Apple Vision Pro gets an M5 chip upgrade, and a comfier fit too

Apple has rolled out an upgraded Vision Pro that’s powered by its new M5 chip – the same silicon used in the new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. The new model also introduces a redesigned Dual Knit Band, which finally looks like it might address one of the original Vision Pro’s biggest complaints: comfort.

But the headline change here is performance, and Apple says the M5 chip brings a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine built on the company’s latest 3nm process. Apple says it’s up to 50 per cent faster in AI-heavy tasks and up to twice as quick for some third-party apps. That’s a lot of power for a headset that already wasn’t exactly slow.

Visually, Apple’s also promising slightly sharper and smoother visuals. Thanks to the M5, the new Vision Pro renders around 10 per cent more pixels on its micro-OLED panels, plus up to 120Hz refresh rates. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading are new too, though it remains to be seen how many apps will actually take advantage of that.

Battery life gets a small bump to 2.5 hours of mixed use, or three hours if you’re just watching videos. Meanwhile, the refreshed Dual Knit Band now uses a 3D-knitted fabric and a dual-rib design with tungsten counterweights, which Apple claims offers better balance and fit adjustments. Finally, the updated Vision Pro runs on visionOS 26, bringing new Apple Intelligence features and 180-degree immersive video support.

Availability and pricing

The updated Vision Pro will retail in Singapore from S$4,999, with pre-orders opening on 17 October and availability on 22 October – just in time for anyone ready to see what the “spatial computer” looks like in its second act.

Apart from the iPad Pro, Apple also announced a new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip and an updated iPad Pro with the M5 chip. You can read about them below.