M2 vs. M5 Vision Pro: 20+ Differences Compared

[MacRumors]

Apple recently refreshed its Vision Pro headset with the M5 chip, but how different is it from the original version? This guide lists all of the differences between the two models.

While the latest model sees no hardware changes beyond the chip and the headband, the M5 chip unlocks a series of new capabilities for the Vision Pro, such as a higher refresh rate, more rendered pixels, and longer battery life.

The M5 Vision Pro isn't classified as a second-generation model, which reveals how incremental Apple sees the update over the original M2 version. Nevertheless, it refines the headset in specific ways. All of the differences between the two models are as follows:

Apple Vision Pro (2024)	Apple Vision Pro (2025)
Apple M2 chip	Apple M5 chip
Made with TSMC's second-generation 5nm node (N5P)	Made with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process (N3P)
Based on A15 Bionic chip from iPhone 13 (2021)	Based on A19 Pro chip from iPhone 17 Pro (2025)
8-core CPU (4 performance and 4 efficiency cores)	10-core CPU (4 performance and 6 efficiency cores)
	New GPU architecture
	Integrated Neural Accelerator in every GPU core
Metal 4 developer APIs	Metal 4 developer APIs with Tensor APIs to program GPU Neural Accelerators
	Third-generation ray tracing engine
	Hardware-accelerated mesh shading
	Second-generation dynamic caching
LPDDR5 memory	LPDDR5X memory
100 GB/s memory bandwidth	153 GB/s memory bandwidth
	Support for AV1 decode
	Dedicated display engine
	10% more rendered pixels
Up to 100Hz refresh rate	Up to 120Hz refresh rate
2–2.5 hours battery life	2.5–3 hours battery life
30W power adapter included	40W power adapter included
Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band included	Counterweighted Dual Knit Band included
Weighs 600–650 grams (21.2–22.9 ounces)	Weighs 750–800 grams (26.4–28.2 ounces)
Made in China	Made in Vietnam
Released February 2024	Released October 2025
Started at $3,499 (£3,499 or €4,000)	Starts at $3,499 (£3,199 or €3,700)

The new chip is dramatically more powerful and efficient, making the device tangibly faster at tasks that push multiple subsystems at once, such as creating spatial photos or loading widget-heavy environments. Latency is reduced and overall responsiveness improves enough to feel noticeable in daily use. While there aren't many workflows that can take full advantage of the M5 chip's capabilities, it provides considerable performance headroom and strengthens the headset's technical foundation for future versions of visionOS and third-party apps.

That said, the upgrade is still bound by the same cameras, sensors, and displays as the M2 model. The new 120 Hz refresh rate and 10% increase in rendered pixels subtly enhance motion smoothness and realism, but they don't transform the experience. Battery life is also slightly better, yet none of these shifts make the M2 version feel obsolete. The software remains identical across both models, and since the new Dual Knit Band is available separately, comfort is also not a differentiator.

For current owners, the decision to upgrade hinges on use-case. Developers, designers, or professionals who push the headset to its limits will appreciate the added headroom and smoother responsiveness. For everyone else—especially those who primarily use the Vision Pro for watching TV and movies, Mac Virtual Display, browsing, or light productivity—the M2 version still delivers the same fundamental experience.

The M2 model's secondary-market prices also change the equation. With no trade-in program and units now listed on eBay at substantially lower prices, the original Vision Pro has become a far more accessible entry point into Apple's spatial computing experience. That makes the M5 model the better option for new buyers who want the most longevity and headroom, but the M2 model remains better value for those entering the platform for the first time or waiting for a larger generational leap.

Article Link: M2 vs. M5 Vision Pro: 20+ Differences Compared

 

[Nozuka]

forgot that the M2 didn't have a AV1 HW decoder yet....
they waited way too long with that.

i hope they will be faster with AV2...

 

[smaffei]

They made it HEAVIER! Going in the wrong direction folks.

 

[chipchen]

But still lacking usefulness... I know several people who bought them but not a single person who continues to use it on a regular basis. The Steve Reality Distortion Field continues to remain the strongest feature.

 

[Roller]

They made it HEAVIER! Going in the wrong direction folks.

The difference is due to counterweights in the new dual knit head band, not the device. I haven't tried the band with my M2 yet, but those who have or have bought the M5 VP say it makes a significant improvement in comfort. That's not the wrong direction.

