Apple’s upcoming new Vision Pro headset, which is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2025, will include an attractive upgrade, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Kuo claims the most significant upgrade in the 2025 model will be the upgrade to Apple’s M5 chip, a substantial upgrade from the M2 chip powering the current Vision Pro. The processor upgrade will come in handy for the headset’s expected Apple Intelligence features.
The new M5-powered Vision Pro is expected to enter mass production in 2H25. The main selling point will be the integration of Apple Intelligence with spatial computing. The major hardware change will be 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 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. 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.
Other than the upgraded internals, Kuo says the headset’s other hardware specs and the overall design of the Vision Pro will remain basically unchanged. The price point is expected to stay in the range of the current $3,499 starting price of the first-generation model.
Kuo says the new version could create compelling use cases, pushing the device closer to mainstream adoption. He says the potential integration of advanced AI models, such as text-to-video capabilities similar to OpenAI’s Sora, which could dramatically enhance the Vision Pro experience.
He says the supply chain for the M5 Vision Pro will mostly remain the same, although new Apple suppliers such as Zhaowei could attract more investor attention.