Tried out: Apple's new dual band made of knit fabric on an old Vision Pro
The Vision Pro M5 comes with a new chip and a new dual band – otherwise nothing changes. The band is also available separately. We tried it out.
New headband for the Vision Pro: Less head pressure.
(Image: Ben Schwan / heise medien)
Apple's Vision Pro is known for being quite bulky on the head, with a weight of 600 to 650 grams for the M2 model and now 750 to 800 grams for the M5 model. The reason for the latter weight increase is that Apple now supplies the so-called Dual-Band made of knit fabric as standard. Its main innovation is an additional overhead strap designed to distribute the weight better, including new “counterweights” built into the rear strap for the back of the head.
We checked whether it's worth it for existing Vision Pro customers to switch from the old solo band made of knit fabric, which came with the M2 model, to the dual band. You can also find a detailed test of the Vision Pro M5, including the new band, on heise+.
Price and Ordering
The most important information upfront: The new band is fully compatible with the Vision Pro M2 (formerly simply called Vision Pro). So you can easily exchange the old solo band for the dual band. Apple sells it for a hefty 115 euros (US price excluding sales tax: 99 US dollars) via its Apple Online Store and in Apple stores. After all, this price corresponds to the previous solo band made of knit fabric, for which you get significantly less. Annoying: Unlike the solo band, you cannot simply choose a size (there: S, M, and L). Instead, you have to perform a head scan via iPhone or an iPad with Face ID for every purchase attempt to determine the size.
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This is particularly annoying when you want to check if the correct dual band is available in a local Apple Store, as this check is only possible after the head scan. However, the bands should be readily available by now. Our head scan resulted in size L (as with the solo band)—unfortunately, we cannot say how many different sizes there are. Due to the overhead strap, there might be more than with the solo band, but only Apple knows that. In any case, there must be a reason why the scan is enforced.
Weighty Tungsten
The dual band made of knit fabric is surprisingly heavy out of the box. This is because the weights in the rear strap are made of tungsten and add considerable weight. Measurements showed that more tungsten weights are sewn in depending on the size. The “S” band is said to have 24, the “M” band 28. The intrinsic weight is likely between 180 and 220 grams. Apple itself only states that the entire Vision Pro M5 with the dual band now weighs 750 to 800 grams, whereas it was “only” 600 to 650 grams before.
(Image:Â Ben Schwan / heise medien)
Putting on and setting up the dual band is similar to before. First, you loosen the band tension using the adjustment dial (if not already done) and then put on the headset. What's new is that you can tighten and loosen both bands, i.e., the rear and overhead straps, using a single adjustment dial. This is done via a toggle switch where the adjustment dial is either pulled out or pushed in to operate. This gives a very stable impression.
Everyday Use
With the dual band made of knit fabric on our Vision Pro M2, we had a more comfortable wearing experience than with the solo band and also with the Dual-Loop Band, which Apple also included free of charge with the M2 model with an overhead strap but is now omitting with the Vision Pro M5. The operation of the dual band made of knit fabric is simpler (no annoying Velcro strap); the bands are wider and more comfortable to wear.
At least in the first few hours of use, the dual band put less strain on the head than the solo band. However, one should not expect miracles. The counterweight helps to relieve some pressure from the face, but it is definitely still present. The problem remains that the overall weight of the Vision Pro is too high. At least we didn't get neck pain because of the counterweights, so the distribution basically works. The idea of the dual band is not new, by the way: hobbyists had already built adapters using 3D printing to combine two bands. But the solution is more expensive (230 euros for two bands plus a 3D-printed part), and Apple's version is the nicer one.
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