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HoloLens 2 vs Magic Leap 2
Both devices below are described from their manufacturers’ own specification pages. Where a row does not apply to one of them, it says so rather than showing a dash — that is a different statement from “the maker does not publish it”.
Microsoft · Enterprise
Magic Leap · Enterprise
Differences you can see
Pictures first, table second. Every chart is computed from the same published fields you can read below it — nothing here is an illustration.
- HoloLens 2
- Magic Leap 2
Resolution per eye
Panels at true pixel scale, one inside the other.
The sharpest panel here has 88% more pixels per eye than the softest — that is what you gain on small text inside a scene.
Field of view
Seen from above. The grey area is roughly the human binocular field (~200°).
- Magic Leap 270° diagonal
- HoloLens 252° diagonal
The widest field here is 70°, the narrowest 52°. A pair of human eyes covers about 200° — even the best of these shows less than two thirds of that.
Weight
On the whole catalogue’s scale, from 30 g to 830 g.
HoloLens 2566 g
Magic Leap 2260 g
30 g830 g
Battery
On the whole catalogue’s scale, from 45 min to 540 min; a handful of outliers, up to 2880 min, sit beyond it.
HoloLens 2180 min
Magic Leap 2210 min
45 min540 min
On sale, and supported
Two different questions: how long you can still buy it new, and how long the manufacturer keeps updating it. The dashed line is the end of a three-year training programme (2029).
HoloLens 2 sold 2019–2024 · support until 2027
Magic Leap 2 sold 2022–2026 · support until 2027
available newmanufacturer support after the last sale
20182030
Sold and supported are not the same thing. A model can leave the shelves while its maker keeps shipping software to the units you already own — and it can stay on the shelves with no published support commitment at all.
What actually differs
Computed from the two records, most decisive first.
Device type
- HoloLens 2
- Standalone AR
- Magic Leap 2
- AR with a compute puck
Third-party apps
- HoloLens 2
- Vendor SDK only
- Magic Leap 2
- Ordinary Android app (APK)
Launch price
- HoloLens 2
- $3500
- Magic Leap 2
- —
Resolution per eye
- HoloLens 2
- 1440x936
- Magic Leap 2
- 1440x1760
Field of view
- HoloLens 2
- 52° diagonal
- Magic Leap 2
- 70° diagonal
Brightness
- HoloLens 2
- —
- Magic Leap 2
- 2000 nits
Refresh rate
- HoloLens 2
- 60 Hz
- Magic Leap 2
- 120 Hz
Weight
- HoloLens 2
- 566 g
- Magic Leap 2
- 260 g
Controller tracking
- HoloLens 2
- None (hands only)
- Magic Leap 2
- 6DoF
Battery
- HoloLens 2
- 180 min
- Magic Leap 2
- 210 min
Availability
- HoloLens 2
- Discontinued in 2024
- Magic Leap 2
- Discontinued in 2026
Manufacturer
- HoloLens 2
- Microsoft
- Magic Leap 2
- Magic Leap
They match on 19 further specifications.
Full specification, row by row
44 of 85 rows differ.
