Epson Moverio BT-40S — specification and verdict
The BT-40S puts a 1920x1080 Si-OLED image in front of each eye across a 34-degree diagonal field of view at 60 Hz, so a trainee reads a document, a checklist or a camera feed sharply, but only inside a small floating window near the centre of vision. There is no positional tracking at all: content stays glued to head orientation and cannot be anchored to a machine, a valve or a workbench. The glasses themselves weigh 95 g and clip to the BO-IC400 controller over USB-C, an Android 9 unit with a Snapdragon XR1, 4 GB of RAM and a microSD slot, rated for about 300 minutes of use. The controller carries the camera and the touchpad, so every interaction happens in the hand, not in the air.
Epson has discontinued the BT-40S in both the US and European catalogues, so a fleet has to come from remaining channel stock or the second-hand market, and spare glasses and spare BO-IC400 controllers are two separate procurement problems. The controller ships with Google Mobile Services on Android 9, which lets you side-load an APK, but Epson sells no fleet console, no kiosk launcher and no per-seat enterprise licence for it, so device management would have to be an Android Enterprise setup you assemble yourself on a 2021 OS release. Hygiene is straightforward compared with a closed VR headset: it is a glasses frame with an optional shade, wipeable and shareable between shifts. Budget beyond the unit for USB-C cables, replacement nose pieces and the IPX2 rating, which covers dripping water only and not a washdown.
Do not buy the BT-40S for a new deployment in 2026: it is discontinued, it runs Android 9, and its 34-degree window with no positional tracking limits it to reading text and video hands-free. If you need exactly that on an active line, look at Epson's own BT-45CS, which shares the controller software train. If you need training scenarios where a learner walks around and manipulates equipment, this is the wrong class of device entirely.
How it compares within its class
The axis runs from the lowest to the highest published figure among the AR — industrial devices in this catalogue. The grey tick is the median of that class.
Median for this class: 24°, from 11 models that publish the figure.
Median for this class: 175 g, from 11 models that publish the figure.
Median for this class: 480 min, from 10 models that publish the figure.
Median for this class: $1800, from 7 models that publish the figure.
Full specification
An em dash means the manufacturer does not publish that figure.
- ManufacturerWho makes it — and who you buy support from.
- Epson
- CategoryWhich kind of product this is. It decides which rows below make sense at all.
- AR — industrial
- Device typeWhere the computing happens, and therefore what you need to run it.
- AR with a compute puck
- AnnouncedThe day it was shown, which is not the day it shipped.
- 2021-03-02
- ReleasedYear the model went on sale. Older is not automatically worse in this category.
- 2021
- AvailabilityWhether you can still order it new today.
- Discontinued
- Support endsThe date the manufacturer stops supporting it. Decisive for a fleet you are about to buy.
- Support ends: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- DisplayHow the image is produced. "No display" is a real answer in this category, not a gap.
- Waveguide
- Eyes coveredOne eye or both. Over a full shift this is a real difference in fatigue.
- Both eyes
- Resolution per eyePixels delivered to each eye. Higher means small text and labels stay readable.
- 1920x1080
- Refresh rateImages per second. Higher feels smoother and helps people prone to motion discomfort.
- ≈60 Hz*VRcompare spec sheet
- Field of viewHow much of your view the image covers. Bigger is more immersive, not automatically better for work.
- 34° diagonal
- Pixel densityPixels per degree of view — the honest way to compare sharpness between a headset and a pair of glasses. Higher is sharper. Only shown where somebody published it; we never compute it ourselves.
- Pixel density: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- BrightnessIn a plant or outdoors, brightness decides legibility more than resolution does.
- Brightness: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- WeightThe device alone. Anything above roughly 150 g is felt within an hour.
- 95 g
- Visible field of viewWhat the eye actually sees through the optics, by axis.
- Visible field of view: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Rendered field of viewWhat the device draws. Never smaller than what you see.
- Rendered field of view: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Binocular overlapWhere both eyes see the same thing — this is where depth happens.
- Binocular overlap: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Average pixel densityPixels per degree across the image. More is sharper.
