Nexalytics Tech
The original Apple Vision Pro was a technical marvel in a package that was too heavy, too expensive, and too isolated to succeed as a mainstream product. Apple hasn't replaced it with a "Vision Pro 2." Instead, it has refreshed the same first-generation design with an M5 chip under the hood — a more modest update than the rumor mill expected, and one that's worth judging on its own terms rather than as a sequel.
The Weight Problem: Not Solved
The most surprising thing about this refresh is physical, and it's not good news. The updated Vision Pro weighs roughly 750–800 grams — heavier than the original's already-criticized 600–650 grams. Apple hasn't said exactly why, but the added mass likely comes from cooling and battery changes needed to support the M5's higher sustained performance. After a two-hour session, I noticed more neck fatigue than I remembered from the original, not less. This is the headset's biggest unresolved weakness, and this refresh does not fix it.
Display and Optics: Incremental but Meaningful
The micro-OLED displays are sharper thanks to the M5's additional graphics horsepower, delivering smoother rendering and fewer dropped frames during fast head movement. The improvement over the original is visible but not dramatic. The EyeSight display on the outside — the feature that shows your eyes to people around you — is unchanged from the original hardware, and still looks like what it is: a clever but imperfect illusion.
Field of view is essentially the same as the original, so the "diving mask" feeling that was one of the first Vision Pro's most persistent complaints is still present here.
visionOS: The Software Grows Up
The current visionOS release, running on both the original and refreshed Vision Pro hardware, addresses some of the app drought that hobbled the original at launch. The spatial app library has grown substantially since 2024, Adobe's suite is now fully native and optimized, FaceTime spatial calls look genuinely impressive, and Apple's productivity environment for multi-window workflows is noticeably more fluent than it was at launch.
Battery Life: Still a Limitation
The external battery pack remains, and roughly two hours of continuous use before recharging remains the headline constraint. Apple has improved the battery pack's ergonomics slightly, but the fundamental limitation of powering a high-resolution, high-refresh-rate spatial display on a mobile battery has not been solved. This is still a device for specific use cases rather than all-day wear.
Who Should Buy It
The Vision Pro with M5 makes sense for professionals in architecture, design, and medicine who can justify the cost through productivity gains. It makes sense for enterprise deployments in training and remote collaboration. For creative professionals who want the best possible media consumption and spatial creativity environment, it's genuinely excellent. For mainstream consumers, the $3,499 starting price and the unchanged weight problem — now slightly worse — mean the calculus hasn't fundamentally shifted. Rating: 7.4/10
💡 The Nexalytics Take
This isn't the Vision Pro 2 people were hoping for — it's the same headset with a faster chip, sharper rendering, and, if anything, a bit more heft. The M5 refresh proves Apple can make the software experience better year over year, but the fundamental weight and price problems that kept Vision Pro niche are still unsolved.
