Apple’s first foray into the mixed-reality space with the Vision Pro feels like an eternity ago, and in Apple years, it was. The device was first announced in 2023, bearing the M2 chipset which has, as of this morning, been usurped by the bigger, leaner M5 chipset. It arrives first inside the refreshed Vision Pro, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro.
If the original Vision Pro didn’t exactly entice you with its far too-high R110,000 price, it’s unlikely the M5 upgrade will do the trick. Aside from a new Dual Knit strap that admittedly looks a whole lot more comfortable with its added top layer for support, the rest of the headset appears almost identical. That’s Apple for you.
Apple’s M5 vision
The 2025 Vision Pro utilises the same micro-OLED displays you’ve seen before (or more likely, haven’t), but with the M5 in hand, Apple promises the device can render 10% more pixels than before. It also ups the refresh rate to 120Hz (up from 100Hz) and reduces motion blur. The headset is technically a more capable gamer now, too, though you’re at the mercy of developers who must port their games over.
That’s helped along by the new VisionOS 26 supporting Sony’s PSVR2 Sense controllers, which, according to UploadVR, Sony plans to sell separately beginning next year. They will set you back $250 a pop, though. More exciting was the news of a battery bump, allowing the Vision Pro to operate for 2.5 hours of regular use and 3 hours of video playback (up from 2 and 2.5 hours respectively).
Read More: Apple talks up the M5 MacBook Pro lineup’s improved AI capabilities
Apple hasn’t done the typical Apple thing by reserving the new Dual Knit strap for the new hardware. It’ll be sold separately for $100 each and attaches to the older model without issue. A new strap was an obvious necessity for any Vision Pro successor, especially after the fruit company somehow upped the weight this time around (750-800g).
The 2025 Vision Pro, available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities, retains the original’s starting price of $3,500, roughly translating to R60,000 at home. Apple mentions a short list of countries that’ll get the upgrade as soon as tomorrow, 17 October. South Africa is not on that list. Past experiences tell us that it’ll be some time before the headset arrives locally, likely with a six-figure price.
