Apple’s new Vision Pro gets an M5 chip and Dual Knit Band, but it’s still $3,499

Apple has introduced an upgraded version of its Vision Pro headset that’s powered by the company’s M5 chip, its latest silicon that will also come with the new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. The first generation of the headset was equipped with Apple’s M2, so you can expect this device to be faster and come with more capabilities. Apple hasn’t budged the price from $3,499 with 256GB of storage, but at least it comes with a Dual Knit Band, which adds a top strap for extra security and comfort.

As you’d expect, Apple claims the refreshed Vision Pro should be faster while loading apps, browsing the web and doing just about everything. The M5 chip also includes a new 10-core GPU, with better support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, “enabling developers to add remarkable detail to lighting, shadows, and reflections in games like Control,” according to Apple. The company also says the M5 Vision Pro renders 10 percent more pixels on its micro-OLED displays, which should make everything look a bit sharper.

The M5 Vision Pro should last a bit longer than the original model, as well. Apple claims it supports up to two and a half hours of typical usage, and up to three hours of video playback. The previous model was rated for two hours of general usage and two and a half hours of video viewing.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported a few days ago that Apple was due for another wave of product announcements. He wrote back then that the new iPad Pro and Vision Pro are already being mass produced and that Apple is “gearing up for an imminent release.” Apple had originally wanted to launch a a lighter and cheaper version of the Vision Pro headset, as well, but it reportedly decided to shift its focus on the development of smart glasses. The company pulled people working on the lighter Vision Pro, Gurman said in another report, and moved them to its smart glasses project.

Apple is reportedly working on a smart glasses model with no display and is meant to pair with iPhones, along with another model that’s equipped with a built-in screen and can directly compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban Display. The company is aiming to release the model with no screen in 2027 and the one with a screen in 2028, Gurman said.

“The Vision Pro is a flawed product, but it’s certainly not empty,” we noted in our review of the original headset. “It’s as if Apple has compiled everything it’s learned from building the Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods into a single device, all in a bid to avoid the Innovator’s Dilemma.” At first glance, the M5 Vision Pro doesn’t seem to change that conclusion much, not without more content and apps built around spatial computing.

The M5 Vision Pro is now ready to pre-order and will once again set you back $3,499. Apple will start shipping the device on October 22.