OLED MacBook Pro: Is the Touch Screen Worth $400 More?
Apple's first OLED, touch-screen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899. What you get over the mini-LED model, who should pay the extra, and who should save their money.
Apple finally did it: a Mac with a touch screen. The new OLED MacBook Pro was announced last week and goes on sale November 6.
It's also expensive, and Apple is still selling the regular mini-LED MacBook Pro alongside it. So is the new one worth it?
The prices
| Model | Starts at |
|---|---|
 14-inch OLED MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) |
$2,899 |
| 16-inch OLED MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) | $3,399 |
The OLED models cost $400 more than the matching mini-LED models. Max everything out and you can hit $14,549, with up to 16TB of storage.
What the extra $400 gets you
- OLED display (Apple calls it PROLED XDR): deeper blacks and better contrast
- Touch support, a first for a Mac
- Dynamic Island, which becomes a home for Spotlight, Live Activities and Siri AI
- Slightly thinner and lighter
- Deeper bass and better sound with the lid closed
- A glowing Apple logo on the back
What it doesn't get: a faster chip. It's the same M5 Pro or M5 Max as the mini-LED model.
Who should buy the OLED model
- Photo and video editors who want the best blacks and contrast
- People who watch a lot of HDR content on their laptop
- Anyone who's wanted to tap and scroll on a Mac screen for years
- Buyers who want the newest design and plan to keep it 5+ years
Who should save the $400
- Developers, writers and office work: you get the same chip performance for less
- People who always use an external monitor
- Anyone worried about first-generation issues. A brand-new display tech and touch layer can have early bugs.
What about the cheaper M6 MacBook Pro?
Apple also refreshed the entry 14-inch MacBook Pro with the new M6 chip. It's a spec bump, not an OLED model. If you don't need M5 Pro or Max power, that's where the value is.
And if you don't need a Pro at all, the MacBook Air or MacBook Neo is plenty for most people. See MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro and MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air.
My take
The OLED MacBook Pro is the better laptop, but for most people the mini-LED screen is already superb. Pay the $400 if you'll actually use touch or work in HDR. Otherwise, put it toward more RAM or storage, which matters more over the life of a laptop (see how much RAM do you need).
