Touchscreen MacBook Pro: Is Apple’s $2,899 Upgrade Worth It?

Apple’s touchscreen MacBook Pro is official. The bigger question is whether touching the screen will change enough of our work to justify the upgrade.

Apple announced the PROLED XDR models on October 28. Pre-orders opened that day, with availability scheduled for November 6. The 14-inch M5 Pro version starts at $2,899 in the U.S.; the 16-inch starts at $3,399. These are Apple’s announcement details, not our hands-on findings.

What does the touchscreen actually add?

The new display combines tandem OLED technology with direct touch. Apple describes gestures for scrolling, zooming, drawing, and moving onscreen content. The keyboard and trackpad remain part of the experience. See Apple’s touchscreen demonstration and product details.

For us, the useful question is specific: which task would we reach toward the screen to do? A designer adjusting an object might have a different answer from someone spending the day writing. That is a reason to try the interaction before paying for it.

How much does it cost compared with the M6 MacBook Pro?

The separately announced 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro uses a Liquid Retina XDR display and starts at $1,999. Its stated availability also begins November 6, according to Apple’s M6 announcement.

That makes the starting-price gap $900, but this is not a controlled comparison of otherwise identical machines. We would compare the exact memory, storage, screen, and workload before deciding what the premium buys us.

Should we upgrade?

Our early take: put the touchscreen model on the shortlist if direct interaction solves a recurring problem in our work. If our current laptop already handles the job comfortably, an announcement alone gives us no reason to rush.

We still want independent testing of screen behavior, sustained performance, battery life, and everyday touch ergonomics. We have not tested either newly announced model, and we are not treating manufacturer promises as a review.