Everything new about the revamped Apple Vision Pro can fit in a single sentence: It has a far faster and more efficient M5 chip, it comes with a more comfortable Dual Knit Band and its display looks slightly sharper and faster. Beyond that, the Vision Pro is still basically a $3,500 developer kit that really isn’t meant for consumers.
Still, the Vision Pro fascinates me. It’s a bold swing from a company that’s become increasingly risk-averse over the last decade. And now that we have its first refresh, it’s clear that Apple isn’t ready to give up on the concept of spatial computing yet. For the niche audience of mixed reality developers and hardcore Apple fanatics who haven’t already picked up a Vision Pro, the new model is more compelling than the original with its aging M2 chip. If you’ve already got one, though, you can just pick up the Dual Knit Band for $99 to get a more comfortable fit.
Apple
The revamped Apple Vision Pro is faster and more comfortable than the original, but its limited ecosystem still makes it better suited to developers than consumers.
Pros
- Faster M5 chip
- Excellent displays
- Hand and eye tracking work well
- Support for PS VR2 controllers
Cons
- Expensive
- Limited immersive video and apps
- Relatively heavy
What’s the point of the M5 Apple Vision Pro?
While the Vision Pro launched with a huge splash in 2023, it was released early last year with the 2022-era M2 chip. Now that we’re three generations beyond that Apple silicon, it’s high time it received an upgrade. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro is up to 50 percent faster at rendering your Persona avatar and creating spatial scenes from photos, according to Apple. Both of those experiences were noticeably faster during my testing, but they also never felt too sluggish on the original Vision Pro.
As I mentioned above, having new hardware is a sign that Apple hasn’t completely forgotten about the Vision Pro. It’s not being almost immediately ignored like the original HomePod. Instead, this new model aims to fix some of the biggest annoyances from the first. The Dual Knit Band alone makes the Vision Pro feel more comfortable, since it relies on a rear and top strap to balance the device on your head. The original Solo Knit Band only had a rear strap, which clamped the Vision Pro on your head and left much of its weight resting on your forehead and nose.
Apple Vision Pro M5 bottom sensors.
While the original Vision Pro also included a Dual Loop Band in the box, that was rarely featured in the marketing for the Vision Pro, likely because it made the device appear to be more like a traditional VR headset. The new Dual Knit Band almost feels like an apology for Apple’s previous bands — it’s as if the company is admitting that it was more concerned with how the Vision Pro appeared in ads, instead of choosing a more comfortable default head strap.
In addition to making the headset feel easier to wear, the Dual Knit Band is also ingeniously simple to adjust. Twisting its small tightening knob adjusts the horizontal straps, and then you just have to pop that knob out to customize the over-head straps. That’s a major upgrade over most VR headsets, which typically rely on velcro to tighten straps over your head.
Apple Vision Pro M5 adjustment knob. (Devindra Hardawar for Engadget)
Aside from the Dual Knit Band, the Vision Pro sports the exact same design as the original model, so I’d recommend reading my initial review for more hardware specifics. “In typical Apple fashion, the Vision Pro looks far more handsome than any VR headset I’ve seen,” I wrote last year. “That mostly comes down to materials: Whereas the competition is almost entirely made of plastic cases, Apple’s device is built out of smooth glass, polished metal and designer fabrics.”
While the new Vision Pro is using the same micro OLED displays as before, the headset can render 10 percent more pixels thanks to the M5 chip. I couldn’t really see a difference when I swapped between the two headsets, but that’s to be expected with a small resolution bump. What’s more important is that the M5 Vision Pro still has some of the most impressive screens I’ve ever seen. It can scale up 4K video into enormous 300-inch windows while still looking sharp, and it’s easy to read text in the browser, or while working on a virtual Mac display.
MacBook Mirroring on Apple Vision Pro M5 (Devindra Hardawar for Engadget)
The M5 chip also allows the Vision Pro to reach up to a 120Hz refresh rate, instead of being limited to refresh rates between 90Hz and 100Hz. Again, I didn’t see a huge difference with the new model, but theoretically the higher refresh rate should allow for smoother performance while scrolling through windows and documents. It also means the Vision Pro can run games at up to 120 fps, which could be helpful if you’re trying to play Overwatch over GeForce Now streaming.