| Specification | HoloLens 2 Microsoft | Magic Leap 2 Magic Leap |
|---|---|---|
| ManufacturerWho makes it — and who you buy support from. | Microsoft | Magic Leap |
| CategoryWhich kind of product this is. It decides which rows below make sense at all. | AR — spatial | AR — spatial |
| Device typeWhere the computing happens, and therefore what you need to run it. | Standalone AR | AR with a compute puck |
| AnnouncedThe day it was shown, which is not the day it shipped. | 2019-05-02 | 2021-02-01 |
| ReleasedYear the model went on sale. Older is not automatically worse in this category. | 2019 | 2022 |
| AvailabilityWhether you can still order it new today. | Discontinued in 2024 | Discontinued in 2026 |
| Support endsThe date the manufacturer stops supporting it. Decisive for a fleet you are about to buy. | 2027-12-31 | 2027-12-31 |
| DisplayHow the image is produced. "No display" is a real answer in this category, not a gap. | Waveguide | Waveguide |
| Eyes coveredOne eye or both. Over a full shift this is a real difference in fatigue. | Both eyes | Both eyes |
| Resolution per eyePixels delivered to each eye. Higher means small text and labels stay readable. | ≈1440x936*VRcompare | 1440x1760 |
| Refresh rateImages per second. Higher feels smoother and helps people prone to motion discomfort. | 60 Hz | ≈120 Hz*Magic Leap 2 Detailed Spec Sheet (PDF, distributor-hosted) |
| Field of viewHow much of your view the image covers. Bigger is more immersive, not automatically better for work. | ≈52° diagonal*VRcompare | 70° diagonal |
| Pixel densityPixels per degree of view — the honest way to compare sharpness between a headset and a pair of glasses. Higher is sharper. Only shown where somebody published it; we never compute it ourselves. | Pixel density: not published by the manufacturer | Pixel density: not published by the manufacturer |
| BrightnessIn a plant or outdoors, brightness decides legibility more than resolution does. | Brightness: not published by the manufacturer | ≈2000 nits*VRcompare |
| WeightThe device alone. Anything above roughly 150 g is felt within an hour. | 566 g | 260 g |
| Visible field of viewWhat the eye actually sees through the optics, by axis. | 43° horizontal · 29° vertical | Visible field of view: not published by the manufacturer |
| Rendered field of viewWhat the device draws. Never smaller than what you see. | Rendered field of view: not published by the manufacturer | Rendered field of view: not published by the manufacturer |
| Binocular overlapWhere both eyes see the same thing — this is where depth happens. | Binocular overlap: not published by the manufacturer | Binocular overlap: not published by the manufacturer |
| Average pixel densityPixels per degree across the image. More is sharper. | Average pixel density: not published by the manufacturer | Average pixel density: not published by the manufacturer |
| Peak pixel densityThe sharpest point, usually the centre of the lens. | Peak pixel density: not published by the manufacturer | Peak pixel density: not published by the manufacturer |
| Subpixel layoutHow the coloured dots sit in a pixel. A stripe looks cleaner on text than PenTile. | Subpixel layout: not published by the manufacturer | Subpixel layout: not published by the manufacturer |
| Foveated renderingWhether detail is dropped outside where you look, to save performance. | Foveated rendering: not published by the manufacturer | Foveated rendering: not published by the manufacturer |
| Vision correctionHow somebody who wears glasses uses it, and in what dioptre range. | Fits over glasses | Official lens inserts · -10 to 5 D |
| DimensionsWidth, height and depth of the device itself. | Dimensions: not published by the manufacturer | Dimensions: not published by the manufacturer |
| Weight with strapWith the strap it ships with — the weight you actually wear. | Weight with strap: not published by the manufacturer | Weight with strap: not published by the manufacturer |
| Head strapSoft band or a rigid one. Decides how the weight sits over an hour. | Rigid strap with a dial | Rigid strap with a dial |
| MaterialsShell and facial interface, in the vendor’s words. | Plastic · foam | Plastic |
| ColoursColours the manufacturer sells it in. | Grey | Grey |
| Haptics in the headsetVibration in the headset itself, not in the controllers. | No | No |
| TrackingWhether content stays put in the room (6DoF), follows head rotation (3DoF) or is simply fixed. | 6DoF (position in space) | 6DoF (position in space) |
| Tracking camerasHow many cameras it uses to know where it is. | 4 | 3 |
