Microsoft HoloLens (1st generation) — specification and verdict
HoloLens 1 puts 1268x720 per eye behind see-through waveguides, but only across roughly 30 degrees horizontally, so a hologram the size of a control panel is read in slices rather than seen whole. The 60 Hz refresh and the Intel Atom x5-Z8100 with 2 GB of RAM sit a generation below anything shipping today, and scenes have to be authored small to hold frame rate. Interaction is gaze plus air tap, with the bundled Clicker as the only hardware input, so a trainee has nothing to grab, rotate or point with. Battery is 2 to 3 hours of active use on an 18 W charger, which covers a session with a break. It weighs 579 g on a rigid halo band and fits over prescription glasses, and that is the part of the design that has aged best.
Microsoft sold it in nine markets: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Poland was never one of them, so a German fleet is plausible and a Polish one means second-hand units with no paper trail. Fleet tooling did exist: the 5,000 USD Commercial Suite added Intune device management, kiosk mode, BitLocker, Windows Update for Business and Azure AD sign-in on top of the 3,000 USD Development Edition. All of that is now moot, because Microsoft ended monthly servicing on 10 December 2024 and states there is no out-of-warranty support and no inventory for device exchange. Hygiene is swappable nose pads and a wipe of the band; the visor tolerates a microfibre cloth lightly moistened with distilled water and nothing stronger.
Do not buy one for training. It is out of production and out of support, the last OS it will ever run is Windows 10 version 1809, and Microsoft's own guidance sends replacement customers to HoloLens 2. If you already own working units, run them as a demo exhibit on an isolated network and budget nothing further against them.
How it compares within its class
The axis runs from the lowest to the highest published figure among the AR — spatial devices in this catalogue. The grey tick is the median of that class.
Median for this class: 132 g, from 9 models that publish the figure.
Median for this class: 180 min, from 6 models that publish the figure.
Median for this class: $1900, from 9 models that publish the figure.
Controllers and hand tracking
HoloLens Clicker
3DoF
One button and a flick of the wrist, and nothing else: you look at a thing and click it. It exists because HoloLens 1 had no hand skeleton — the articulated hand arrived with HoloLens 2, and the Clicker did not outlive it.
In the boxHow it is tracked
Rotation only (IMU)
The controller knows which way it points but not where it is: it aims like a laser pointer and cannot reach into the scene.
The controller itself
- Controller power
- Built-in rechargeable
- Controller inputs
- single button · wrist rotation
Other controllers
Other controllers from the same maker
Xbox Wireless Controller (Bluetooth models)
Bare hands
Gaze and pinch
Looking at something aims, a pinch selects. Enough to drive a menu, not enough to put a hand on a valve.
Full specification
An em dash means the manufacturer does not publish that figure.
- ManufacturerWho makes it — and who you buy support from.
- Microsoft
- CategoryWhich kind of product this is. It decides which rows below make sense at all.
- AR — spatial
- Device typeWhere the computing happens, and therefore what you need to run it.
- Standalone AR
- AnnouncedThe day it was shown, which is not the day it shipped.
- 2015-01-21
- ReleasedYear the model went on sale. Older is not automatically worse in this category.
- 2016
- AvailabilityWhether you can still order it new today.
- Discontinued
- Support endsThe date the manufacturer stops supporting it. Decisive for a fleet you are about to buy.
- 2024-12-10
- DisplayHow the image is produced. "No display" is a real answer in this category, not a gap.
- Waveguide
- Eyes coveredOne eye or both. Over a full shift this is a real difference in fatigue.
- Both eyes
- Resolution per eyePixels delivered to each eye. Higher means small text and labels stay readable.
- 1268x720
- Refresh rateImages per second. Higher feels smoother and helps people prone to motion discomfort.
- 60 Hz
- Field of viewHow much of your view the image covers. Bigger is more immersive, not automatically better for work.
- ≈30° horizontal*UploadVR, HoloLens 2 field of view
- 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
- BrightnessIn a plant or outdoors, brightness decides legibility more than resolution does.
- Brightness: not published by the manufacturer
- WeightThe device alone. Anything above roughly 150 g is felt within an hour.
- 579 g
- Visible field of viewWhat the eye actually sees through the optics, by axis.
- 30° horizontal · 17.5° vertical
- Rendered field of viewWhat the device draws. Never smaller than what you see.
- 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
- Average pixel densityPixels per degree across the image. More is sharper.
