Should You Buy the Vision Pro?
The $3,500 Vision Pro remains prohibitively expensive for most consumers. Reviews have consistently highlighted that it does not easily integrate into typical workflows. Some users have even expressed regret after purchasing the headset. That said, the device excels at watching movies, viewing 3D videos, and serving as a display for a Mac.
Weighing over 1.3 pounds, the Vision Pro is heavy and can cause fatigue quickly. However, Apple addressed comfort with the Dual Knit Band introduced alongside the M5 chip. This band features a second strap that goes over the top of the head, providing better weight distribution. An external battery pack must be carried, and traveling with the headset is challenging, even with Apple's dedicated Travel Case.
The Vision Pro is undeniably Apple's most technically advanced product. It is an incredible feat of engineering that impresses upon first use. But those considering a purchase should try it at an Apple Store and do extensive research on what the device can actually do. It is excellent for movie watching and content consumption, and it can replace a Mac display, but the app and game selection remains limited.
Apple refreshed the Vision Pro with an M5 chip in October 2025, making now a good time to buy. Another update is not expected for at least two years, and development on a next-generation headset has been paused.
Apple Vision Pro Overview
Apple Vision Pro is Apple's augmented and virtual reality headset, representing a major new product category. The first version launched in February 2024, and the updated M5 model arrived in October 2025.
While the device is a headset, Apple avoids that term, calling it a spatial computer because it blends digital content with the physical world. Apple describes the Vision Pro as the first spatial computing device.
The Vision Pro is a mixed reality headset. It displays augmented reality content overlaid on the real world and fully immersive virtual content. However, the headset is not see-through; everything you see is digital. For augmented reality, cameras map your surroundings and translate that into a digital image enhanced by virtual elements. For full immersion, cameras are turned off, isolating you from your environment. The Digital Crown controls the level of immersion.
Design and Comfort
The Vision Pro resembles a pair of ski goggles, with a single piece of laminated glass on the front merging into an aluminum alloy frame. A soft, fitted Light Seal attaches magnetically to the frame and conforms to your face to block out light.
Two Audio Straps with built-in speakers deliver Spatial Audio that blends headset audio with real-world sounds. These straps connect to a 3D knitted headband. The original Vision Pro had a Solo Knit Band with one strap; the M5 model uses a Dual Knit Band with a second strap over the top. Apple designed this band to be breathable, cushiony, and stretchy, with a Fit Dial for a secure fit. Counterweights in the back strap help distribute weight more evenly.
Inside are two micro-OLED displays offering over 4K resolution per eye, for a total of 23 million pixels. The external EyeSight display projects your eyes so others know whether you are in immersive mode or can see your surroundings. For glasses wearers, custom prescription Zeiss Optical Inserts attach magnetically to the lenses.
Navigation and Controls
The Vision Pro uses no controllers. Instead, it relies on eye tracking, hand gestures, and voice commands. You navigate to an app by looking at it and open it with a tap of your fingers. Scrolling is done with a flick. More than a dozen cameras and sensors map your environment and track hand and eye movements. Optic ID scans your iris for authentication, similar to Face ID and Touch ID, and can be used to unlock the device and make purchases.
Two Apple silicon chips power the Vision Pro: the M5 chip (same as in MacBook Pro) and the dedicated R1 chip. The M5 runs visionOS, executes computer vision algorithms, and handles graphics. The R1 processes input from cameras, sensors, and microphones. The M5 chip provides a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, an improved 16-core Neural Engine with up to 50% better AI performance, and unified memory bandwidth of 153GB/s. This allows the headset to render 10% more pixels and support refresh rates up to 120Hz for smoother visuals.
Camera and 3D Capture
The Vision Pro can take 3D photos and videos using a built-in camera activated by the top button. Apple says users can capture memories in 3D and relive them like never before. Existing photos and videos are displayed at large scale, and the device can convert 2D photos to 3D using depth information. When recording, the external display shows an animation so others know you are capturing video.
