Apple Vision Pro may not have gotten an appearance (or even a mention) at the company's recent iPhone 17 launch event, but a new leak claims Apple Vision Pro 2 will get a crucial upgrade when it finally arrives.
According to a report in Taiwan's Commercial Times (via MacRumors), the $3,499 headset's 2026 update will include a new R2 chip tasked with input processing. The current Vision Pro features Apple's M2 chip alongside an R1.
Per Apple's own description, the R1 chip "processes input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones to ensure that content feels like it is appearing right in front of the user’s eyes in real time.
"R1 streams new images to the displays within 12 milliseconds — 8x faster than the blink of an eye."
With the Commercial Times reporting suggesting the R2 chip will be fabricated with TSMC's 2nm process (alongside the rumored A20 chip for iPhone and M6 for Macs) we can expect a significant jump in performance.
Apple hasn't revealed the architecture of the R1 chip, but it's believed to be built on a 3nm process, which was introduced with the A17 Pro in 2023 and will carry through to the upcoming M5 chips for the next generation of Macs and iPads.
A Vision Pro upgrade in October?
The internet has been speculating heavily on when we may finally see a Vision Pro upgrade revealed — possibly as soon as next month. Online whispers predict an October event for Apple to unveil an M5 MacBook Pro and an M5-equipped Vision Pro, which would make sense as a one-two punch from the company. Of course, like any rumor, approach it with a healthy degree of skepticism.
John Gearty, Founder and CEO of PulseJet Studios is a former Engineering Program Manager at Apple and played a key role in developing the Vision Pro. Speaking to Tom's Guide a couple of weeks ago, he suggested the next version of the device would need a design refresh to go alongside a more powerful chipset.
"I think it’s fairly clear that a hardware revision is the best thing for broad adoption of AVP. The most common thing I hear from people using the device is that it’s too heavy and too bulky to wear for long periods of time," he told Tom's Guide.
"I’ve read rumors of an Apple Vision Air, which I think would be a great next step, and great branding!"
Read the full interview with John Gearty here.
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