Apple Vision Pro M5

It's faster and comfier than the original, with longer battery life too, yet that still doesn't feel like enough

- MARK SPOONAUER

PRICE From £2,666 (£3,199 inc VAT) from apple.​com/uk

Almost two years since the launch of the original Apple Vision Pro (see issue 355, p48), it’s received its first official update - a new model powered by Apple’s cutting-edge M5 processor. Aside from the new silicon, though, I'm honestly shocked by how little the new Vision Pro M5 brings to the table. Yes, it has improved performance and visuals, as well as better battery life. Apple has also partly addressed previous complaints about comfort by including a new Dual Knit Band.

That's it for updates, however. The physical design is all but identical to the original; unless you examine the head strap very carefully you won't spot any difference at all, and you still need to schlep around a battery pack. And while visionOS has matured since the original Vision Pro headset was released, the new hardware doesn’t get any exclusive software features. On the contrary, several high-profile apps are still conspicuously absent, and Apple has yet to deliver an AI assistant worthy of the name.

Make no mistake, the Vision Pro remains an amazing device. When you pin the Photos widget to your space and peer through it like a window, it feels like the future. I always get a thrill when immersive movies put me right inside the action. And it’s pretty wild to interact with other real people in a virtual meeting space. Even so, this minimal update is remarkably unambitious; having delivered so much in the first iteration of the Vision Pro, it’s hard to escape the sense that Apple is treading water for now.

Comfier yet heavier