Device hub · VR / spatial · Desk research
HTC VIVE Flow
Flow is foldable 1600×1600 / 75 Hz / up to 100° at 189 g + 50 g cable.
Disclosure: Affiliate programs are not enrolled yet. See Affiliate disclosure. This page is manufacturer desk research, not a hands-on test — see Methodology.
Product images
Placeholder — OEM press not licensedHTC’s Flow spec table, shop, and 2021 newsroom remain the official sources. Product photos are not hosted.
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an HTC asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
In short
Flow is foldable 1600×1600 / 75 Hz / up to 100° at 189 g + 50 g cable. Keep $999 specs vs $199.99/$499 shop vs 2021 $499 newsroom. Chip is unpublished on the US table. Not XR Elite.
Who it is for
- Owners documenting Flow from HTC’s own spec table (1600×1600, 75 Hz, up to 100°, 189 g + 50 g).
Who should skip it
- Anyone who needs a published SoC name. The US spec table omits the chip.
- Room-scale controller-pair shoppers. Flow’s table is phone-as-controller or the optional Flow controller — not VIVE wands.
- People treating $199.99 as the only official list. Specs still print $999; launch was $499.
- Shoppers who want Focus Vision’s 2448×2448 / eye tracking or XR Elite’s 1920×1920 / 12 GB.
Key differentiators
- Dual 2.1-inch LCD; 1600×1600 per eye; 75 Hz; FOV up to 100° (US specs).
- 189 g visor + 50 g for the 1.2 m cable (HTC footnote: manufacturing tolerance).
- 4 GB / 64 GB; diopter dials; external power + 5-minute UPS hot-swap.
- Foldable glasses-like form; phone as controller or optional Flow controller.
Caveats
- Price conflict: US specs $999.00 vs shop $199.99 / $499.00 vs 2021 newsroom $499. Flag all three; do not average.
- SoC is not on the US specs / newsroom pages this pass. Third-party launch stories often cite Snapdragon XR1 — not used as this table.
- Newsroom “about the same as a chocolate bar at just 189g” is marketing color around the same gram cell — still quote the cable +50 g footnote.
- Power bank is sold separately (shop: e.g. compatible battery bank). Do not invent headset-hour rows.
- No hands-on testing.
VR-category specs
Same rows on every headset hub (Vision Pro, Quest, Galaxy XR, PICO, PS VR2). FOV, weight, and battery cells quote the manufacturer footnote — they are not lab measurements.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Display type | 2 × 2.1-inch LCD (US specs). Newsroom: 3.2K resolution wording around the same panels | vive.com/us/product/vive-flow/specs/ |
| Display resolution | 1600 × 1600 per eye; 3200 × 1600 pixels combined. Newsroom/overview also say 3.2K — same combined count | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Refresh rate (OEM) | 75 Hz | VIVE Flow US specs; 2021-10-14 newsroom |
| Field of view (OEM claim) | Up to 100 degrees (US specs). Newsroom: “expansive 100-degree field of view.” Keep the “up to.” | VIVE Flow US specs; newsroom 2021-10-14 |
| Optics / lenses | Not named pancake/Fresnel on the US spec table (accessed 2026-09-19). Adjustable diopter dials per lens | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Chip / processor | Not published | Cited HTC pages |
| RAM / unified memory | 4 GB RAM | VIVE Flow US specs |
| On-device storage | 64 GB ROM | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Operating system | VIVE / VIVEPORT on the headset. Phone pairing: Android 9 or later; iPhone 8 or newer with iOS 14.4.2 or later (US specs) | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Tracking | 2× cameras for inside-out headset 6DoF tracking | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Controllers | US specs: can use a connected phone as controller. Overview/shop: optional Controller for VIVE Flow (separate accessory; logo may be missing on some batches). Not VIVE wand / Focus controllers | VIVE Flow US specs; overview; shop 21071655 |
| Other input | Not published | VIVE Flow overview |
| PC / console tether | Not a PCVR visor on the cited pages. USB-C is for power / phone pairing, not a DisplayPort SteamVR kit | VIVE Flow US specs |
| IPD | No millimeter window on the US spec table (accessed 2026-09-19). Per-lens diopter dials are the published vision-support row — not an IPD range | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Weight | 189 g (1.2 m cable additional 50 g). HTC: units may vary slightly by manufacturing tolerance. Newsroom also says 189 g. Do not drop the cable footnote | VIVE Flow US specs; newsroom 2021-10-14 |
| Passthrough / see-through | Video pass-through for environmental awareness (US specs). Not a mixed-reality depth-sensor claim | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Eye tracking | Not listed on the US spec table (accessed 2026-09-19) | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Battery — headset (OEM) | No headset-hour row. External power source (compatible battery bank). Built-in UPS: up to 5 minutes while hot-swapping sources. Newsroom accessory: 10,000 mAh VIVE power bank sold separately. Shop also lists a 21W / 9,750 mAh QC3.0 bank as an accessory | VIVE Flow US specs; newsroom; overview accessories |
| Battery style | External power bank / USB-C. Tiny UPS only for hot-swap, not a session battery | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Charging (OEM) | USB-C from an external source. No wattage on the spec table for the visor itself. Accessory banks are 21W / 9,750 mAh (overview) or 10,000 mAh (newsroom) — different accessory SKUs | VIVE Flow US specs; overview; newsroom |
| Audio | Stereo speakers with spatial audio; dual mics with echo and noise cancellation; Bluetooth headphones supported | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Wireless | USB-C; Wi-Fi (generation not named on the US table); Bluetooth 5.0. Newsroom: wireless stream from a 5G Android phone — that is the phone’s radio, not a Wi-Fi 5G visor claim | VIVE Flow US specs; newsroom 2021-10-14 |
| Glasses / prescription | Adjustable diopter dials per lens (US specs / overview). Glasses-over-visor is not a checkbox on the spec table | VIVE Flow US specs |
| Platform / account lock | VIVEPORT / VIVE account. Newsroom: VIVEPORT plan USD $5.99 per month at launch. Individual profiles on the overview. Not a Meta / PS5 lock | VIVE Flow newsroom 2021-10-14; overview |
| Age / intended use (OEM) | Overview: VIVE Guardian parental controls on Android. No numeric minimum age on the cited spec / newsroom pages (accessed 2026-09-19) | VIVE Flow overview |
| US list price (dated) | Three official sentences this pass: US specs header $999.00; US shop Flow with Controller $199.99 sale / $499.00 regular; 2021-10-14 newsroom USD $499 at announce. Flag all three | US specs; shop-us.vive.com/products/21071655; newsroom 2021-10-14 |
| Price band | Lifestyle standalone — leftover sale vs $499 launch / $999 specs-header class | Cited HTC price sentences |
| Announced / introduced | 14 October 2021; pre-orders that day; open sales November 2021 (newsroom) | vive.com/us/newsroom/2021-10-14/ |
| Availability | Not published | Cited HTC pages, 2026-09-19 |
HTC VIVE Flow extras
Unique to this line or SKU. Other headsets keep the first table aligned and swap this extras list.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Price conflict | Specs header $999.00 vs shop $199.99 / $499.00 vs 2021 newsroom $499. Same-day desk pass; do not flatten | US specs; shop 21071655; newsroom |
| Cable mass footnote | 189 g visor; 1.2 m cable additional 50 g. Quote the split | VIVE Flow US specs |
| SoC unpublished | US specs and newsroom omit the processor name. Do not copy Snapdragon XR1 from non-HTC stories onto this H1 | Cited HTC pages |
| Not XR Elite / Focus Vision | Different slugs. Do not copy 1920×1920 / 12 GB or 2448×2448 / eye tracking here | VIVE Flow US specs |
Overview
Flow stays a hub because leftover glasses-like VIVE kits and “is this XR Elite?” queries do not retire. Convertible sibling: /vr/htc-vive-xr-elite/. Hybrid sibling: /vr/htc-vive-focus-vision/. Do not 301 this onto either.
| Source | What it prints (2026-09-19 unless dated) |
|---|---|
| US specs header | $999.00 |
| US shop 21071655 | $199.99 sale / $499.00 regular |
| Newsroom 2021-10-14 | USD $499 / £499 / from 549€ |
Mass split
189 g visor + 50 g for the 1.2 m cable. Keep the split.
Sources
- VIVE — Flow US specs — accessed 2026-09-19
- VIVE — Flow US overview — accessed 2026-09-19
- VIVE shop — Flow with Controller ($199.99 / $499.00) — accessed 2026-09-19
- VIVE newsroom — Flow launch ($499, 2021-10-14) — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Is this XR Elite?
No. XR Elite is a different slug (1920×1920, 12 GB / 128 GB). This hub stays Flow.
What does it cost?
HTC currently prints three sentences: specs $999, shop $199.99 sale / $499 regular, and 2021 newsroom $499. We flag all three.
What chip is inside?
Not on HTC’s US spec table or launch newsroom this pass. We do not invent one.
What does it weigh?
189 g plus 50 g for the 1.2 m cable. Manufacturing-tolerance footnote stays.
Official product page: HTC VIVE Flow. Specs: HTC VIVE Flow specs.