 

[Roller]

But still lacking usefulness... I know several people who bought them but not a single person who continues to use it on a regular basis. The Steve Reality Distortion Field continues to remain the strongest feature.

Head over to Reddit and you'll find account from many people who use it routinely for a variety of cases and continue to be happy with our purchases.

 

[Hajj.david]

They made it HEAVIER! Going in the wrong direction folks.

The AVP itself is not heavier. The "increased weight" is 100% in the counter weights of the dual knit band. Its far more comfortable to wear and it just feels like wearing big glasses now.

But still lacking usefulness... I know several people who bought them but not a single person who continues to use it on a regular basis. The Steve Reality Distortion Field continues to remain the strongest feature.

I use mine every single day for hours a day. Its the number one productivity tool if you want to go to a quiet space and work in peace. At night I lay in bed and watch movies / shows on the ceiling with it.

 

[brauntj]

But still lacking usefulness... I know several people who bought them but not a single person who continues to use it on a regular basis. The Steve Reality Distortion Field continues to remain the strongest feature.

I came here to ask what anyone uses this for.

Seems like a super cool…thing. I just have no idea what I’d use it for, other than using it as an immersive TV.

 

[everlast3434]

But still lacking usefulness... I know several people who bought them but not a single person who continues to use it on a regular basis. The Steve Reality Distortion Field continues to remain the strongest feature.

I have one... and barely use it, so you're not wrong.

 

[lilkwarrior]

They made it HEAVIER! Going in the wrong direction folks.

The dual loop band has counterweights for a much better comfort and weight distribution that matters just as much as and sometimes more than purely how much something weighs.

That’s also the case of some foldables compared to slab phones

 

[techspin]

So how many actual frames does it run at with MVD? Best comparison review I’ve seen is from the Tested team. Even for perceptive users, this seems like a really marginal upgrade.

 

[RedScott]

I'm sure the new strap is more comfortable, but it also looks a lot more dorky too. I feel they'll abandon this at some point in favor of glasses with screens. Even then, I'm not convinced this will be the future as typical monitors allow for more ambient movement between activities... True glasses would still suffer from loss due to transparency and may never replace high fidelity monitors for core work, etc.

 

[fanboy05]

will be picking up the m5 for Christmas and gifting my m2 to my kid! I hope the new band works well. I haven't been able to try it on yet.

 

[SFjohn]

Under the heading of AVP 2025 is listed: “Integrated Neural Accelerator in every GPU core“ however there is no mention of how many GPU cores that is, only CPU is listed. Can the editor update this list please? Thanks! 🙏🏼 Update: Since no one had updated the chart above I did my own research & according to chatGPT the 2024 AVP has 8 GPU cores vs Integrated Neural Accelerator in every one of the 10 GPU cores in the 2025 model. C’mon MacRumors I know you can do better… 🫶🏻

 

[DonutHands]

Bruh, 15 of those differences are the same as saying M2 vs M5

 

[Duncan-UK]

Yes this is extremely thin gruel.

 

[maerz001]

So the first 10 differences are from the M5 chip. And on top of that the release date counts also? Seriously?
If you mention different release seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks you will manage to find 30 differences soon

 

[Levithescienceguy]

Can't wait to get mine in time for Thanksgiving demos with the family! It's truly magical the first time you experience it.

 

[Makosuke]

The difference is due to counterweights in the new dual knit head band, not the device. I haven't tried the band with my M2 yet, but those who have or have bought the M5 VP say it makes a significant improvement in comfort. That's not the wrong direction.

This.

Yes, the whole thing is heavier overall, but the part on the front of your face is not, the added weight is on the other side, which on average should increase comfort not decrease it. That's a very important distinction.

I never used one of the M2 ones so I can't compare, but while the M5 version is definitely heavy it's not particularly tiring to wear, and does feel pretty well-balanced despite being a lot of weight strapped to your face.

I'm interested to see if any developers are going to take advantage of the ray-tracing GPU features--that seems like it could amount to a pretty significant visual upgrade over the M2 version.

 

[Makosuke]

I'm sure the new strap is more comfortable, but it also looks a lot more dorky too. I feel they'll abandon this at some point in favor of glasses with screens. Even then, I'm not convinced this will be the future as typical monitors allow for more ambient movement between activities...

