I’ll admit it—I used to be a nightly shutdown guy. Every evening, without fail, I’d close every tab, save my work, and power off like I was tucking the computer into bed. Why? I honestly didn’t have a great reason. It just felt... responsible, I guess? Like flossing or stretching before a run. Something adults did.
Cords used to be the part of my home that made me wince. A perfectly styled bookshelf? Love it. A well-lit desk setup? Yes, please. But the cords? They felt like a design afterthought—spaghetti nests of power strips, HDMI cables, and charging cords that always seemed one step away from a full-on trip hazard.
At some point, we’ve all fumbled through a pre-takeoff ritual that feels part tech-savvy, part superstition: flip on airplane mode, cross your fingers, and hope your playlist still works at 30,000 feet.
Let’s get this out of the way early: these headsets are not in the same weight class when it comes to price. One is pushing $3,499 (hi, Apple), and the other lands around $499.99 (Meta’s still betting on accessibility). But price aside, both claim to offer a new way to see, work, and play in the world—and I was curious enough to put them both to the test.