- Average pixel density: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Peak pixel densityThe sharpest point, usually the centre of the lens.
- Peak pixel density: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Subpixel layoutHow the coloured dots sit in a pixel. A stripe looks cleaner on text than PenTile.
- Subpixel layout: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Foveated renderingWhether detail is dropped outside where you look, to save performance.
- Foveated rendering: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Vision correctionHow somebody who wears glasses uses it, and in what dioptre range.
- Vision correction: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- DimensionsWidth, height and depth of the device itself.
- ≈194 × 164 × 41 mm*VRcompare spec sheet
- Weight with strapWith the strap it ships with — the weight you actually wear.
- Weight with strap: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Head strapSoft band or a rigid one. Decides how the weight sits over an hour.
- Glasses frame
- MaterialsShell and facial interface, in the vendor’s words.
- plastic
- ColoursColours the manufacturer sells it in.
- Black
- Haptics in the headsetVibration in the headset itself, not in the controllers.
- Haptics in the headset: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- TrackingWhether content stays put in the room (6DoF), follows head rotation (3DoF) or is simply fixed.
- None
- Tracking camerasHow many cameras it uses to know where it is.
- Tracking cameras: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Tracking rateHow often position is recalculated. Higher is steadier.
- Tracking rate: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Depth sensorA dedicated sensor for distance, on top of the cameras.
- Depth sensor: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Hand trackingWhether bare hands can operate the interface, without a controller or the phone.
- No
- Face trackingTracks facial expression — for avatars, not for training scenarios.
- Face tracking: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Body trackingHow much of the body the device knows about. Estimated legs are not tracked legs.
- Body tracking: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controllers includedWhether motion controllers come in the box, or are bought separately — or the device is hands-only.
- Controllers included: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller modelThe manufacturer's own name for the controller.
- Controller model: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller tracking6DoF controllers track position and rotation, so a hand reaches in space; 3DoF only point. “None” means hands only.
- Controller tracking: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Finger tracking on the controllerWhether the controller senses individual fingers, and how.
- Finger tracking on the controller: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller inputsButtons, sticks and triggers the controller offers.
- Controller inputs: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller hapticsVibration feedback in the hand.
- Controller haptics: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller powerDisposable cells or a built-in rechargeable — a fleet question.
- Controller power: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Controller weightOne controller, as the vendor weighs it.
- Controller weight: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Other input methodsWays in beyond controllers and bare hands.
- Other input methods: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Where it computesWhether the device computes on its own or depends on a phone, PC or belt-worn puck.
- Driven by a belt-worn puck
- ProcessorThe processor and memory inside. This is what the performance grade above is derived from.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1
- CPUCores and clocks, where the manufacturer publishes them.
- Octa-core Kryo (2 x 2.52 GHz, 6 x 1.7 GHz)
- GPUThe graphics part of the chip.
- Adreno 615
- MemoryRAM on the device. Together with the chipset it sets how complex a scene can be.
- 4 GB
- PlatformThe platform an application is built against — and what an MDM has to speak.
- Android 9.0
- SD card slotWhether storage can be added with a card.
- Yes
- BatteryRuntime as the manufacturer states it. A hot-swappable pack matters more than the figure.
- 300 min
- Battery capacity (Wh)Energy in the cell. Bigger is longer, given the same power draw.
- Battery capacity (Wh): Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Battery capacity (mAh)The same fact in the other unit vendors use. We never convert between the two.
- 3400 mAh
- Charge timeFrom empty to full. Rarely stated by the manufacturer, so it usually comes from whoever timed it.
- Charge time: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- ChargerPower of the supplied charger — it decides the charge time above.
- Charger: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- External batteryBattery on a cable or a puck instead of on the head.
- External battery: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Charging caseExtra runtime carried in the case the glasses ship with.
- Charging case: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Hot-swap batteryWhether a charged battery can replace the empty one without ending the session. This is what decides if a headset can hold an all-day training station.
- Hot-swap battery: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Third-party appsHow a third party's application reaches the device: an ordinary Android package, a vendor-only SDK, or not at all.
