If you were hoping Apple’s leap into OLED touchscreens was going to come without a price rise, it looks like Wednesday is going to be a rude awakening.
Over the weekend, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman dumped the final puzzle pieces for Apple’s “Pro and Tell” event. The Cupertino crew are indeed launching 14- and 16-inch OLED touchscreen MacBook Pros with Dynamic Islands to boot, but starting prices could be up to $500 higher than current models.
This confirms exactly what we reported last week, when Counterpoint Research told us that the combo of tandem OLED tech, touch features and skyrocketing memory costs (RAMageddon) would trigger a $300 to $500 increase. Now, the leaks are backing it up.
But before you panic or grab your wallet, you need to understand the decision Apple will put on you in a couple of days.
M5 brute force vs M6 efficiency
The most confusing part of Wednesday’s event won’t be the price; it’ll be the silicon.
Apple is reportedly splitting the lineup. The ultra-premium MacBook Pr-OLEDs are sticking with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips — while the standard 14-inch Pro and new iMac will pack the brand-new M6, but not have OLED or touch.
Chip | Geekbench single/multi-core | Blackmagic Disk Speed Text (MBps write/read) | Handbrake (transcode 4K movie to 1080p mm:ss) |
|---|---|---|---|
M6 (Mac mini) | 4708 / 21405 | 6577 / 6372 | 02:46 |
M5 Pro (MacBook Pro) | 4306 / 28586 | 8989 / 12711 | 01:45 |
M5 Max (MacBook Pro) | 4338 / 29430 | 12857 / 12870 | 01:55 |
It looks like a paradox, but it is actually a highly specific use-case decision.
The extra raw grunt of the Pro and Max chips really makes this the choice for creative pros who want that far better display (and Apple Pencil support…please, Apple), with the local AI chops to really challenge Nvidia’s RTX Spark.
The OLED waiting room is feeling airy
If you’re looking at that potential $3,000 OLED price tag and thinking, “I’ll just wait for the OLED MacBook Air,” you’ll be waiting a long time.
This is another part of Gurman’s report. Apple is indeed currently testing OLED panels for future MacBook Air and iMac models, but those releases are “some way off.”
MacBook Airs almost always refresh in the spring of each year, and it’s looking like the 2027 update will stick with the standard LCD display. You’ll have to pay the Pro premium for perfectly inky blacks and touchscreen gestures. There is no budget backdoor.
What kind of Mac user are you?
Wednesday is going to completely reset the Mac buying landscape. It used to be simple: pick your size, your M chip, and get largely the same excellent experience.
Now, it’s becoming a little more confusing, so let me help. If your daily workflow involves heavy video editing, digital art, or you have the budget to be an early adopter of macOS touch gestures, the OLED M5 Pro/Max is your dream machine. The multi-core power is there, and the screen will be unmatched.
But if you are a coder, writer or everyday power user who just wants future-proof efficiency without paying a $500 early-adopter display tax? Ignore the touchscreen hype. Grab the entry-level M6 MacBook Pro, enjoy the single-core speed bump, and keep that extra cash in your pocket.
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