A new M5-powered Vision Pro is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2025, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says in a Medium post.
He says the main selling point will be the integration of Apple Intelligence with spatial computing. The major hardware change will be purportedly the processor upgrade to the M5 (currently M2) to significantly improve computing power and ensure the best Apple Intelligence user experience. Other hardware specs and designs likely won’t change much, which should help lower costs and price points.
“The biggest design challenge for Vision Pro/head-mounted display devices is that the human-machine user interface needs to be more intuitive and efficient,” Kuo says. “Apple Intelligence/GenAI is expected to improve this significantly. Combining eye tracking, gesture control, and Apple Intelligence should provide a better user experience for spatial computing.”
The analyst doesn’t think the price of the M5-powered Vision Pro will change much. But he feels the spatial computer could become mainstream if this new model creates attractive user scenarios.
“Cost and price reductions, weight and battery life improvements, etc., will eventually happen,” Kuo says. “Compared to existing mainstream products like the iPhone, the innovative user experience of integrating Apple Intelligence with Vision Pro will be more noticeable.”
In particular, if the M5 Vision Pro can integrate something like OpenAI’s Sora, it may elevate the user experience of the head-mounted display device to unimaginable levels, he adds. The impact of text-to-video AI models on the head-mounted display device experience will likely be more impressive than on existing mainstream consumer electronics, according to Kuo.
A less expensive Vision Pro
Apple is also rumored to be working on a less expensive version of the Vision Pro. DigiTimes says a less pricey version of the Vision Pro might feature an OLED display with a pixel density of 1,500 PPI (per square inch) to reduce manufacturing costs. The current Vision Pro has a pixel density of 3,391 PPI. South Korean media predicts that companies like Japan’s JDI and Samsung Display (SDC) will participate in the OLED display development for Apple’s affordable mixed reality device.
In an August 11 “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple is working on a cheaper Apple Vision headset, a second generation of Apple Vision Pro, as well as a version of Smart Glasses.
He said the tech giant plans to ship a less expensive Apple Vision headset, perhaps as early as 2025. In addition, Gurman said that Apple is continuing to work on a second generation of the high-end (that is, the current) Apple Vision Pro. Finally, he added that experimenting with smart glasses without displays, similar to Meta’s Ray Ban glasses.
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