I think it's fairly obvious that the AVP is a prototype for a potential future pair of true AR glasses, and I bought mine with full understanding of that.

It's interesting to me that instead of releasing a compromised pair of glasses that does the spatial computing thing in a limited way, Apple decided to release what's effectively a prototype that is huge and limited but provides an experience much closer to what the actual viable product will in theory eventually be when the technology catches up. I, personally, prefer that they went that way with it.

As for whether spatial computing is a thing people really want, once it gets "there" technologically, I'm not sure, but having used one for a little while it's at least possible. Not for all use cases, I think, but for some. The missing piece at this point is shared reality; if you have two people wearing an AVP, they don't both see the same objects in the same spots in the room. If/when that eventually exists, the potential use case increases pretty dramatically.

From a pure productivity standpoint the virtual monitor feature of the AVP as-exists is its killer feature--I don't care how dorky it looks, I can now carry a dual-5K ultra wide wraparound screen for my laptop as a personal item on a plane. Perhaps there's a future where AR glasses effectively replace monitors, you just sit in front of a keyboard and mouse and your monitor is on your head.

 

[lilkwarrior]

I'm sure the new strap is more comfortable, but it also looks a lot more dorky too. I feel they'll abandon this at some point in favor of glasses with screens. Even then, I'm not convinced this will be the future as typical monitors allow for more ambient movement between activities... True glasses would still suffer from loss due to transparency and may never replace high fidelity monitors for core work, etc.

…Headsets and glasses will coexist and be used both by people no differently than desktops/laptops compared to phones.

 

[lilkwarrior]

Bruh, 15 of those differences are the same as saying M2 vs M5

People still need to know what is different from M5 vs M2 in terms of features and capabilities.

Three gens of CPU performance is still substantially improved single-core and multi core performance—especially hardware-accelerated stuff involving Aai, ray-tracing, and encoding/decoding

 

[subjonas]

Bruh, 15 of those differences are the same as saying M2 vs M5

So the first 10 differences are from the M5 chip. And on top of that the release date counts also? Seriously?
If you mention different release seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks you will manage to find 30 differences soon

I find the break down of the differences that are a consequence of the M5 chip very useful information. I would have complained if the article left it at just "M5 chip" as you seem to be wishing that it did.

 

[Makosuke]

I find the break down of the differences that are a consequence of the M5 chip very useful information. I would have complained if the article left it at just "M5 chip" as you seem to be wishing that it did.

Indeed--Apple didn't advertise this version as having anything new apart from the band that wasn't the direct result of the M2-M5 CPU upgrade. So the entire point of the list here is what that CPU upgrade actually gets you.

Which is quite a bit--15-25% more battery life isn't trivial, and I take the 120Hz framerate and 10% more pixels rendered to mean that the display hardware is now able to run at full spec instead of being limited by the GPU capability.

Phrased the other way around, the M2 version couldn't take full advantage of the hardware because it was GPU bound, while the M5 version can.

Never having used the M2 version, here's a question for people who have: Is the Vergence Accommodation the same in both versions? I'm assuming so, but was somewhat shocked when I realized it exists at all, and couldn't find much writing online about the feature

(For those unfamiliar with the technical term, which I was not until yesterday, although I understood the concept: Human vision does direct depth perception both through binocular vision--each eye sees a different angle--and the focal length of the lens in each eye. You can see this by closing one eye and looking between something close and something far away--you will see the object you're not looking at blur, and can somewhat judge distance this way even with one eye. Most VR headsets simulate binocular vision, but everything on the screens are the same distance from you, which both reduces immersion and increases motion sickness in some people, myself included, because the signals your brain is getting slightly disagree with what it's expecting, called Vergence Accommodation Conflict, VAC. I was somewhat shocked to discover last night that if I closed one eye in the AVP and looked between a window nearby (or my hand) and something farther away, I could feel my eye refocusing, although the object I wasn't looking at was not physically blurred. This may explain why I haven't gotten motion sickness from the AVP, and I'm REALLY curious how it does this--some kind of focal-plane adjustment based on the distance to the object your eye is pointed at, I'm guessing.)

 

[yanksfan114]

Bruh, 15 of those differences are the same as saying M2 vs M5

and one is the release date lmaoooo. MR really stretched to make this article.