Apple Vision Pro gets M5 chip for faster, smoother performance
What's the story
Apple has upgraded its Vision Pro headset with the next-generation M5 chip, promising improved performance and battery life. The M5 chip comes with a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine. The updated model, however, retains the same RAM capacity as its predecessor at 16GB, along with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. It also continues to use the R1 chip for input processing.
Performance boost
The new model offers improved battery life
The new M5 chip promises a significant performance boost to the Vision Pro over its predecessor with the M2 chip. Although Apple hasn't shared specific performance metrics, it claims that the updated Vision Pro can now deliver up to three hours of video playback on a single charge. This is an improvement over the previous model's battery life, which lasted up to 2.5 hours per charge.
Display improvements
It can now render 10% more pixels
The M5 chip also improves the display capabilities of the Vision Pro, allowing it to render 10% more pixels than before. This results in sharper images and crisper text. The headset can now support a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, an improvement from its previous limit of 100Hz. This new feature reduces motion blur and offers a smoother experience when using Mac Virtual Display.
AI enhancements
AI features are up to 50% faster than before
With the new M5 chip, the Vision Pro can run AI features up to 50% faster than the previous model. It also gets hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading for better graphics rendering. These capabilities were first introduced with the M3 chip, but were not available in the previous Vision Pro model that had an M2 chip.
Design tweaks
Updated headset comes with new dual knit band
The updated Vision Pro comes with the Dual Knit Band, a Light Seal, two Light Seal Cushions, front cover, polishing cloth, battery pack (with USB-C charging cable), and Apple's new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max. The new Dual Knit Band is available in small, medium, and large sizes. It features two straps knitted into one piece for improved comfort and stability.
Market launch
Pricing and availability
The updated Vision Pro is priced at $3,499 in the US. It can be configured with storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB.The new model will also be available in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK, and the UAE. South Korea and Taiwan will get it later. You can pre-order the new Vision Pro starting today. Deliveries will begin on October 22.