Apple Vision Pro 2 release date expectations, price estimates and upgrades

Apple Vision Pro 2 release date expectations, price estimates and upgrades
The Apple Vision Pro was the iPhone company's first attempt at entering the emerging AR/VR market (augmented reality / virtual reality), back in 2024. It was expensive, arguably underdeveloped, yet a huge promise for the future, with tons of potential.

Since its release, we've been hearing about the Cupertino company's struggles to decide whether it should continue its mixed-reality endeavours, and how.

In this page we'll gather all the notable information we have on the potentially-upcoming Apple Vision Pro 2, so stay tuned for updates!

What we know so far:
  • It will be upgraded to the Apple M5 processor
  • It will get Apple Intelligence
  • It will retain the same design and price as the original Vision Pro

Jump to:

Release date


We've seen some conflicting reports about the release date of Apple's next spatial computing device, suggesting that Apple itself is still undecided about it.

The most recent report, coming from trusted Apple Insider Mark Gurman, claims that the Apple Vision Pro 2's release has been pushed back to sometime between late 2025 to spring 2026.

This means we have up to a year from now, if not longer, to wait for the Apple Vision Pro 2, while the company behind it figures out where it wants it to go next.

Meanwhile, some rumors claim that an Apple Vision Pro "Lite" (name unconfirmed) may be coming out sooner – a more stripped-down, and hopefully more affordable version of the original Apple Vision Pro. But for now, take those rumors with a grain of salt.

Price


The original Apple Vision Pro came out at an extremely high price – $3,500. This is well beyond what AR/VR enthusiasts are used to paying for, considering the market-leading Meta Quest 3 AR/VR headset costs $500, offering far more experiences.

That price turned out to be well beyond what tech enthusiasts in general were willing to pay also, and thus – the Vision Pro sold much less units than Apple had anticipated.

Of course, a cutting-edge, first-gen product is bound to be expensive, but the unfortunate mix of far cheaper competitor devices being available, plus a lack of killer apps and use cases, did not bode well for the Vision Pro.

Will the Apple Vision Pro 2 be cheaper? Well, we've not heard any reliable rumors or leaks suggesting so, thus it's very likely that Apple will stick with a price of over $3,000 for the Vision Pro 2, if not exactly the same $3,500 price.

Head strap and comfort



Apple attempted to make its mixed reality headset stand out from the crowd in two notable ways – by calling it a "spatial computer", and by marketing it using a unique head strap design. One that went around the back of the user's head, and did not have a strap going over the head, like traditional headsets.

Unfortunately, beyond looking nicer, such a head strap design was obviously going to be uncomfortable for users, as all the weight of the front-heavy headset was placed on their face. And the Vision Pro is not a light headset, at 650 grams.

So Apple ended up including with the Vision Pro both the nicer-looking, but less comfortable "Solo Knit Band", and a "Dual Loop Band" that actually goes over the user's head, distributing its weight a bit more evenly; the way other headsets do it.

For the Apple Vision Pro 2, we can probably expect the same combo; possibly the exact same two head straps, unless Apple can make the hard choice of just using a traditional headset headband – one that goes around both the back and top of the user's head. A bit more cumbersome and less unique-looking, but far more comfortable.

Hand tracking, eye tracking, controllers



The Apple Vision Pro 2 will rely on eye tracking and hand tracking like its predecessor, for user input. In our testing for our Apple Vision Pro review, we were very impressed with the accuracy of it all, especially considering how ahead this technology already was from the competition, on Apple's first attempt.

However, we can't not mention the lack of controllers in the first Apple Vision Pro. While eye and hand tracking made it more simple and futuristic for the user, a lack of controllers doesn't bode well for AR/VR gaming, and gaming is the driving force behind every other AR/VR headset on the market.

While third parties already released controllers for the Vision Pro, there's a small chance that Apple itself might introduce some in the future, as an optional accessory to it, specifically for gaming. This is pure speculation, but it'll make sense. We'll keep you updated once, or if any news on official Apple Vision Pro controllers pop up.

Storage


The Apple Vision Pro 2 will likely come with the following storage options:
  • 256GB of storage for $3,499
  • 512GB of storage for $3,699
  • 1TB of storage for $3,899

Those are our speculation based on the storage options the first Apple Vision Pro came out with, as currently there's no reason to expect any changes in that area.

Apple is known to have a significant price "tax" on storage upgrades, so a nearly-$4,000 price for a 1000GB Apple Vision Pro 2 is not out of the question.

As the Vision Pro 2 will likely be the best, most crisp and immersive way to watch content in AR and VR, needing more storage depends on whether the user plans to stream it online, or download it on the headset itself. If it's the latter – more storage is obviously going to be in demand.

Like any modern flagship product, the Apple Vision Pro 2's storage will not be expandable via a MicroSD card, so the storage option one buys will be the one they're stuck with for the duration of the device's lifetime.

Design



According to reliable insiders such as Mark Gurman, the Apple Vision Pro 2 will likely retain the exact same design as the first one, despite some internal changes and upgrades.

