Canbor VR Review

This relatively low-cost VR headset scored correspondingly poorly in our review, scoring lower than the Bnext and the QERY. Both of those headsets scored better and retail for the same or less than the Canbor, making both of those products a better option.

To determine which headset is truly the best, we bought the best and most popular headsets currently available and put them through an exhaustive series of head-to-head tests to find the winners. These tests were divided up among five weighted rating metrics, each weighted based on its importance. These metrics were Visual Immersiveness, Interactiveness, Comfort, Ease of Setup, and User Friendliness, with the results of the Canbor described below.

Interactiveness

The Canbor wasn't very easy to interact with, and we didn't feel that the tracking was super accurate, so did not do very well in this metric, falling near the bottom of the pack.

There are no buttons on the headset itself, but it does have a handheld remote. This remote has limited functionality, only working to control music when using iOS. It does have more functionality with Android, but it can be finicky and unreliable, with mediocre motion tracking.

The motion tracking for where you look is dependent on the internal sensors of the smartphone used, so it is reasonably accurate, on par with the other mobile headsets.

Visual Immersiveness

The Canbor again scored well below average; in fact, it was almost the worst in the group. It does not adequately block out external light, letting a fair bit in around the bridge of your nose and the sides of the headset. While it didn't let in the most light, it still let in enough to be distracting and a detriment to your VR experience. This model does have a relatively expansive field of view — on par with the Bnext — with only a tiny portion of our test image truncated.

However, we found the overall image quality to be somewhat terrible — rendering this headset basically useless. It was exceptionally difficult to properly adjust the optics in this headset and our eyes always felt like they were straining to focus. The image also suffered plenty of distortion, making it very hard to read things. The distortion of the image was much more pronounced than with the Merge VR. The resolution of the image depends on the phone, but the amount of distortion renders even a top-of-the-line smartphone display essentially useless.

Comfort

The Canbor scored a little better this time, but still wasn't comfortable enough for us to truly recommend. It's only marginally better than the Google Cardboard. It is also a very tight fit, with no possible room to wear glasses and this headset concurrently. However, there is a little bit of airflow to keep the perspiration at a minimum.

User Friendliness

The Canbor continues its losing streak by being quite difficult and sometimes annoying to use.

The cover folds out on the Canbor to allow you to insert your phone, with a clamp that secures it in place. This is definitely one of the more difficult methods to install a phone, but it is slightly easier than the Bnext. Unfortunately, this clamp makes it almost impossible to not hit buttons on your phone accidentally when using the headset, proving to be a constant source of frustration. This clamp system also means that there is no room to leave your phone in its case, but it does not impede access to the headphone port.

Ease of Setup

Ease of setup is the only metric that the Canbor performed well. The only tasks required to get the headset ready to go are adjusting the lenses and inserting batteries into the handheld remote. You can then download the VR mobile app of your choice and you are all set. This headset is compatible with a large variety of phones, both Android and iPhone, and we conducted the majority of our tests with a Samsung S8.

Value

The Canbor has a low price point, but scores very poorly, making it a bad choice when searching for a value option.

Conclusion

The flaws of this headset greatly outnumber its strong points, with other products matching or exceeding its performance in every aspect of our tests, causing us to urge caution if you are considering the Canbor.