- 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
- Subpixel layoutHow the coloured dots sit in a pixel. A stripe looks cleaner on text than PenTile.
- Subpixel layout: not published by the manufacturer
- Foveated renderingWhether detail is dropped outside where you look, to save performance.
- None
- Vision correctionHow somebody who wears glasses uses it, and in what dioptre range.
- Fits over glasses
- DimensionsWidth, height and depth of the device itself.
- 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
- Head strapSoft band or a rigid one. Decides how the weight sits over an hour.
- Rigid halo strap
- MaterialsShell and facial interface, in the vendor’s words.
- plastic · foam
- ColoursColours the manufacturer sells it in.
- Grey
- Haptics in the headsetVibration in the headset itself, not in the controllers.
- No
- TrackingWhether content stays put in the room (6DoF), follows head rotation (3DoF) or is simply fixed.
- 6DoF (position in space)
- Tracking camerasHow many cameras it uses to know where it is.
- 4
- Tracking rateHow often position is recalculated. Higher is steadier.
- Tracking rate: not published by the manufacturer
- Depth sensorA dedicated sensor for distance, on top of the cameras.
- Yes
- Hand trackingWhether bare hands can operate the interface, without a controller or the phone.
- Yes
- Hand tracking detailHow much of the hand reaches the application: a pinch, or a jointed hand pose a scenario can read.
- Gaze and pinch
- 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
- 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
- Face trackingTracks facial expression — for avatars, not for training scenarios.
- No
- Body trackingHow much of the body the device knows about. Estimated legs are not tracked legs.
- None
- Controllers includedWhether motion controllers come in the box, or are bought separately — or the device is hands-only.
- Yes
- Controller modelThe manufacturer's own name for the controller.
- HoloLens Clicker
- Controller tracking6DoF controllers track position and rotation, so a hand reaches in space; 3DoF only point. “None” means hands only.
- 3DoF
- 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.
- Rotation only (IMU)
- Other controllersWhether the headset works with controllers other than the ones it ships with.
- Other controllers from the same maker — Xbox Wireless Controller (Bluetooth models)
- Finger tracking on the controllerWhether the controller senses individual fingers, and how.
- Finger tracking on the controller: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller inputsButtons, sticks and triggers the controller offers.
- single button · wrist rotation
- Controller hapticsVibration feedback in the hand.
- Controller haptics: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller powerDisposable cells or a built-in rechargeable — a fleet question.
- Built-in rechargeable
- Controller weightOne controller, as the vendor weighs it.
- Controller weight: not published by the manufacturer
- Other input methodsWays in beyond controllers and bare hands.
- Voice · Look and pinch
- Where it computesWhether the device computes on its own or depends on a phone, PC or belt-worn puck.
- Standalone (own computer)
- ProcessorThe processor and memory inside. This is what the performance grade above is derived from.
- Intel Atom x5-Z8100 with Microsoft HPU 1.0
- CPUCores and clocks, where the manufacturer publishes them.
- Intel Atom x5-Z8100, 1.04 GHz
- GPUThe graphics part of the chip.
- Intel HD Graphics (Cherry Trail)
- MemoryRAM on the device. Together with the chipset it sets how complex a scene can be.
- 2 GB
- PlatformThe platform an application is built against — and what an MDM has to speak.
- Windows 10 Holographic 1809
- StorageOn-board space for downloaded courses. More matters for an offline library in several languages.
- Storage: not published by the manufacturer
- SD card slotWhether storage can be added with a card.
- No
- BatteryRuntime as the manufacturer states it. A hot-swappable pack matters more than the figure.
- 180 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 (mAh)The same fact in the other unit vendors use. We never convert between the two.
- 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
- ChargerPower of the supplied charger — it decides the charge time above.
- 18 W
- External batteryBattery on a cable or a puck instead of on the head.
- No
- Charging caseExtra runtime carried in the case the glasses ship with.
- 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.
- No
- 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
- Runs Skillsive appsOur own statement about whether Skillsive training applications run on it today.
- No
- Suitable for trainingOur judgement on whether it survives real deployment: comfort, hygiene, fleet management.
- No
- Kiosk mode / MDMVendor tooling to enrol devices, push an app and lock the headset to it. Practically required above ten devices.
- No
- Business tierAn official business tier, so devices belong to the company rather than to employees’ personal accounts.
- No
- CertificationsIndustrial certifications stated on the manufacturer's own page. Empty means unconfirmed, never "probably fine".
