The redesigned Apple Vision Pro has a faster and more efficient M5 chip, a gentler Dual Knit Band, and a slightly sharper and smoother image than earlier. In addition to those refinements, it is still largely the same, a $3,500 gadget that was designed to be an experiment rather than a daily use machine.
Nevertheless, the Vision Pro is impressive. It is a bold move by a company that has in the last ten years learned to be risk-averse. Apple demonstrates that it is not yet ready to give up the strange vision of spatial computing with this revision. To that select group of developers and fanatics who never got the first model, this will appear the better buy, liberated by the constraints of the old M2 chip. However, when you already have one, you can spend 99 dollars on the new band.
The M5 Chip Upgrade: Breathing New Life into Apple’s Mixed Reality Vision
At the time of the release of the Vision Pro in 2023, it came with a lot of noise and hype, yet it retained the M2 chip of the previous year. Three generations later, however, its interior has finally been modernized. The M5 chip is an indication that Apple is not letting the Vision Pro become a forgotten product like it did with the HomePod.
The new version is aimed at remediating what most aggravated first-time owners. The top of its enhancements is the Dual Knit Band, which stabilizes the device by having both back and top straps, evenly distributing its weight and relieving the tension of prolonged use. The single loop at the back of the head, which was the first band, pinched the skull and left the machine to press unkindly against the forehead and nose.
Apple Vision Pro M5 Features the Dual Knit Band
The first Vision Pro also included a Dual Loop Band but Apple continued to hide it in their advertisements. Maybe the company was afraid that it made the headset look too similar to the common VR devices it aimed to stand out of. The new Dual Knit Band is in a sense a silent confession, a gesture that Apple has finally decided to consider comfort over style. It even acknowledges, without mentioning it, that appearance was once more important than convenience.
The new band is not only softer but also cleverly made. The side straps are tightened by twisting a small dial, and loosened by a quick pull to loosen the strap above the head. It is a clean and elegant design, way beyond the standard mess of velcro on most headsets.
Apple Vision Pro M5 Display and Performance
Beyond this, the Vision Pro remains unchanged in shape and spirit. Its micro-OLED screens are the same as before, though the M5 chip allows 10% more pixels to render. The improvement is too slight for the eye to measure, yet the image still astonishes. It can turn 4K films into vast, wall-sized windows of clarity, and even the smallest letters in a browser or virtual desktop appear clean and steady, as if written on paper.
The M5 chip also brings the Vision Pro to a new pace, lifting its refresh rate to 120Hz rather than the 90 or 100 of the former model. To the eye, the change is faint, but in theory it should lend a touch more smoothness when gliding through windows or pages. It also allows games to run at up to 120 frames per second – a small mercy for those streaming something fast and frantic, like Overwatch, through GeForce Now.
Beyond its speed, the M5 is the more disciplined worker. With it, I could move between films, visionOS apps, and mirrored Mac screens for over two and a half hours before the battery gave out. The older Vision Pro, set to the same task, would tire after roughly two.
visionOS 26 and the Expanding Apple Vision Pro Ecosystem
Apple rarely begins anew with a full operating system, yet visionOS stands as just that – a fresh field of its own. The interface floats before you like a ghostly tablet, and instead of the old tools of mouse and keyboard, your hands and eyes are enough to command it. On the first Vision Pro, I found this strange new language remarkably simple to learn.
Apple has introduced what it calls Spatial Personas – virtual avatars that drift about the room during FaceTime calls with others wearing the Vision Pro. The idea once felt like a distant dream of telepresence, and in visionOS 26 it has grown closer to that vision. On several group calls, I found myself half-convinced that my companions were there beside me, though in truth I was staring at floating shapes of faces, shoulders, and hands. The illusion is eerie and persuasive. These figures can pace about your space, and with a single command you can share documents, examine 3D models, or watch films together as though gathered in one room.
Immersive Experiences and Future Possibilities for Apple Vision Pro
The Immersive Videos remain one of Apple’s finest tricks. Shot in 8K 3D with its own cameras, they place you inside the scene rather than before it. Compared with the dim and muddled 360-degree footage that has haunted virtual reality for years, Apple’s 8K images are crisp and immediate, made to imitate the world rather than mimic it. Soon, we are told, live NBA games will appear in this format, and new films will arrive from Red Bull, CNN, and the BBC. To complete the illusion, visionOS 26 now welcomes the PS VR2 Sense controllers, granting the Vision Pro its first taste of genuine virtual play.
Conclusion
The Vision Pro M5 recognizes the fact that even the most ambitious spatial computer is useless when it causes you a splitting headache after twenty minutes. The performance improvements of the M5 are welcome, but they are like racing stripes on a concept car that most individuals cannot afford to have parked in their garage. It is worth giving Apple credit that it did not give up on this strange project and leave it to collect dust like the HomePod.
However, at 3,500, the Vision Pro is still the preserve of an expensive hobbyist and not a practical device. When you are already in the first model, save your money and buy the comfortable band instead and maybe a neck massage. To the rest of the world, this is still a spectacular technology demonstration that is waiting patiently to see the future to meet its expectations.
FAQs
Q1: What’s new in the Apple Vision Pro M5?
The star upgrade is the M5 chip. You will also receive a smoother 120Hz refresh rate and ten percent more pixels that are dancing on those micro-OLED screens. However, the true hero in this case is the redesigned Dual Knit Band that finally acknowledges that comfort is more important than appearing cool when wearing a face computer that costs $3,500.
Q2: Who should actually buy the Vision Pro M5?
Developers interested in creating spatial computing applications, tech enthusiasts, and early adopters who missed the first generation device. You are in the wrong aisle in case you are wishing to have a practical work device or an affordable entertainment system. This is still an experimental sandbox at Apple, a preview of the future at the price of the present-day rent.
Q3: How comfortable is the new Dual Knit Band?
Apple finally acknowledged that it is pointless to look like a sci-fi protagonist when your skull is being squeezed like a sponge. The new band spreads the load on the back and top of your head, and instead of the medieval torture-machine aesthetic of the old one, it has real ergonomics.
Q4: What can you actually do with the Vision Pro M5?
Watch 4K movies on virtual wall-sized screens, have the most eerily convincing FaceTime calls with floating avatars, and enjoy impressive 8K 3D Immersive Videos that render regular VR footage potatoes. You are able to mirror your Mac desktop, game at 120fps with cloud gaming services, and now even use PS VR2 controllers to play a game in proper virtual reality.
