The New Touchscreen MacBook Pro: A $2,899 Question with a $100 Answer
The New Touchscreen MacBook Pro: A $2,899 Question with a $100 Answer
By Team Gimmie
Updated November 1, 2026
The New Touchscreen MacBook Pro: A $2,899 Question with a $100 Answer
Apple has finally done it. After years of telling us that touchscreens belong on iPads and keyboards belong on Macs, the new MacBook Pro has arrived with a touch-enabled PROLED XDR display. It even brought back the glowing Apple logo on the lid, a nostalgic wink to the power users who have been around since the early 2000s. But with a starting price of $2,899, nostalgia only goes so far.
To help soften the blow of that nearly $3,000 receipt, Best Buy is currently offering a $100 gift card with preorders of the 14-inch or 16-inch models, including the new M6-powered base configurations. It is a classic retail "sweetener," but in the world of high-end Apple hardware, any discount or bonus is worth a second look. The question is: are you buying a revolution in computing, or just a very expensive screen with a nice little perk attached?
The Pro Reality: When Boring Is Actually a Feature
My colleague Antonio G. Di Benedetto recently spent some time with the new machines, and his takeaway was refreshingly honest. He described the update as "kind of boring." For a tech enthusiast, that sounds like a death knell. For a professional who relies on their laptop to pay the mortgage, "boring" is often exactly what you want. It means the chassis is stable, the keyboard works, and the changes are focused on performance rather than gimmicks.
The standout feature is undoubtedly the Tandem OLED panel, marketed as the PROLED XDR display. It is noticeably thinner and lighter than previous models, but the real draw is the visual fidelity. The contrast is infinite, the blacks are truly black, and the brightness levels make HDR video editing a dream. If your work involves color grading or high-end photography, this display isn't a luxury—it is a required tool.
The Touchscreen: More Than Just a Novelty?
The addition of touch to macOS isn't the total overhaul some expected. Apple hasn't turned the MacBook into a giant iPad. Instead, they have added "assistive touch" elements. For example, when your finger nears the screen, the tiny "traffic light" buttons (close, minimize, expand) actually magnify so they are easier to hit.
