Apple Vision Pro Gets a Massive Upgrade: M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and Smarter VisionOS 26

Apple has once again raised the bar in spatial computing with the official unveiling of the new Apple Vision Pro, now powered by the cutting-edge M5 chip. This refreshed headset takes what was already an impressive feat of engineering and transforms it into a sleeker, faster, and more intelligent experience, targeting everyone from gamers and creatives to enterprise professionals. Apple’s latest iteration focuses not just on raw power, but also on comfort, immersion, and the seamless blending of the physical and digital worlds.

At the heart of the new Vision Pro is Apple’s M5 chip, a silicon powerhouse boasting a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, designed to deliver stunning visuals and ultra-smooth performance. With hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, the M5 allows developers to achieve more realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows in demanding games like Control or creative applications that thrive on visual precision. The headset now renders 10% more pixels across its custom micro-OLED displays, resulting in sharper text, richer contrast, and a noticeably crisper image compared to the previous generation.

Artificial intelligence also takes center stage here, with the 16-core Neural Engine enabling up to 50% faster system-level AI performance and up to twice the speed for third-party apps. Whether you’re interacting with generative content or navigating VisionOS through natural gestures, the performance leap is evident. Apple has clearly designed this model to stay ahead of the curve as AI becomes increasingly integral to user experience.

Another big enhancement comes in the form of VisionOS 26, Apple’s latest operating system built for spatial computing. It introduces redesigned widgets that let users check the weather, time, or music at a glance in their 3D environments. You can now decorate your digital workspace with photos, control smart home devices, or even chat with AI assistants like ChatGPT directly within your spatial view. Personas – Apple’s realistic digital avatars – look and move more naturally than ever, making video calls through FaceTime feel almost lifelike. VisionOS 26 also leverages generative AI to add dynamic depth to photos and video playback, supporting immersive formats like 180-degree and 360-degree videos from action cameras.

To complement its upgraded internals, Apple paid special attention to ergonomics. The new Dual Knit Band is a marvel of textile design – 3D-knitted as a single piece to ensure comfort, flexibility, and breathability. It features upper and lower straps that adapt to your head, distributing weight evenly. Embedded tungsten inserts act as a counterweight, making the headset feel significantly lighter during extended use. Apple claims the result is a “barely-there” fit that solves one of the biggest pain points of VR headsets: long-term comfort. The band comes in small, medium, and large sizes, and yes, it remains fully compatible with the original Vision Pro. It can even be purchased separately for $99.

The Vision Pro’s R1 co-processor returns as the backbone of real-time performance. It processes input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones, streaming new images to the micro-OLED displays in just 12 milliseconds. The difference is immediately noticeable – movement feels more natural, the virtual space reacts instantly, and motion sickness is dramatically reduced. Combined with the new 120Hz refresh rate, everything from gaming to productivity feels fluid and lifelike.

Battery life has also been improved. The new high-efficiency module delivers up to 2.5 hours of general use or 3 hours of video playback on a single charge. While not groundbreaking, this modest increase makes casual use and entertainment far more convenient without tethering users to a power source.

Gamers, meanwhile, get an entirely new playground. Apple has announced PlayStation VR2 Sense controller compatibility, bringing tactile precision and advanced motion tracking to Vision Pro for the first time. Games like Elu Legend, Pickle Pro, Ping Pong Club, and Spatial Rifts are among the first to support it, marking Apple’s most serious entry into immersive gaming yet. The controllers bring finger-touch detection, vibration feedback, and six degrees of motion freedom – features that position the Vision Pro as a serious rival to dedicated gaming headsets.

Apple is also courting professional users more than ever. Enterprise features include a virtual replica of the Steve Jobs Theater where users can rehearse presentations in Keynote, along with new creative tools like Logitech Muse, a digital pencil made specifically for Vision Pro. The training and simulation company CAE has already adopted the headset to let pilots practice outside of conventional simulators, showcasing its growing industrial potential.

And with over 1 million compatible apps – 3,000 of them built exclusively for VisionOS – the ecosystem continues to thrive. Notably, the new JigSpace app now uses Apple’s Foundation Models framework to visualize complex concepts with clarity, merging education with 3D immersion. Whether it’s entertainment, productivity, or scientific visualization, the Vision Pro is steadily evolving into a fully realized spatial computing platform.

The new Apple Vision Pro lineup starts at $3,499 and is available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations. Pre-orders begin today across multiple regions, with mainland China and Singapore joining the rollout later this week. Retail availability in the U.S. starts on October 22. Accessories like the Dual Knit Band ($99) and PlayStation VR2 Sense Controller ($249.95) will also be sold separately through the Apple Store starting November 11.

With its M5 silicon, comfort-focused design, and rapidly expanding app ecosystem, the new Vision Pro feels less like an iteration and more like the next chapter in Apple’s vision for mixed reality. It’s not cheap – but it’s also not trying to be. Apple’s latest headset isn’t just about wearing a display; it’s about stepping into a more natural, intelligent, and connected digital world.