- ANSI Z87.1 · CSA Z94.3 · EN 166
- PortsPhysical sockets and charging contacts.
- Micro-USB 2.0 · 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Wi-FiThe Wi-Fi generation — it decides how well wireless streaming holds up.
- 5 (802.11ac)
- BluetoothFor controllers, headphones and accessories.
- 4.1 LE
- Video from a computerWhether a computer can drive it, over a cable or wirelessly.
- 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 · Headphone jack
- MicrophoneBuilt-in microphone — the other half of talking to a remote expert.
- Yes
- MicrophonesHow many. An array picks a voice out of a noisy hall; one does not.
- 4
- CameraA camera is what makes a remote expert call and photo documentation possible.
- Yes
- Price bandThe band it sits in, rather than a price that goes stale.
- Enterprise
- Launch priceThe manufacturer's launch price. Fixed history, so it never goes stale.
- $3000
- Price by configurationWhat each configuration cost at launch.
- Development Edition $3000 · Commercial Suite $5000
- 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
Who this device is for
This suits museums, R&D groups and university labs that already own units and want to keep a working installation alive, plus teams maintaining a UWP holographic app written before 2019. It is not for a safety-training buyer. A 30-degree window, 2 GB of RAM and a security-update stream that stopped in December 2024 do not add up to equipment you put on a new trainee.
What is missing, and what the manufacturer does not publish
Microsoft never published a field of view in degrees for this device, only counts of light points and radiants, so the 30 by 17.5 degrees here comes from press coverage and sources disagree on the vertical figure. Microsoft also never named the processor beyond an Intel 32-bit architecture; the Atom x5-Z8100 identification comes from third parties, and they do not agree on its clock speed. Physical dimensions, battery capacity, charge time, brightness in nits, tracking rate and pixels per degree were never stated by anyone, and neither was the Clicker's battery life. We could not source the year Microsoft stopped selling it either, only the end of servicing on 10 December 2024.
Microsoft HoloLens (1st generation) in independent reviews
Reviews we consider worth your time, each with a note on what the reviewer actually tested and why it matters for a training rollout. We do not own this hardware, so the tests are theirs — the reading of them is ours.
- The Verge2016
The fullest of the reviews here, and the one to start with. Independent coverage from The Verge, covering the narrow field of view that limits hands-on task guidance, and what spatial mapping could do in 2016. Worth the time if that is the part of the device your decision turns on.
Watch on YouTube - PCMag2016
A second independent voice, which is what stops a single reviewer's setup reading as the device. Independent coverage from PCMag, covering the narrow field of view that limits hands-on task guidance, and what spatial mapping could do in 2016. Worth the time if that is the part of the device your decision turns on.
Watch on YouTube - Jimmy Atom2016
A third take, useful mainly where the first two disagree. Independent coverage from Jimmy Atom, covering the narrow field of view that limits hands-on task guidance, and what spatial mapping could do in 2016. Worth the time if that is the part of the device your decision turns on.
Watch on YouTube
Nothing is sent to YouTube until you press play. Once you do, Google receives your IP address and device data and may process them outside the EEA — see our privacy policy for the details.
Microsoft HoloLens (1st generation) — frequently asked questions
- Does Microsoft still support HoloLens (1st gen)?
- No. Microsoft moved it to Long-Term Servicing on 23 November 2021 and shipped the last monthly update in December 2024. After 10 December 2024 the devices still boot and run, but they receive no security updates and no technical support, and Microsoft states there is no out-of-warranty support and no inventory for device exchange.
- Can HoloLens 1 run Skillsive VR training courses?
- No. Our courses are Android VR applications and HoloLens 1 runs Windows 10 Holographic with UWP apps, so there is no install path at all. It also ships without 6DoF controllers, and our scenarios depend on grabbing and manipulating tools. A current standalone Android headset is the right target instead.
- Why is the HoloLens 1 field of view so small?
- Its see-through waveguide optics project across roughly 30 degrees horizontally, so holograms are clipped by a rectangular window in the middle of your vision and larger objects have to be inspected in pieces. Microsoft never published the angle itself; the 30 by 17.5 degree figure comes from press coverage at the HoloLens 2 reveal. Content for the device had to be authored to sit inside that window.
Compare this device
Consider these too
The nearest devices in the same class, ranked by availability and launch price — not by our opinion of them.
Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08. Manufacturer's specification
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