| Tracking rateHow often position is recalculated. Higher is steadier. | Tracking rate: not published by the manufacturer | Tracking rate: not published by the manufacturer |
| Depth sensorA dedicated sensor for distance, on top of the cameras. | Yes | Yes |
| Hand trackingWhether bare hands can operate the interface, without a controller or the phone. | Yes | Yes |
| Hand tracking detailHow much of the hand reaches the application: a pinch, or a jointed hand pose a scenario can read. | Full hand skeleton | Full hand skeleton |
| Hands and controllers at onceWhether a controller in one hand and a bare hand in the other work at the same time. | Hands and controllers at once: not published by the manufacturer | Hands and controllers at once: not published by the manufacturer |
| Hand tracking SDKThe SDK an application reaches the hand tracking through, and any named modes that change how it behaves. | Hand tracking SDK: not published by the manufacturer | Hand tracking SDK: not published by the manufacturer |
| Face trackingTracks facial expression — for avatars, not for training scenarios. | No | No |
| Body trackingHow much of the body the device knows about. Estimated legs are not tracked legs. | None | Body tracking: not published by the manufacturer |
| Controllers includedWhether motion controllers come in the box, or are bought separately — or the device is hands-only. | No | Yes |
| Controller modelThe manufacturer's own name for the controller. | does not apply to this class | Magic Leap 2 Controller |
| Controller tracking6DoF controllers track position and rotation, so a hand reaches in space; 3DoF only point. “None” means hands only. | None (hands only) | 6DoF |
| Controller tracking methodWhat establishes where the controller is. It decides whether the controller keeps working behind your back or down at your hip — “6DoF” on its own does not say. | does not apply to this class | Cameras on the controller |
| Other controllersWhether the headset works with controllers other than the ones it ships with. | Other controllers: not published by the manufacturer | This headset’s own controllers only |
| Finger tracking on the controllerWhether the controller senses individual fingers, and how. | does not apply to this class | Finger tracking on the controller: not published by the manufacturer |
| Controller inputsButtons, sticks and triggers the controller offers. | does not apply to this class | Touchpad · trigger · bumper · menu button · home button |
| Controller hapticsVibration feedback in the hand. | does not apply to this class | Yes |
| Controller powerDisposable cells or a built-in rechargeable — a fleet question. | does not apply to this class | Built-in rechargeable |
| Controller weightOne controller, as the vendor weighs it. | does not apply to this class | 140 g |
| Other input methodsWays in beyond controllers and bare hands. | Voice · Look and pinch | Voice |
| Where it computesWhether the device computes on its own or depends on a phone, PC or belt-worn puck. | Standalone (own computer) | Driven by a belt-worn puck |
| ProcessorThe processor and memory inside. This is what the performance grade above is derived from. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 Compute Platform | ≈AMD Quad-core Zen2 x86 CPU*VRcompare |
| CPUCores and clocks, where the manufacturer publishes them. | Octa-core Kryo 385 (4x 2.96 GHz, 4 x 1.8 GHz) | Quad-core Zen2 (4 x 3.92 GHz, 8 threads) |
| GPUThe graphics part of the chip. | Adreno 630 | AMD GFX10.2: 1SE 1SA 4 WGP |
| MemoryRAM on the device. Together with the chipset it sets how complex a scene can be. | 4 GB | 16 GB |
| PlatformThe platform an application is built against — and what an MDM has to speak. | Windows Holographic | Magic Leap OS (AOSP) Android 10 |
| StorageOn-board space for downloaded courses. More matters for an offline library in several languages. | Storage: not published by the manufacturer | Storage: not published by the manufacturer |
| SD card slotWhether storage can be added with a card. | No | SD card slot: not published by the manufacturer |
| BatteryRuntime as the manufacturer states it. A hot-swappable pack matters more than the figure. | 180 min | 210 min |
| Battery capacity (Wh)Energy in the cell. Bigger is longer, given the same power draw. | Battery capacity (Wh): not published by the manufacturer | Battery capacity (Wh): not published by the manufacturer |
| Battery capacity (mAh)The same fact in the other unit vendors use. We never convert between the two. | Battery capacity (mAh): not published by the manufacturer | Battery capacity (mAh): not published by the manufacturer |
