Hands-on With the New 'Apple Vision Pro (M5)'
It doesn’t reinvent spatial computing, it polishes it. If you were waiting for a version that feels more like product than prototype, this is it.
Apple’s Vision Pro was never short on ambition. When it launched in early 2024, the headset positioned itself as a category-defining piece of hardware – a high-spec, high-cost window into what Apple called “spatial computing.” But that ambition came with compromises, including a limited app ecosystem, weighty form factor, and steep $3,500 USD starting price. Now, nearly two years after the original launched, the brand has released the first major refresh to its headset with the introduction of the Apple Vision Pro with M5 – an update that doesn’t reinvent the platform, but does deliver better performance, improved comfort, and a clear reiteration of Apple’s intentions in the mixed-reality space instead.
The biggest changes found in the new Vision Pro are on the inside. While the original from 2024 was powered by the M2 chip, the newly updated model benefits from a multi-generational leap and features Apple’s latest silicone: the M5, a chipset built using third-generation 3-nanometer technology – the most advanced semiconductor chips currently available – that the brand also launched with the new Macbook Pro and iPad this month. It features a 10-core CPU and “next-generation” 10-core GPU that, together, deliver major gains in everything from speed and responsiveness to multithreaded performance, as well as support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading that developers could leverage to create hyper-realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections. Theoretically, at least, because while the Apple Vision Pro with M5 is a true powerhouse, these technological updates are currently more of an open invitation for developers since the number of apps available that take full advantage of them remains quite low. When it comes to gaming, for example, the available selection of optimized top-tier titles for the Vision Pro is very limited; that said, Apple has teased several new ones, including an optimized Vision Pro version of Control, that are said to be “coming soon.”
Though it ships with the new M5, it retains the same R1 chip (designed to process camera and sensor input) as the original.
Along with Standard and Wide, there’s an Ultrawide option for with a 32:9 aspect ratio.
Apple Intelligence is also at the core of the new Vision Pro, which features a updated 16-core Neural Engine that powers AI functionality up to 50 percent faster. One of the areas that AI shines in on Vision Pro is Persona – Apple’s version of an AI avatar. Setting up your Persona takes around a minute and uses the device’s external cameras (which you hold up to your face and rotate to a prompt in a process similar to setting up Face ID) and, once set up, you can make FaceTime calls with this digital version of yourself. It’s a nice if slightly-weird-at-first feature, but a useful one given the Vision Pro’s cameras are all on the outside and there’s no traditional front-facing selfie camera to use for FaceTime. The Neural Engine in the Apple Vision Pro with M5 also benefits third-party apps, which Apple says can run “up to 2x faster” compared to 2024’s original.
For the most part, the hardware that makes up the updated Apple Vision Pro is unchanged from last year’s original model. That said, Apple claims the 2025 model can render “10 percent more pixels” than its predecessor, as well as now supporting a faster 120 Hz refresh rate compared to the 100 Hz maximum found in the first one. What that means for the average person’s day-to-day use is tangible: smoother transitions with reduced motion blur (and, potentially, a lesser chance of getting motion sickness), sharper text, and visuals with more details than before.
Apple’s new Dual Knit Band, reinforced using tungsten to improve comfort, balance and fit.
When it comes to what you can see on the outside, the only real change Apple has made is to introduce its new Dual Knit Band, as it aims to address the comfort concerns raised by first-generation Vision Pro users – an especially important point when you consider the updated device is actually heavier than the original (by around 150 grams). The Dual Knit Band is constructed from two straps of breathable knit fabric, with the lower strap comprising flexible “ribs” embedded with tungsten that act as a counterweight to improve the overall fit, comfort and stability of the device whilst on head. While the new band doesn’t magically make the headset weightless (the M5 model still weighs around 800 grams, or 1.75 pounds), the redesign delivers a more comfortable experience, one that’s especially noticeable in longer sessions.
The Apple Vision Pro with M5 runs the latest visionOS 26 software right out of the box. Additionally, Apple claims there are “over 1 million apps and thousands of games” for the Vision Pro on the App Store, but that’s just a technicality: what it really means is that there are over a million compatible apps, but these are apps that weren’t created for – or fully optimized for use on – Vision Pro. User can also access thousands of movies and TV shows via Apple TV, as well as on platforms like Disney+ that release spatial content optimized for mixed-reality headsets. Apple’s own Apple Immersive content is some of the best we’ve experienced on the Vision Pro, but it’s so limited you could watch it all less than a week and be left frustrated wanting more (if you get the chance to try it, make sure you check out anything with dinosaurs or under water).
In short: the Apple Vision Pro with M5 is exactly the kind of refinement you’d expect from Apple. It doesn’t reinvent spatial computing, it polishes it. If you were waiting for a version that feels more like product than prototype, this is it.
It’s available now online and in-store at Apple in 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB configurations, with prices starting at £3,199 GBP / $3499 USD.
