Apple has introduced a new version of Apple Vision Pro that includes the new M5 chip, delivering improved performance and display rendering, faster AI-powered workflows, and extended battery life.
The upgraded Vision Pro comes with the soft, cushioned Dual Knit Band that affords a more comfortable fit, along with visionOS 26, which unlocks new spatial experiences, including widgets, new Personas, an interactive Jupiter Environment, and new Apple Intelligence features with support for additional languages.1 There are over one-million apps and thousands of games on the App Store, hundreds of 3D movies on the Apple TV app, and new series and films in Apple Immersive with a selection of live NBA games coming soon.
M5 provides an even faster, smoother, and more responsive experience for Apple Vision Pro users, while introducing new opportunities for developers to create more advanced spatial and immersive experiences. Built using third-generation three-nanometer technology, M5 on Vision Pro features an advanced 10-core CPU that delivers higher multithreaded performance. This results in faster experiences throughout the system, including faster load times for apps and widgets and more responsive web browsing. The next-generation 10-core GPU architecture brings support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, enabling developers to add detail to lighting, shadows, and reflections in games like Control.
With M5, Apple Vision Pro renders 10% more pixels on the custom micro-OLED displays compared to the previous generation, resulting in a sharper image with crisper text and more detailed visuals, says Apple. Vision Pro can also increase the refresh rate up to 120Hz for reduced motion blur when you look at your physical surroundings, and an even smoother experience when using Mac Virtual Display. Vision Pro with M5 works alongside the purpose-built R1 chip, which processes input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones, and streams new images to the displays within 12 milliseconds to create a real-time view of the world. The high-performance battery now supports up to two and a half hours of general use, and up to three hours of video playback, all on a single charge.
The 16-core Neural Engine makes AI-powered features run up to 50% faster for system experiences, like capturing a Persona or transforming photos into spatial scenes, and up to two times faster for third-party apps compared to the previous generation. With M5, developers like JigSpace are pioneering new use cases for enterprises that combine spatial computing with on-device AI. Using Apple’s Foundation Models framework, the new JigSpace app for Vision Pro taps into the on-device model at the core of Apple Intelligence to make complex information easier to understand. You can parse through complex datasets with natural language and learn about sophisticated objects, like wind turbines, using interactive 3D models.
The Dual Knit Band delivers a more comfortable fit with upper and lower straps that are 3D-knitted as a single piece to create a dual-rib structure that provides cushioning, breathability, and stretch. The lower strap features flexible fabric ribs embedded with tungsten inserts that provide a counterweight for additional comfort, balance, and stability. The intuitive dual-function Fit Dial allows you to make fine-tuned adjustments to achieve an ideal fit. It comes in small, medium, and large sizes and is available to purchase separately. It’s also compatible with the previous-generation Apple Vision Pro.
visionOS 26 brings new spatial experiences to Apple Vision Pro. Widgets seamlessly integrate into your space and reappear every time you put Vision Pro on, making it easy to check the time or weather, play music or podcasts, decorate your space with photos, or access ChatGPT. Enhancements to Persona make communicating in apps like FaceTime feel even more natural and familiar. Spatial scenes, which use generative AI to add lifelike depth to photos, make memories come to life. Play back 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view video from popular action cameras to enjoy footage the way it was meant to be seen, and creators can publish videos in these formats to apps like Safari and Vimeo. With iPadOS 26.1, available later this fall, the Apple Vision Pro app comes to iPad, offering another way to discover new content, queue apps and games to download, find tips, and quickly access information about the Vision Pro.
Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip and Dual Knit Band starts at $4,999 and is available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities. It is on pre-order now and will be available in stores starting October 22. The Dual Knit Band is $139.