| Charge timeFrom empty to full. Rarely stated by the manufacturer, so it usually comes from whoever timed it. | Charge time: not published by the manufacturer | 180 min |
| ChargerPower of the supplied charger — it decides the charge time above. | 18 W | Charger: not published by the manufacturer |
| External batteryBattery on a cable or a puck instead of on the head. | External battery: not published by the manufacturer | Yes |
| Charging caseExtra runtime carried in the case the glasses ship with. | Charging case: not published by the manufacturer | Charging case: not published by the manufacturer |
| Hot-swap batteryWhether a charged battery can replace the empty one without ending the session. This is what decides if a headset can hold an all-day training station. | Hot-swap battery: not published by the manufacturer | Hot-swap battery: not published by the manufacturer |
| Third-party appsHow a third party's application reaches the device: an ordinary Android package, a vendor-only SDK, or not at all. | Vendor SDK only | Ordinary Android app (APK) |
| Runs Skillsive appsOur own statement about whether Skillsive training applications run on it today. | No | No |
| Suitable for trainingOur judgement on whether it survives real deployment: comfort, hygiene, fleet management. | Suitable for training: not published by the manufacturer | Suitable for training: not published by the manufacturer |
| Kiosk mode / MDMVendor tooling to enrol devices, push an app and lock the headset to it. Practically required above ten devices. | Yes | Yes |
| Business tierAn official business tier, so devices belong to the company rather than to employees’ personal accounts. | Business tier: not published by the manufacturer | Business tier: not published by the manufacturer |
| CertificationsIndustrial certifications stated on the manufacturer's own page. Empty means unconfirmed, never "probably fine". | ANSI Z87.1 · CSA Z94.3 · EN 166 · IP50 | FCC · CE · ANSI/CAN/UL 8400 · IEC 62471 · IEC 60825 · ISO 10993 |
| PortsPhysical sockets and charging contacts. | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| Wi-FiThe Wi-Fi generation — it decides how well wireless streaming holds up. | 5 (802.11ac 2x2) | 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| BluetoothFor controllers, headphones and accessories. | 5.0 | 5.1 |
| Video from a computerWhether a computer can drive it, over a cable or wirelessly. | Video from a computer: not published by the manufacturer | Video from a computer: not published by the manufacturer |
| AudioBuilt-in sound. Matters most where somebody has to hear a remote expert while working. | Built-in speakers | Built-in speakers |
| MicrophoneBuilt-in microphone — the other half of talking to a remote expert. | Yes | Yes |
| MicrophonesHow many. An array picks a voice out of a noisy hall; one does not. | 5 | 4 |
| CameraA camera is what makes a remote expert call and photo documentation possible. | Yes | Yes |
| Price bandThe band it sits in, rather than a price that goes stale. | Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Launch priceThe manufacturer's launch price. Fixed history, so it never goes stale. | $3500 | Launch price: not published by the manufacturer |
| Price by configurationWhat each configuration cost at launch. | Price by configuration: not published by the manufacturer | Price by configuration: not published by the manufacturer |
| Price todayApproximate current net price in USD — a general figure, since these barely differ between regions once tax is stripped out. A snapshot from the date shown, not an offer. | Price today: not published by the manufacturer | Price today: not published by the manufacturer |
| Hand tracking quality (from reviews)How usable controller-free hand tracking is in a training scenario. Scored from agreement between reviewers. | 4 / 5Both rate it above the VR competition of its day thanks to the depth sensor. UploadVR calls it incredibly solid, far more so than Quest 2; Road to VR deliberately tried to break it with an index-and-thumb grip and a full-handed claw and could not.UploadVR review,Road to VR review | does not apply to this class |
“—” means the manufacturer does not publish that figure. “≈” with an asterisk means it was measured by somebody else — follow the asterisk for who. Prices are an indicative net figure in USD, a snapshot from the date on each model page, not an offer.
Other comparisons with HoloLens 2
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