Apple has upgraded its Vision Pro headset with the new M5 chip, bringing faster performance, sharper visuals, and longer battery life. This joins other M5 upgrades today for the iPad Pro and 14-inch MacBook Pro.
The updated version also introduces a Dual Knit Band (that includes support for on top of your head) for improved comfort.
“With the breakthrough performance of M5, the latest Apple Vision Pro delivers faster performance, sharper details throughout the system, and even more battery life, setting a new standard for what’s possible in spatial computing,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing in a statement on Wednesday. “Paired with the comfortable Dual Knit Band, innovative features in visionOS 26, and all-new Apple Immersive experiences spanning adventure, documentary, music, and sports, spatial computing is even more capable, entertaining, and magical with the new Vision Pro.”
Apple says the M5 chip offers smoother performance across apps and games, with faster load times and up to 2× quicker AI features in some cases. It also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, which make lighting and reflections in supported games more realistic. The displays now render 10% more pixels than before for crisper text and visuals, while the headset can boost refresh rates to 120Hz for smoother motion — especially when used with Mac Virtual Display.
Battery life has been extended to up to 2.5 hours of general use or three hours of video playback on a single charge (just barely letting you watch Titanic), and users can plug it in for longer sessions. Apple says the 16-core Neural Engine improves AI speed by up to 50% for built-in features like Personas and spatial photos.
A new Dual Knit Band aims to make Vision Pro more comfortable for longer wear, which was previously leaked by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. It’s made from 3D-knitted fabric with breathable cushioning and an adjustable Fit Dial for balance and stability. The band comes in multiple sizes and works with older Vision Pro models. For existing Vision Pro owners, you can buy the Dual Knit Band on its own for $139 CAD. Apple should have included this band from the start.
For creative and professional users, Apple says Vision Pro can now handle workflows like 3D design, photo editing, and filmmaking more efficiently. Enterprise partners such as CAE and Porsche are already using it for pilot training and virtual car showrooms.
The Apple Vision Pro with M5 and Dual Knit Band still starts at $4,999 in Canada for the 256GB model and goes up to 1TB. Pre-orders are open now in Canada, the U.S., and other regions, with in-store availability beginning October 22.
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