Apple launches Vision Pro with M5 chip: Faster, smarter, and more immersive than ever

Apple has introduced the new Apple Vision Pro powered by the M5 chip, bringing a major leap in performance, sharper visuals, faster AI workflows, and longer battery life. The upgraded headset also debuts a Dual Knit Band for improved comfort and ships with visionOS 26, unlocking a new layer of spatial experiences, enhanced Personas, and Apple Intelligence features with support for more languages.

Available for pre-order now, the Vision Pro with M5 and Dual Knit Band will hit stores starting October 22.

M5 delivers a leap in spatial performance

The M5 chip transforms the Vision Pro experience with faster app performance, smoother rendering, and more responsive AI-driven interactions. Built on 3-nanometer architecture, it features a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, enabling richer lighting, reflections, and depth in visuals.

With 10% more pixels on the custom micro-OLED displays, users get sharper text and clearer imagery, while the display now supports up to 120Hz refresh rates for smoother motion and reduced blur. Battery life extends to 2.5 hours of general use and 3 hours of video playback, with easy plug-in power for longer sessions.

The 16-core Neural Engine boosts on-device AI tasks from capturing Personas to transforming photos into 3D spatial scenes — running up to 2x faster in third-party apps. Developers are already leveraging these capabilities, like JigSpace, which uses Apple’s Foundation Models to turn complex datasets into interactive 3D visuals.

Comfort redefined with the Dual Knit Band

Apple’s new Dual Knit Band enhances comfort with a dual-strap, single-piece 3D knit design. The flexible fabric ribs, paired with tungsten inserts, balance weight and improve fit deal for long sessions. A dual-function Fit Dial allows fine-tuned adjustments, and the band is available in three sizes (S, M, L), compatible with both new and previous-generation Vision Pro units.

visionOS 26 brings powerful new spatial experiences

Running on visionOS 26, the Vision Pro gets a wave of new features from interactive widgets and upgraded Personas to an AI-powered Jupiter Environment and dynamic spatial scenes. Users can play back 180° and 360° videos, explore immersive 3D environments, or watch their favorite content on a virtual screen up to 100 feet wide.The Apple TV app now includes hundreds of 3D movies and all-new Apple Immersive titles with upcoming releases from the BBC, HYBE, and Red Bull, plus select live NBA games available soon.

Made for creators, pros, and enterprises

From designing in Crayon to editing spatial photos in Pixelmator, Vision Pro extends pro workflows into mixed reality. Developers and filmmakers can visualize projects in lifelike 3D, rehearse presentations in virtual environments, or sketch with the new Logitech Muse stylus.

Enterprises are adopting Vision Pro for training, design, and education — with companies like CAE using it for flight simulations, and Porsche offering customers immersive car visualization experiences.

Pricing and availability

The Apple Vision Pro with M5 chip and Dual Knit Band starts at $3,499 (U.S.), available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variants. It’s open for pre-orders now in select countries, with in-store availability beginning October 22.

Apple is also offering accessories like the Dual Knit Band ($99), Vision Pro Travel Case ($199), and ZEISS Optical Inserts for vision correction. The Logitech Muse stylus ($129.95) launches alongside the headset.

The bottom line

The new Apple Vision Pro with M5 is more than an upgrade — it’s a full reimagining of spatial computing. With sharper visuals, faster AI performance, improved comfort, and expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities, Vision Pro continues to blur the line between digital and real more powerfully than ever.