- Ordinary Android app (APK)
- Runs Skillsive appsOur own statement about whether Skillsive training applications run on it today.
- No
- Suitable for trainingOur judgement on whether it survives real deployment: comfort, hygiene, fleet management.
- No
- Kiosk mode / MDMVendor tooling to enrol devices, push an app and lock the headset to it. Practically required above ten devices.
- No
- Business tierAn official business tier, so devices belong to the company rather than to employees’ personal accounts.
- No
- CertificationsIndustrial certifications stated on the manufacturer's own page. Empty means unconfirmed, never "probably fine".
- IPX2
- PortsPhysical sockets and charging contacts.
- USB Type-C · headphone jack · microSD card slot
- Wi-FiThe Wi-Fi generation — it decides how well wireless streaming holds up.
- Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
- BluetoothFor controllers, headphones and accessories.
- 5.0
- Video from a computerWhether a computer can drive it, over a cable or wirelessly.
- Over a cable (DisplayPort over USB-C)
- AudioBuilt-in sound. Matters most where somebody has to hear a remote expert while working.
- Built-in speakers · Headphone jack
- MicrophoneBuilt-in microphone — the other half of talking to a remote expert.
- Yes
- MicrophonesHow many. An array picks a voice out of a noisy hall; one does not.
- Microphones: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- CameraA camera is what makes a remote expert call and photo documentation possible.
- Yes
- Price bandThe band it sits in, rather than a price that goes stale.
- Premium
- Launch priceThe manufacturer's launch price. Fixed history, so it never goes stale.
- $999
- Price by configurationWhat each configuration cost at launch.
- Price by configuration: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
- Price todayApproximate current net price in USD — a general figure, since these barely differ between regions once tax is stripped out. A snapshot from the date shown, not an offer.
- Price today: Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08.
Who this device is for
It suits maintenance and inspection teams who want a hands-free 1080p screen for a manual, a drone feed or a remote-support video call, and who already own units. Because tracking is 'none' and the compute sits in a handheld controller, it does not suit anyone who wants content pinned to a real object or a trainee whose hands must stay on a tool.
What is missing, and what the manufacturer does not publish
Epson does not publish brightness in nits, panel refresh beyond 60 Hz, or a formal end-of-support date for the BO-IC400, so the useful life of a used unit is a guess. The 3400 mAh controller battery figure comes from VRcompare, not Epson, and the two sources also disagree on price: VRcompare lists 940 USD against Epson's 999 USD announcement MSRP. We could not confirm any vendor MDM or kiosk product, only that the controller is a GMS-certified Android 9 device.
Epson Moverio BT-40S — frequently asked questions
- Is the Epson Moverio BT-40S still sold in 2026?
- No. Epson's European product page carries a discontinued notice and the US page lists it as discontinued, so anything you find now is remaining channel stock or used hardware. Epson's current see-through viewer is the BT-45CS, whose controller shares a system software release train with the BT-40S BO-IC400, which is why updates still appear for both.
- Can Skillsive VR training courses run on the Moverio BT-40S?
- No. Our courses are 6DoF standalone VR applications, and the BT-40S has no positional tracking and a 34-degree see-through window instead of an immersive display. Its Android 9 BO-IC400 controller can install APKs, but there is nowhere for a room-scale scenario to be rendered. Use a standalone VR headset for the courses and keep the BT-40S for hands-free document and video viewing.
- What does the S in Moverio BT-40S add over the plain BT-40?
- The S configuration bundles the BO-IC400 intelligent touch controller, an Android 9 unit with a Snapdragon XR1, 4 GB of RAM, a microSD slot and a camera, which is why it launched at 999 USD. The plain BT-40 has no controller: its glasses are a DisplayPort-over-USB-C display for a PC or phone. If you want the glasses to run apps by themselves, you need the S.
Compare this device
Consider these too
The nearest devices in the same class, ranked by availability and launch price — not by our opinion of them.
Specifications checked against the manufacturer's page on 2026-08-08. Manufacturer's specification
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