We can expect the same premium (albeit heavy) build, featuring glass on the front and metal on the sides; as well as the same external battery that needs to be connected to the headset at all times, also made out of metal.

For reference, the first Apple Vision Pro weighs about 650 grams, and currently, we don't expect that the Vision Pro 2 will be getting any lighter, due in part to those premium build materials.

We can also expect the same lenticular display up front, aiming to show either the user's eyes, when they're using passthrough and seeing their surroundings through the headset's cameras, or an abstract colorful pattern if they're fully immersed in virtual reality.

Similarly, we expect the same array of complex cameras and sensors around the headset, used for hand tracking, tracking the user's real-life environment, and showing it to them, when in passthrough mode.

On the top right side of the headset, the scroll wheel, akin to the Apple Watch's crown, will also return, which itself lets the user switch between passthrough (mixed reality) and VR mode.

Display



Like its predecessor, the Apple Vision Pro 2 is expected to feature micro‑OLED displays, one for each eye, with a resolution of 3660-by-3200 pixels per eye, and a refresh rate of up to 100Hz.

Those display specs on the original Vision Pro were already cutting edge, and likely a big reason for its expensive price, so Apple not seeing the need to upgrade them just yet is reasonable, and to be expected.

Battery



The Apple Vision Pro 2 is currently expected to use the same external battery as its predecessor – one that needs to be connected via a magnetic cable to the headset at all times, for it to function. The external battery is also used for connecting the headset to a wall outlet, which allows it to be used indefinitely.

The Apple Vision Pro Battery, which is included with the headset but can also be bought as an additional spare for $200, is a 3166mAh one.

In our testing, it lasted us about 2 hours on a single charge. Unfortunately, there's no reason to expect that the Apple Vision Pro 2 will feature longer battery life than that, unless the processor Apple upgrades it with is more efficient. Even then, at best we'll be getting an insignificant battery life increase.

Features and software



The more notable features we can expect for the Apple Vision Pro 2 include Apple Intelligence, which was oddly not made available on the original Vision Pro. Apple Intelligence is the Cupertino company's answer to the booming AI trend (artificial intelligence), and will bring a more conversational Siri, plus convenient AI additions to the Vision Pro's software package.

The Mac Virtual Display feature will be returning, allowing Apple Vision Pro 2 users to seamlessly connect the headset to their MacBook and get a virtual, portable 5K display for it.

The problem is, currently, with the first-gen Apple Vision Pro, the aforementioned feature only allows for one virtual display. We can speculate that the Apple Vision Pro 2 will have the processing power to offer two or even three, but for now – this is unconfirmed wishful thinking.

In terms of the software powering the Apple Vision Pro, that would likely be VisionOS 3. It's a spatial computing operating system developed by Apple specifically for AR/VR, and is based on iPadOS.

Launching the headset, the user gets a honeycomb array of icons for their apps, as well as a side menu for things like changing their virtual environment.

Notably, the current version of VisionOS – 2.2 – still doesn't have the kind of complete app library one might be used to seeing from, say, their iPhone, iPad or Android phone's app store, or even the Meta Quest headset's app store. So Apple has a long way to go populating it with apps, experiences and games, before VisionOS 3 and the Apple Vision Pro 2 come out. We're yet to see how this plays out.

Hardware


Internally, the Apple Vision Pro 2 will be upgraded with the Cupertino company's upcoming Apple M5 chip, alongside Macs that will also be released around the same time.

This information once again comes from trusted Apple insider Mark Gurman, and is good news, considering the original Vision Pro came out with the quickly-outdated M2 chip.

As mentioned previously, with the M5 chip the Vision Pro 2 will most likely be getting the best of Apple Intelligence at the time of release, as well as (hopefully, but not confirmed yet) extended Mac Virtual Display features.

Besides the processor upgrade, we don't expect any changes to the sensor arrays, displays, or storage options so far.

Should you wait for the Apple Vision Pro 2?


You should wait for the Apple Vision Pro 2 if you're not sold yet on the first-gen Vision Pro, and would like to get more features for your heart-earned money, most notably Apple Intelligence. There might also be other notable features and upgrades that the Vision Pro 2 will come with, that we're yet to find out about.

You should not wait for the Apple Vision Pro 2 if price is an issue, as it will not be getting any cheaper. Whether you're an AR/VR enthusiast or first-timer, there are far more affordable, yet feature, game and experience-rich mixed reality headsets out there, most notably the Meta Quest 3, which only costs $500. That's $3,000 less than the Apple Vision 2 will cost, yet has a full library of apps, experiences and games, and is considered by many as the golden standard for consumer headsets right now. It also has many of the features you might want an Apple Vision Pro 2 for – you can watch movies on it, play AR and VR games, connect it to your computer as a virtual display; it even offers better battery life. So it's worth considering the cheaper options, before you start saving up for a Vision Pro 2.

Create a free account and join our vibrant community
Register to enjoy the full PhoneArena experience. Here’s what you get with your PhoneArena account:
  • Access members-only articles
  • Join community discussions
  • Share your own device reviews
  • Build your personal phone library
Register For Free
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless