Microsoft HoloLens is a discontinued line of see-through mixed reality headsets. Microsoft ended HoloLens 2 production in 2024 and has announced no successor. Security updates continue through December 2027. Enterprise buyers in 2026 look at Magic Leap 2, Meta Quest 3, Apple Vision Pro, Varjo XR-4 or Lenovo ThinkReality. Existing HoloLens 2 fleets still need developers.
In short:
- What it is: HoloLens 2 is an untethered holographic computer with see-through waveguide lenses, shipped in November 2019 at $3,500.
- What it is not: A current product. Microsoft's purchase page says it is no longer manufactured and out of stock in all geographies.
- Key dates: Final feature release November 2024. Security updates and support through December 31, 2027.
- What comes next: Microsoft handed IVAS to Anduril in 2025 and now ships Windows and Microsoft 365 apps to Meta Quest.
What is Microsoft HoloLens?
Microsoft HoloLens is a family of self-contained mixed reality headsets that project holograms onto see-through lenses, so the wearer keeps seeing the physical room. Microsoft describes HoloLens 2 as "an untethered holographic computer" running Windows Holographic, a version of Windows 10.
Two generations shipped. The first HoloLens shipped as a Development Edition on March 30, 2016 to developers in the United States and Canada at $3,000. HoloLens 2 was announced on February 24, 2019 at $3,500 and Microsoft said it was shipping to customers on November 7, 2019. Editions included the plain device, a Remote Assist bundle, an Industrial Edition, a Development Edition and the Trimble XR10 hard hat version.
Is HoloLens discontinued?
Yes. Microsoft confirmed in early October 2024 that HoloLens 2 production had ended. A spokesperson told The Register on October 2, 2024: "Microsoft is no longer producing Microsoft HoloLens 2, and we have signaled a last time to buy for customers and partners." The HoloLens 2 release notes add that as of December 2024 HoloLens devices are no longer manufactured.
No HoloLens 3 has been announced. Microsoft's purchase page, dated February 26, 2025, reads: "HoloLens 2 is no longer being manufactured and is currently out of stock in all geographies." The first generation HoloLens reached end of support on December 10, 2024.
When does HoloLens 2 support end?
Microsoft's HoloLens 2 release notes give three dates. The November 2024 update (build 22621.1409) was the final feature release. Monthly security servicing updates continue through December 2027. Customer service and developer support continue through December 31, 2027.
One longer date exists. For the UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act, Microsoft states a minimum security update period ending February 28, 2028 for units purchased until February 28, 2025, and a Microsoft employee on Microsoft Q&A called that the official end of support date. Plan around December 31, 2027.
What does "security updates only" mean?
Security updates only means the operating system keeps receiving fixes for vulnerabilities and for regressions that break major functionality, but no new features. Microsoft's latest HoloLens 2 release at the time of writing is the August 2026 update, build 1553, published August 11, 2026, described in the release notes as Windows security updates only. Devices still on the Windows 10 branch received their final update in December 2024.
HoloLens milestones
| Milestone | Date | Source (short label) |
|---|---|---|
| HoloLens Development Edition ships, $3,000 | March 30, 2016 | Windows Devices Blog |
| HoloLens 2 announced at $3,500 | February 24, 2019 | Official Microsoft Blog |
| HoloLens 2 shipping to customers | November 7, 2019 | Microsoft Source |
| HoloLens 2 production ended, confirmed to press | October 1 to 2, 2024 | UploadVR, The Register |
| HoloLens 2 final feature release (build 22621.1409) | November 2024 | HoloLens 2 release notes |
| HoloLens (1st gen) end of support | December 10, 2024 | HoloLens 1 release notes |
| Microsoft and Anduril announce IVAS handover | February 11, 2025 | Microsoft Source |
| Microsoft Mesh apps retired | December 1, 2025 | Microsoft Adoption |
| Windows Mixed Reality Steam support ends | November 2026 | Windows deprecated features |
| Dynamics 365 Guides and Remote Assist end of support | December 31, 2026 | Microsoft Lifecycle |
| HoloLens 2 security updates and support end | December 31, 2027 | HoloLens 2 release notes, Microsoft Q&A |
| HoloLens 2 UK PSTI security update period ends | February 28, 2028 | HoloLens 2 release notes |
HoloLens 2 claimed specifications
All figures below are Microsoft's claimed values from the HoloLens 2 hardware page on Microsoft Learn. BestInXR has not measured them. The spec page publishes no field of view figure. Microsoft's 2019 launch post only claimed the field of view "more than doubled" over the first generation at 47 pixels per degree.
| Specification | Claimed value |
|---|---|
| Optics | See-through holographic lenses (waveguides) |
| Holographic resolution | 2k 3:2 light engines |
| Field of view | Not disclosed on the spec page |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 with second generation Holographic Processing Unit |
| Memory and storage | 4 GB LPDDR4x, 64 GB UFS 2.1 |
| Sensors | 4 visible light cameras for head tracking, 2 infrared cameras for eye tracking, 1 MP time of flight depth sensor, IMU |
| Camera and audio | 8 MP stills, 1080p30 video, 5 channel microphone array |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C |
| Battery | 2 to 3 hours of active use, passively cooled |
| Weight | 566 grams |
| Launch price | $3,500 (device only) |
What happened to IVAS?
IVAS, the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, is the US Army headset program Microsoft won with a HoloLens derived design, and it moved to Anduril Industries in 2025. On February 11, 2025 Microsoft and Anduril announced that Anduril would take over production, future hardware and software development and delivery timelines, pending Department of Defense approval, with Azure as Anduril's preferred cloud for IVAS. Breaking Defense reported that the Army signed off on the transfer on April 10, 2025.
What does Microsoft still offer for mixed reality?
Microsoft's remaining mixed reality offer is software that runs on other companies' headsets, mainly Meta Quest. The HoloLens era products are being retired.
- Windows Mixed Reality. Deprecated in December 2023 and removed in Windows 11 version 24H2. Existing headsets keep working with Steam through November 2026 only on version 23H2.
- Dynamics 365 Guides and Remote Assist. End of support on December 31, 2026. Subscriptions could be renewed until November 1, 2025. Microsoft states the apps "will no longer be functional" after the end date, with data retained in Dataverse. Remote Assist mobile was deprecated on March 25, 2025.
- Microsoft Mesh. Retired December 1, 2025, including the Mesh PC and Quest apps, Mesh on the web and the immersive space view in Teams meetings. Immersive events in Teams replaced them.
- Windows on Meta Quest. Microsoft and Meta announced their partnership on October 11, 2022. Word, Excel and PowerPoint run on Quest as web apps, and Meta's January 24, 2024 post names Quest 3 and Quest Pro for color passthrough use. Windows 11 streaming to Quest 3 and Quest 3S entered public preview on December 11, 2024, and Mixed Reality Link and the Windows App for Meta Quest became generally available on October 30, 2025.
What replaces HoloLens for enterprise mixed reality?
No single product replaces HoloLens 2. The nearest see-through alternative is Magic Leap 2. The passthrough headsets below cover most other HoloLens use cases. Each figure is the manufacturer's claim, and the full sourced comparison is in the BestInXR best XR headsets post.
- Magic Leap 2. Optical see-through, like HoloLens. Magic Leap's developer documentation lists a field of view of 45 degrees horizontal by 55 degrees vertical (70 degrees diagonal) and 1440 x 1760 pixels per eye.
- Meta Quest 3. Video passthrough. Meta's September 2023 launch post claims full color passthrough with "over 10 times more pixels" than Quest 2 on the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform. Meta's store lists the 512 GB model at $599.99 as of September 2026.
- Apple Vision Pro. Video passthrough. Apple's October 15, 2025 announcement of the M5 model gives a starting price of $3,499 in the US and claims up to two and a half hours of general use per charge.
- Varjo XR-4. Video passthrough, PC tethered. Varjo claims 3840 x 3744 pixels per eye, a 120 by 105 degree field of view and dual 20 megapixel passthrough cameras, in standard, Focal and Secure editions.
- Lenovo ThinkReality VRX. Video passthrough. Lenovo's May 30, 2023 release states a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 1 processor, 2280 x 2280 pixels per eye, stereo full color passthrough and a starting price of $1,299.
Browse the manufacturers and their headsets in the BestInXR directory.
Who still builds HoloLens 2 applications?
HoloLens 2 application work in 2026 is maintenance and migration, not new deployments. Companies that bought HoloLens 2 fleets between 2019 and 2024 still run Unity, Unreal and OpenXR applications on them, and those applications need upkeep through 2027. The commissions reaching developers fall into three groups.
- Maintenance. Keeping existing HoloLens 2 apps working after operating system updates and replacing retired Microsoft services such as Guides and Remote Assist before December 31, 2026.
- Ports. Moving a HoloLens 2 application to Magic Leap 2, Meta Quest 3 or Apple Vision Pro. OpenXR based projects port with less rework than projects built on the older Windows Mixed Reality APIs.
- Replacement builds. Rebuilding a training, remote assistance or visualization workflow on a passthrough headset.
BestInXR does not rank HoloLens developers, because no verifiable HoloLens specific criterion remains to rank on. The mixed reality development companies post explains how to evaluate a developer for this work, and the Developers category of the directory lists companies with documented mixed reality projects. Ask a developer which HoloLens 2 projects they shipped and which headset they recommend for the port.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is Microsoft HoloLens discontinued?
Yes. Microsoft confirmed in October 2024 that HoloLens 2 production had ended, and its purchase page states the device is no longer manufactured and out of stock in all geographies. No successor has been announced.
2. When does HoloLens 2 support end?
Microsoft states that monthly security updates continue through December 2027 and that customer service and developer support run through December 31, 2027. For units bought by February 28, 2025, a UK PSTI minimum security update period runs to February 28, 2028.
3. What replaced HoloLens?
Microsoft named no replacement. For optical see-through work the nearest product is Magic Leap 2. For passthrough mixed reality, enterprises use Meta Quest 3, Apple Vision Pro, Varjo XR-4 or Lenovo ThinkReality VRX.
4. Can you still buy a HoloLens 2?
Not from Microsoft. Its purchase page, updated February 2025, says HoloLens 2 is out of stock in all geographies. Any unit offered today comes from reseller inventory or the secondhand market, and it will only receive security updates through 2027.
5. Who develops HoloLens applications?
Mixed reality development companies that shipped HoloLens 2 projects between 2019 and 2024 still maintain and port them. BestInXR lists them in the Developers category of its directory.