Battery and Power
Due to weight constraints, the Vision Pro does not have an internal battery. It is powered by a braided cable attached to a battery pack worn at the hip or plugged into an outlet. The M5 model offers up to 3 hours of video playback or 2.5 hours of general use—half an hour longer than the M2 version. Battery packs can be swapped, but only one is included. When plugged in, the headset can run all day.
visionOS and Software
visionOS is the operating system on the Vision Pro. It features a three-dimensional interface with a Home View, apps, and elements that react to natural light and shadows. Navigation uses eye movements, hand gestures, and voice. Apps can be placed anywhere in virtual space, resized, and stacked. A virtual keyboard supports air typing, and Bluetooth accessories like keyboards, trackpads, mice, and game controllers can be connected.
The level of immersion is adjustable via the Digital Crown. You can see content in your actual surroundings or switch to a virtual Environment that fades out the real world. The headset creates a Persona—a digital representation that reflects your face and hand movements in real time for FaceTime and other video apps.
visionOS includes Apple TV+ with a personal movie screen that feels 100 feet wide, Apple Immersive Videos (180-degree 3D 8K recordings), and Spatial Audio. The Mac integration allows the Vision Pro to serve as a private, portable 4K display. In visionOS 2.2, Wide and Ultrawide modes expanded screen space; Ultrawide equals two 4K displays side by side.
visionOS 26, released in September 2025, introduced persistent widgets, more lifelike Personas, shared Vision Pro experiences, iPhone viewing, and a Jupiter Environment. Spatial Scenes add depth to 2D images, and Safari offers spatial browsing with look-to-scroll.
How to Buy
The M5 Vision Pro is available from Apple's online store and retail locations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the U.K., the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Pricing starts at $3,500 for 256GB of storage. The ordering process requires a Face ID scan to determine the correct Light Seal and headband fit. Zeiss reading lenses cost $99, and custom prescription lens inserts are $149. A valid prescription from a U.S. eye care professional is required for custom lenses.
The box includes a Dual Knit Band (small, medium, or large), a Light Seal, two Light Seal Cushions, a cover, a polishing cloth, a battery, a USB-C cable, and a power adapter. Apple does not accept trade-ins for the older M2 Vision Pro.
Reviews and Performance
Reviewers praised the Dual Knit Band for greater comfort during extended use, reducing face pressure and neck strain. The M5 chip improves performance consistency, eliminating lag and stuttering. It renders 10% more pixels, making content sharper and more in focus. The 120Hz refresh rate produces crisper visuals and reduced motion blur, though the difference is not dramatic compared to the M2 model.
Medical Warnings
Apple warns that certain medical conditions could be exacerbated by the Vision Pro, including heart conditions, migraines, dizziness, eye conditions, psychological conditions, inner ear issues, dry eyes, skin allergies, seizures, and balance problems. Pregnant individuals should use caution due to increased risk of nausea or loss of balance. The headset and battery pack may interfere with pacemakers, hearing aids, and defibrillators.
What's Next for Apple's AR/VR Plans
Apple is working on smart glasses similar to Meta Ray-Bans, without a display but with speakers, microphones, and a camera for audio and AI. These are expected in late 2026 or 2027. A cheaper enclosed headset is also in development, but no new Vision Pro model is actively being developed for at least two years.
Long-term, Apple's AR glasses project that relied on a Mac was halted in early 2025. Tim Cook remains committed to bringing augmented reality glasses to market. Future smart glasses may include a small display and run visionOS when paired with a Mac or a lightweight interface with an iPhone. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts XR glasses with a color LCoS display could launch in 2028, with a second variant in 2029.
Apple has also tested the Vision Pro for mental health applications, using eye tracking and facial expression detection to diagnose conditions like depression and anxiety. The eye-tracking cameras could also detect early signs of heart failure. However, these features are not yet available. Future versions may include accessibility settings for eye diseases.
In the longer term, Ming-Chi Kuo suggests Apple could develop AR contact lenses by the 2030s, moving from visible to invisible computing, though this is highly speculative.
Source: MacRumors News