The Vision Pro is one of the most interesting and cutting-edge pieces of tech I’ve had the chance to review in my nearly 20 years in the business. The experience of using it is unlike anything else. It genuinely feels like it could be the future of computing, and my Editor-in-Chief can attest to that as well. However, it was let down by two issues: comfort and price. Happily, Apple has recently updated the Vision Pro with a new headband that hopefully makes it more comfortable to wear. Unfortunately, the price remains unchanged. I suppose fixing one out of two issues is better than nothing.
The new Vision Pro looks just like the old one, but only better. Read on to find out why.
Note: If you are new to the Vision Pro, I urge you to read my initial review, where I cover how it works and what it does. Since this is a spec bump update and the user experience is largely the same, I’ll only cover what’s new and its implications for the user experience.
Second note: Screenshots look blurry because the Vision Pro uses a rendering technique called foveated rendering. Essentially, to reduce workloads, it only renders the pixels that you are looking at. Consequently, only a single part of a screenshot appears sharp. Also, because of the way Vision Pro renders, it’s almost impossible to take a perfectly straight screenshot (as reported previously, too). That’s why the screenshots you see are tilted. You’ll also notice there are no examples of content from Apple TV+ or Disney+ being played, and that’s because of DRM (digital rights management) preventing such actions. If you take a screenshot when a show or movie is playing, you end up with a black screen.
What’s new & how has it improved the experience?
The biggest physical change to the Vision Pro is the new Dual Knit Band.
There are three changes to the Vision Pro. The first, as I mentioned, is a new headband which Apple calls the Dual Knit Band. The other is the M5 chip that now powers the headset. Finally, the micro-OLED display system now has 10% more pixels and supports 120Hz refresh rates.
I’ve written about the new M5 chip in greater detail in my review of the new iPad Pro, so I won’t repeat myself here. To put it briefly, it’s built using a third-generation 3nm process and has updated CPUs and GPUs. The GPUs have upgraded shader cores, and each core is now paired with a neural accelerator that accelerates AI workloads. CPU performance is generally up by about 15%, while GPU performance sees a bigger bump by around 30%. In other words, it’s another very impressive chip from Apple.
The fit dial is interesting. In its default position, it adjusts the back strap. Pull it out, and it adjusts the top strap!
The faster chip, along with the displays’ higher refresh rates, appears to make eye-tracking noticeably quicker. The whole experience generally feels snappier, too. Apps launch faster, loading times are shorter, and everything feels more fluid. It’s not a day and night difference, but it is noticeable. And because everything feels smoother and more natural, motion sickness, which was a big issue for me with the first-generation Vision Pro, is now less of a problem. I did not notice the 10% increase in pixels, which was to be expected given the already high resolution per eye.
The M5 chip is also more efficient, so the Vision Pro now lasts longer on its battery pack, whose capacity is unchanged. Apple claims battery life has increased by around 30 minutes. This means up to 2.5 hours with general use and up to 3 hours when watching videos. This is a nice bump in battery life, though I wonder how many people could bear to wear the Vision Pro for over 2.5 hours at a stretch.
The cameras that enable video passthrough is unchanged.
This is because wearing comfort is arguably the most common complaint from people who bought the first-generation Vision Pro. Because of its design, much of the weight hangs out on the front, which places pressure on your forehead and cheeks. Most owners said they couldn’t bear wearing it for over an hour.
Happily, the new Dual Knit Band greatly alleviates pressure over the cheeks and forehead. Counterweights in the lower strap balance out the weight in the front, while the upper strap helps distribute pressure more evenly across the top of the head. With the new headband, I could easily wear it for over an hour. And thankfully, it’s also available to purchase separately (for S$149), so owners of the first-generation Vision Pro can also improve the fit and comfort of their headsets. The only negative thing about the new Dual Knit band is that it messes up your hair even more.
The Vision Pro is slightly cheaper. Prices now start at S$4,999 for the 256GB version. There’s a 512GB version for S$5,299, and a 1TB version for S$5,599. If you need optical inserts, readers inserts are S$149 and prescription inserts are S$219.
What does this mean for the Vision Pro?
Mac Virtual Display is the main reason why I use the Vision Pro.
Even though the new M5 Vision Pro is unquestionably a better headset than its predecessor, it doesn’t change the fact that this is an extremely pricey headset with limited use cases.
Admittedly, there are a couple of things that it does very well. Mac Virtual Display is even better than before, thanks to the new Ultrawide mode that was introduced in visionOS 2.2. This new mode gives you an expansive 32:9 display with a resolution of a whopping 10,240 x 2,880 pixels. This is the equivalent of having two massive 5K monitors side by side.
Immersive Videos are the best things to watch with the Vision Pro.
Immersive Video continues to amaze. With the right content, it can be utterly jaw-dropping, and few would disagree that it’s the coolest thing about the Vision Pro. However, even though Apple has released a steady stream of Immersive Video content, that isn’t enough for anyone to run out and get a Vision Pro. It’s hard to say if things will change, but it was announced recently that selected LA Lakers matches would be streamed in Apple’s Immersive Video format. It’s a move in the right direction, but it remains to be seen if this will become a more widespread permanent fixture.
Even without Immersive Videos, the Vision Pro is excellent for watching videos. The ability to resize them, the sheer quality of the visuals, and the privacy it offers could just be enough to convince some readers to splash the cash.
visionOS 26 adds Spatial Widgets, which can be placed virtually in your environment.
But beyond Mac Virtual Display and watching videos, there just aren’t many other compelling reasons to get a Vision Pro. You could use it for work as long as the apps you need are available on visionOS, but be warned that it could be a frustrating experience. It has no ports or SD card slots, so trying to access files on an external drive or memory card is a problem. You can’t simply show your screen to someone else either, which makes collaboration tricky. To be clear, there are workarounds, but you really shouldn’t be resorting to workarounds on a S$5,000 device, should you?
Final thoughts and buying advice
The Dual Knit Band is comfier, but it messes up your hair more too.
Even though it’s been over two years since I first put on the Vision Pro, it continues to amaze me. Every time I put it on, I think, “Wow, how have they done it?” There’s nothing else like it. But even I can see that it has issues.
App support continues to be patchy. Numerous high-profile apps are still missing, including Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, and anything from Google. And speaking of apps, it continues to lack a “killer app”. Yes, it does some things well, but none are convincing enough to make most people want or need to have one. That could be fixed if we get a steady stream of first-class Immersive Videos content, but it’s been two years, and it looks increasingly unlikely that will happen.
Furthermore, there’s evidence to suggest Apple could be pivoting away from headsets towards smartglasses like the Meta Ray-Ban Display. A recent report said Apple has stopped working on a cheaper version of the Vision Pro to focus on smartglasses. Additionally, there are features in visionOS 26 that are especially well-suited for smartglasses. Though smartglasses are inherently less powerful, they make up for it by being significantly more comfortable and practical to wear. It also helps that they cost less. For these reasons, users appear to be more open towards them.
Ultimately, as welcomed as the improvements to the Vision Pro are, they do not fundamentally alter the nature of the device. It’s fantastic for entertainment, but beyond that, I’m afraid it has limited use cases. That’s a pity, because despite its flaws, it remains one of the most impressive pieces of tech I’ve ever used.
Note: To experience the Vision Pro for yourself, you can book a demo here. You can also order the Vision Pro here.
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