In addition to being more powerful than the M2, the M5 chip is also more efficient. I was able to use the new Vision Pro for more than two and a half hours while swapping between videos, visionOS apps and Macbook mirroring. The same workflow typically drained the original model’s battery in around two hours.
Apple Vision Pro M5 (Devindra Hardawar for Engadget)
How has the Vision Pro ecosystem changed over the last year?
It’s not too often Apple has to build an entirely new operating system with fresh input mechanisms, but that’s basically what we got with visionOS. Its interface hovers in front of you, like a holographic iPad home screen. And instead of a keyboard and mouse, you interact with it mainly using finger gestures and eye tracking. I found visionOS to be surprisingly easy to use on the original Vision Pro — flicking through floating windows quickly made me feel like Tom Cruise in Minority Report — and it’s only gotten more refined over time.
For one, Apple added Spatial Personas, which are virtual avatars that can float around your space during FaceTime calls with other Vision Pro users. That feature made the headset feel like a “telepresence dream” when I first tested it out, and it’s only gotten better with visionOS 26, which has more realistic Spatial Personas. During several group FaceTime calls, I felt like I was sitting beside people in the real world, even though I was just looking at rendered faces, shoulders and hands floating in the air. The sense of true presence was uncanny: Spatial Personas can walk freely around your room, and with the flick of a button you can also collaborate together on documents, view 3D models or watch videos together in virtual space.
Apple Vision Pro M5 viewed from the side. (Devindra Hardawar for Engadget)
Apple’s Immersive Videos — 8K 3D 180-degree footage shot using its custom cameras — were one of the highlights of the original Vision Pro, and they still look great on the new model. I was most impressed by “Hill Climb,” an episode of the Adventure series focused on Laura Hayes, a driver attempting to make a new record racing to the top of Pikes Peak. Expansive overhead shots (which feel incredibly life-like in 3D) did a fine job of showing the scale of her drive, and footage from beside and inside her car delivered a thrilling sense of speed.
All of the Immersive Videos I’ve seen are miles ahead of the blurry, low-res 360-degree VR footage we’ve been seeing for years. Apple’s 8K 3D content is more focused on trying to recreate reality right in front of you. Looking ahead, the company also plans to broadcast live NBA games in Immersive Video and more Vision Pro content is coming from Red Bull, CNN, BBC and others.
Speaking of immersive content, Apple also added support for the PS VR2 Sense controllers in visionOS 26, which gives Vision Pro the ability to support true VR experiences. When I tried the What If?… Vision Pro experience last year, it was clear that hand gestures weren’t precise enough to handle VR gaming. I’ve only been able to try the PS VR2 controllers in the pickleball game Pickle Pro, but they were instantly impressive, allowing me to realistically angle and swing my paddle.
Apple Vision Pro M5 lenses. (Devindra Hardawar for Engadget)
Wrap-up: Still very much a beta
I’m astounded by the Vision Pro every time I put it on. The displays look fantastic, and they’re versatile enough to handle everything from watching movies, immersing myself in 3D content and diving into productivity work by mirroring my MacBook Pro. But, when I take off the headset, reality sets in. It’s still wildly expensive at $3,499, and there isn’t nearly enough spatial computing content to make that price worth it.
Once again, the Vision Pro feels like a proof of concept — a symbol of what Apple can do when it’s not constrained by traditional screens. But the company’s dream of spatial computing won’t go anywhere until it can deliver cheaper devices. As I’ve argued, Apple should just take a cue from Xreal and shove visionOS into a pair of display glasses. That would allow the company to produce a much more accessible device, and it would also put Apple in a better position to compete with Android XR hardware like Samsung’s $1,800 Galaxy XR.
Until Apple can open up visionOS to more users, it will still be just beta testing the future.
