Thanks, RAMgeddon.
Five years is a long time in the MacBook world. Each generation of Apple’s laptops usually come with new features and specs that are better than the MacBooks that preceded it, like faster processors and more memory. Yet even with these additions, the starting price of MacBooks don’t tend to shift all that much from one year to the next.
But we no longer live in normal times. The costs of electronics continue to aggressively increase thanks to AI data centers eating up the supply chains for pivotal PC parts like memory, storage and GPUs. Apple itself was no longer able to absorb the effects of the components shortage and announced big price hikes for a wide range of products earlier this year, including its entire MacBook Pro line.
So it’s worth keeping that context in mind when we look at the differences between buying a MacBook Pro in 2021 and buying one in 2026. Since they come in a variety of configurations that can significantly affect how much you pay for them, we’ll just look at the prices for the entry-level laptops from each respective year.
How do both MacBook Pro lines compare?
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
In 2021, Apple was just getting started with its custom silicon after moving away from using AMD GPUs and Intel processors in its laptops. At the time, the company debuted a slightly chunkier MacBook Pro lineup that came equipped with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
Here’s what the entry-level models cost in 2021:
- 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro: $1,999
- 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro: $2,499
But due to inflation rates in the US, the spending power of $2,000 back in 2021 isn’t the same as the spending power of $2,000 today. So when adjusted for those rates, the M1 Pro 14-inch laptop would cost about $2,467 in 2026, and the 16-inch would be $3,084.
If we weren’t in the midst of RAMaggedon, the prices of today’s MacBook Pros would’ve lined up pretty favorably to the 2021 roster. These sport the latest versions of Apple’s chips — the M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max — which is a big upgrade in terms of graphics and processing performance compared to the five-year-old laptops. They’re also much better at running games than the M1-series ever was.
Here’s what the 2026 entry-level MacBook Pro models cost, and how much they were before the price hike:
- 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5: $1,999 (up from $1,699)
- 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro: $2,999 (up from $2,699)
Thanks, AI
Before getting hit with the extra $300, the current 14-inch MacBook Pro was actually cheaper than the 14-inch from 2021. One thing to note is that today’s entry-level model has the base M5 chip whereas the older laptop had the Pro version of the M1. It’s not a huge deal given how far the M-series has advanced since 2021, but it does show a slight change in Apple’s strategy compared to five years ago.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro, meanwhile, used to be a little more expensive than the 2021 version pre-price hike, but it’s now a whopping $500 more — bringing it much closer to the inflation-adjusted price. While this laptop was already quite an investment to begin with, the $3,000 price tag might make some people think twice about whether or not they really need the extra screen space and power of the M5 Pro.
The AI-related price increases throw a wrench into what otherwise would’ve been modest cost differences between the 2021 and 2026 MacBook Pros. Unfortunately, we might have to live with the memory shortage and its knock-on effects for at least the next few years, which most likely means we’ll see some eye-popping prices on the next generation of MacBook Pros as well.
