Should I buy Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S?

The choice between the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S mostly comes down to budget versus image quality.

Buy the Meta Quest 3 if you want the best overall visual experience. It uses pancake lenses, which give you sharper clarity across more of the view, and it has a higher-resolution display than the Quest 3S.

Buy the Meta Quest 3S if you want a cheaper way to get into modern VR and mixed reality. It uses older Fresnel lenses and a lower-resolution display, but it has the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, so game performance is broadly similar.

Short version:

• Quest 3 = better visuals, better premium pick
• Quest 3S = better value if you want to save money

If you can afford it, the Quest 3 is the better overall headset. If price matters most, the Quest 3S is the smarter buy.