The first reviews of the Vision Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday.
The updated Vision Pro ships with a more comfortable Dual Knit Band in the box. Plus, the headset now supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in reduced motion blur and a smoother experience while using the Mac Virtual Display feature.
9to5Mac's Chance Miller on the M5 chip's performance:
In my five days with the Vision Pro (M5), I've had significantly more consistent performance across various workflows. In situations where the M2 Vision Pro would start to lag and stutter, the M5 Vision Pro keeps up. The fans still kick in, but overall performance is more sustainable and consistent, even as my windows began to pile up.
Six Colors editor-in-chief Jason Snell on the same:
There are a few places where the speed of the M5 processor is readily apparent, most notably when the system is churning to build a new Spatial Persona. It's funny, but generally, I have never found myself feeling that the pure processing speed of the Vision Pro is letting me down. It feels fast, even the M2 model. Clearly, the real power is being expended to maintain the illusion of reality on those OLED displays, and that's why most of the benefits in this chip upgrade are in rendering.
Snell is referring to the Vision Pro's foveated rendering, which means that content directly in front of you appears sharper and more in focus, while peripheral content appears slightly more blurry. With the M5 chip, Apple says the updated Vision Pro can render 10% more pixels compared to the original model with the M2 chip.
Reviewers found the combination of 10% more pixels being rendered, and 120Hz support, results in content appearing more crisp and smooth on visionOS.
However, CNET's Scott Stein said that while the updated Vision Pro does offer an improved viewing experience, it is not dramatically better:
I'd say the changes aren't dramatic, and that most key parts of the experience are unchanged. It still has a narrower field of view compared with other VR headsets, giving more of a goggle-eyed view of things, and the hand tracking and eye tracking are still the same -- great, but not better.
A common complaint with the original Vision Pro, when used with the Solo Knit Band, is that it becomes uncomfortable to wear during prolonged usage. To mitigate this problem, Apple has released the Dual Knit Band, which has both a lower strap that goes across the back of the head, along with an upper strap that goes across the top of the head.
More importantly, the Dual Knit Band's lower strap is embedded with tungsten inserts that provide a counterweight for additional comfort and balance.
TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff said the Dual Knit Band is vastly more comfortable:
There's now an included and fully-redesigned Dual Knit headband that finally spreads out and balances the headset's 600 grams of weight (most of which lives in the goggles) across your whole noggin. I can now wear the Vision Pro for two hours, and, when I remove it, not feel like my face is going to slide off my skull. It's a vast improvement.
Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonauer agreed:
I will say that the Vision Pro is comfier to wear for longer sessions. I felt less pressure by eyes after 30 minutes and no neck strain, which is an improvement.
Stein on the Dual Knit Band:
The weight is more balanced and the headset doesn't feel like it's falling down on my cheeks so much. […]
The Vision Pro's still heavy, and in fact it's heavier than the original by 5 ounces, thanks to the new strap's woven counterweights in the back. The Vision Pro weighs 1.6 pounds without the battery pack, versus the Meta Quest 3's 1.1 pounds with battery onboard.
Apple hasn't made any strides to lessen how big and it feels to wear the Vision Pro.
Apple is selling the Dual Knit Band separately, with U.S. pricing set at $99. It is compatible with both the new and original Vision Pro.
We have not seen any reviews that include in-depth battery life testing, but Spoonauer did share this brief yet promising remark:
After using the Vision Pro for an hour and a half I was down to 55%, which is pretty decent.
Apple says the updated Vision Pro now offers up to 2.5 hours of battery life overall, and up to three hours for video playback, per charge. That is an extra 30 minutes in each category compared to the previous model.
Most reviews concluded that the Vision Pro has received some nice quality-of-life improvements, but they are not game-changing upgrades. Ultimately, the Vision Pro remains a niche, expensive product, and there are no major reasons for owners of the existing model to upgrade. This may be the last Vision Pro model released for quite some time, as Apple has reportedly shifted its focus to augmented reality glasses.
Top Rated Comments
Pull up a wide or ultrawide display. Set up a nice dark environment so that all you see is the huge screen real estate in front of you (with maybe the moon shining off to the side). And put in some Air Pod Pros with noise canceling. You are in a nice isolate environment free of all the other sensory distractions that keep you from being able to concentrate on your work.
Linking to Adam Savage Tested review as they are (especially Norman Chan) experts in XR products. They’ve been covering the field for over a decade and know what has come before and likely where things are going.