2 min readApple has updated three of its high-end devices with its new in-house M5 chipset: the Vision Pro, entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, and the iPad Pro. Improved performance is naturally a benefit across the board, but each of the devices have a few other upgrades.
Apple's spatial face computer - the Vision Pro - is getting its first update since its local launch in the middle of last year. On top of snappier overall performance, Apple is using the M5 to render 10% more pixels on the Vision Pro display for a sharper image and crisper text. The Vision Pro with M5 can also increase the display refresh rate to as fast as 120Hz to counteract motion blur when the user is looking around.
Battery also gets a slight bump. Users can expect between two and a half and three hours on a single charge, depending on use case. That's a 30-minute increase over the previous model.
The Vision Pro is also shipping with a new Dual Knit Band for a comfier fit. Owners of the original Vision Pro can order this separately.
Pricing for the Vision Pro still starts at $5,999.
On the MacBook Pro front, the main update is the M5 chipset. Apple says the 14-inch MacBook with M5 can deliver 1.6x faster graphics performance in pro apps and 1.6x higher frame rates in games when compared to the M4 equivalent. Apple says the laptop's SSD is as much as twice as fast. Customers can now also opt for as much as 4TB of internal storage.
The entry-level configuration with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage still starts at $2,499.
Apple is still selling M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro variants from last year. It is unclear if or when these will be refreshed.
And while the new iPad Pro with M5 models are dead ringers for last year's, they have a few interesting changes on top of the new chipset.
Cellular variants of the new iPad Pro with M5 with its C1X modem, just like the iPhone Air. Apple says this offers 50% faster mobile data performance than last year's models, while using 30% less power. Cellular models are eSIM only - you can’t use a physical SIM card with them. The iPad Pro with M5 also has Apple's N1 networking chip, which enables WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.
Both the 11-inch and 13-inch models also support fast charging for the first time. With a 60W USB-C charger, they can go from flat to full in just half an hour. There is still a charger in the box, but this is only 20W. Apple sells a 70W USB-C charger for $89.
Pricing for the 11-inch iPad Pro with M5 still starts at $1,699 for a 256GB model, while the 13-inch iPad Pro with M5 starts at $2,199.
Pre-orders for all of Apple's new devices start today, ahead of an October 22 release date.
