Xcode 26 Persona now uses Gaussian Splats for better rendering.

One Week with Vision Pro M5

It’s been a week since I got my new Vision Pro M5 — the second configuration from Apple — and I’m ready to share my impressions.

TL;DR: It’s noticeably sharper and faster than the original Vision Pro. It’s a great choice for first-time Vision Pro buyers, or for developers and those working with Apple Intelligence, which is ~50% faster, and 3rd-party apps are now up to 2x faster. The Vision Pro M5 is an iterative upgrade and in my opinion not a mandatory upgrade. You can also add the Dual Knit Band to the original Vision Pro "M2" — an excellent comfort upgrade.

On Wednesday, October 20, 2025, I was fortunate to pick up my Apple Vision Pro M5. This time, I opted for 256 GBof storage. My first Vision Pro had 512 GB, but I’ve found I realistically only need half that, since I use Apple One and keep most of my photos and videos in iCloud. I’ve made the same storage decision with my last two iPhone upgrades.

I love this version of the Vision Pro for several reasons. The display is noticeably sharper, text looks crisper, and passthrough video appears less blurry. I wear prescription inserts and have gone through a couple of versions with my original Vision Pro. After the headset became officially available in Canada, I had my optometrist double-check my prescription. The first thing I noticed was how much better my current Zeiss Inserts improve my vision with the Vision Pro M5.

At first, I wasn’t sure whether this was just perception or an actual display improvement. According to Apple, the M5 chip provides a graphics boost and supports more multitasking. It also drives the OLED displays with improved clarity and sharper text by rendering 10% more pixels.

Apple describes this improvement in terms of “pixels per degree”—a measure of display clarity that reflects how many pixels fit into one degree of your field of view. In simple terms:

Pixels per degree = Number of pixels across the display ÷ Field of view (in degrees).

The M5 chip also enables hardware ray tracing and reduces motion blur, which together with the 120Hz refresh rate (100Hz on OG AVP) make the visual experience smoother and more realistic.

Getting my prescription done in the US before picking up my first Vision Pro in Victor NY, Feb 3 2024.

I’ve also noticed a big improvement when watching Apple Immersive Video, movies, and TV shows. I was genuinely surprised by how much sharper and more vivid the display looks on the Vision Pro M5. Fortunately, I still have my original Vision Pro for side-by-side comparison. Native video apps and Mac mirrored displays both feel delightfully more enjoyable on the new model.

Dual Knit Band Fit and Comfort

I was also surprised by how much more comfortable the Dual Knit Band is. The Vision Pro M5 itself is identical in design to the original Vision Pro — the changes are internal, mainly the addition of the M5 chip and possibly improved heat sinks. The Vision Pro still has the same R1 chip which enables real-time compute, as delays could be detrimental to the wearer's safety.

The Dual Knit Band is very comfortable, featuring a new two-level Fit Dial. I spent about an hour at the Apple Store ensuring that the Light Seal was the best fit for me. The setup app suggested a 25W Light Seal, but I had noticed light leaks when I first used the device during one of the early Developer Labs at the Developer Center in Cupertino, California. I also experienced light leaks with the 25W size when I picked up my first Vision Pro on February 3, 2024. Having driven three hours to Victor, NY (near Rochester), I wanted to make sure I got the perfect fit — and at the time, the 24W worked better.

To my surprise, the 24W had more light leaks with the new Vision Pro M5 and the Dual Knit Band. I brought my original Vision Pro M2 with me to compare and to show the Genius my previous band setup. The Apple Store uses “demo lenses” with its fitting app, so I couldn’t test the fit using my own v2 Zeiss lenses. These lenses are paired to the Vision Pro using a QR code, which helps the system recognize your lenses and adjust for your prescription. The Apple Store demo app isn't set up to scan my lenses' QR code. In the end, I accepted the 25WLight Seal size.

The Dual Knit Band combined with AnnaPro 2, with the Light Seal.

A tip I picked up from the Vision Pro fitting video: hold the device against your face while adjusting both the back and top straps — this gives the best alignment and comfort. Like Justin Ryan, I also use my AnnaPro 2 with the Dual Knit Band. This setup allows me to work without the Light Seal installed since the AnnaPro 2 helps cantilever the device off your forehead. Even without the AnnaPro 2, the Dual Knit Band makes wearing the Vision Pro comfortable for extended periods. For full immersion I can simply pop in the Light Seal.

Vision Pro upgraded with M5 and a new Dual Knit Band

Check out this video by Bobby Tonelli on the Vision Pro M5
I Spoke with Apple About the Vision Pro M5 Update — Here’s What Stood Out

Apple Vision Pro M5 Review: Is It Worth It?

Don't just take my word for it. Check out Spatial Insider, Justin Ryans review of the Vision Pro M5.
Apple Vision Pro M5 Review: Is It Worth It?

Introducing Galaxy XR: Opening New Worlds – Samsung Global Newsroom

The Samsung Galaxy XR (aka Project Mohan) is now available in the US and Korea. It runs on Google's Android XR. It's less expensive than the Vision Pro, but it has been met with some mixed reviews.

Google has finally re-entered the XR space, and I'm.... disappointed.

Check out this write up by Nicholas R. on LinkedIn. TL;DR AndroidXR feels designed like a phone OS: great in some ways, but fails to embrace the spatial medium of XR. I hope it grows into something much better, but I'm not holding my breath for the near term.

Google has finally re-entered the XR space, and I'm.... disappointed.

Meanwhile: Swift.org Announces Swift SDK for Android

In other news: last week Swift.org announced the Swift SDK for Android.

"Swift has matured significantly over the past decade — extending from cloud services to Windows applications, browser apps, and microcontrollers. Swift powers apps and services of all kinds, and thanks to its great interoperability, you can share code across platforms."

"The Android workgroup is an open group, free for anyone to join, that aims to expand Swift to Android. Today, we are pleased to announce nightly preview releases of the Swift SDK for Android."

Personally I've been working with Skip.tools for the past six months, using their Swift Package to concurrently create a mobile phone app in Xcode. When Skip builds, it creates an iOS app and Android app at the same time. They "transpile" the SwiftUI code to Compose, which means you may have to assist the process with a touch of Compose in your Xcode project.