Apple’s first OLED MacBook Pro could be one of the year’s most exciting laptops, but it probably won’t be cheap. A new analysis suggests the upgrade could add up to $500 to the price of Apple’s next MacBook Pro, and rising memory costs are a major reason.
According to Tom’s Guide, David Naranjo, an associate director at Counterpoint Research, conducted a bill-of-materials analysis of the rumored OLED model. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip and a mini-LED display starts at $2,499. Naranjo expects a 14-inch OLED version to start somewhere between $2,799 and $2,999.
Please remember that this is an analyst’s estimate, not an official leak. Apple has not yet announced pricing or even the laptop’s details. However, this should change soon. Apple’s “Pro and Tell” event is scheduled for October 28, and an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro is widely expected to be the show’s highlight.
OLED could be covering for memory costs
According to Counterpoint, that extra $300 to $500 covers a few things. There’s the tandem OLED panel, the same bright, vivid display tech in the M5 iPad Pro. There’s also the long-rumored touchscreen. And then there are ongoing memory costs.
That last one is the big one. RAM and storage prices have skyrocketed this year, and the memory crunch is hitting just about everything, from the Galaxy S27 to the iPhone 18 Pro. Naranjo told Tom’s Guide that premium displays are helping PC makers “protect their profits” as component costs climb. In other words, a gorgeous OLED screen makes a price hike a lot easier to swallow than simply charging more for the same laptop.
There is some good news, though. Apple’s buying power could speed up investment in OLED panel production. Counterpoint expects OLED laptop panel shipments to jump 50% in 2026, while mini-LED shipments drop 38%. Over time, that should make OLED screens cheaper on Windows laptops too, even though many have offered OLED for years.
This would follow a familiar pattern for Apple this year. The iPhone Duo launched at $1,999, and the Apple TV 4K more than doubled in price in less than a year. A $2,799 starting price for the OLED MacBook Pro wouldn’t be surprising.
If you don’t need OLED or a touchscreen, the current mini-LED MacBook Pro might be the smarter buy. Once the new models are announced, the outgoing ones should get some solid discounts, especially heading into Black Friday.
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