it was still a splash. So much so that it seems that Microsoft is throwing its hat into the ring by producing a successor to the HoloLens and taking on Apple.

Microsoft is working on a successor to the HoloLens

As spotted by Android Authority, the news broke on the Korean website The Elec. As it turns out, Microsoft has placed an order with Samsung Display for "hundreds of thousands" of micro-OLED panels to make a new HoloLens successor. This new headset is reportedly focusing on entertainment, meaning you'll be able to play games and watch movies using it. It does seem like Microsoft is trying to make its own answer to the Apple Vision Pro, even if it didn't quite gel with some people.

It's also an excellent time for Microsoft to wipe the slate clean and try again with its mixed reality products. While the HoloLens 2 is still supported (and even got Windows 11 just over a year ago), the company did announce that it's deprecating Windows Mixed Reality in November 2026. Given how this HoloLens successor is planned to release "next year at the earliest," it'll be a good way for people to leave the older Windows Mixed Reality app and hop back into a headset without worrying about any end-of-support dates.

So far, we don't know anything about this new product bar that it'll be a mixed-reality headset. However, as we get closer to Microsoft's planned release date, we may catch wind of some details as they come down the pipeline.