A Business Insider report indicates that Meta has shifted the launch of its forthcoming mixed reality headset to the first half of 2027. The delay stems from an internal document authored by Maher Saba, vice president of the Reality Labs Foundation at Meta, which confirms that the initiative known internally as 'Phoenix' has been removed from the 2026 timeline.
Executives at Meta, in another internal communication, noted that this postponement will enable the creation of a smoother and more dependable user experience. Business Insider cited a message from Gabriel Aul and Ryan Cairns at Meta, who described the extended timeline as providing 'a lot more breathing room to get this right.' While Meta has shared limited public information on Phoenix, earlier coverage by The Information suggested it would adopt a goggles-style design powered by an external battery, akin to the setup on Apple's Vision Pro.
Saba's document, as reported by Business Insider, also references development of a special 'limited edition' device under the code name 'Malibu 2.' The day before, Meta disclosed its purchase of Limitless, the company behind the recently introduced AI-powered wearable device Pendant. Although Meta's existing lineup focuses primarily on smart glasses and virtual reality headsets, the Limitless deal and Malibu 2 effort may signal broader ambitions in wearable technology.