Upgraded Vision Pro Headset Expected to Feature M5 Chip: Kuo

Unfortunately, those waiting for a cheaper version of Apple’s Vision Pro headset may be waiting beyond 2027. However, Apple may be developing an upgraded model of the current headset with an M5 chip.

Word comes by way of Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who took to X (formerly Twitter) to state that the only new version of Vision Pro that’s on the horizon is a reported M5-powered headset. Currently, the $4,999 headset is powered by Apple’s M2 chipset (alongside the R1 processor). The M2 chip was first released in 2022, making it a few years older than even the new M4 chip, which is released for the new Mac products.

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman also recently discussed Apple’s upcoming plans for Vision Pro. In the most recent Power On newsletter, Gurman corroborates Kuo’s belief. Highlighting that a “chip upgrade” is in Vision Pro’s future, Gurman didn’t go as far as to note whether this refresh will launch in 2025.

Gurman goes on to state that Apple is “seriously considering” a pair of smart glasses that’ll be connected to an iPhone. “I also continue to hear that Apple is seriously considering a device that offloads the computing components to an iPhone and serves as an accessory for watching movies,” Gurman states. The newsletter goes on to claim that the device may be “roughly akin to the glasses offered by companies like Xreal.”

As for the cheaper version of Vision Pro, Kuo notes that “production of the cheaper Vision Pro has been delayed beyond 2027 for a while now.” Kuo believes that internally, Apple is in need of a way to “create successful use cases.” The analyst compares Vision Pro to the HomePod as the smart speaker failed to become a success even after the introduction of the HomePod mini.