2026 Mac Studio: Price
The Mac Studio currently starts at $1,999 / £2,099, but there are strong indications that Apple could raise prices when it updates its desktop lineup later this year due to supply chain pressures and rising component costs.
One sign that the Mac Studio’s price could increase is Apple’s recent move to raise the entry cost of its high-end Macs. In March 2026, Apple removed lower-capacity storage tiers from the MacBook Pro lineup, pushing the starting price of the M5 Max model to $3,599 because it now ships with a 2TB SSD by default.
If Apple follows the same strategy with the Mac Studio, it may raise the base price while simultaneously increasing the starting RAM and storage configurations to soften the perception of the price increase.
For example, if Apple increases the entry-level SSD from 512GB to 1TB – a likely change – the base price could rise by roughly $200 / £200, although the U.K. increase may be smaller to keep regional pricing more closely aligned.
Several broader factors could also contribute to higher prices:
RAM shortage and component costs: A global surge in demand for AI hardware has created significant pressure on memory supply, leading to higher RAM prices across the industry.
Supply chain constraints: During a 2026 earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company is seeing “less flexibility in the supply chain than normal,” adding that wholesale memory pricing is “increasing significantly.”
For reference, the current 2025 Mac Studio base configurations are priced as follows on Apple’s website:
- $1,999/£2,099/CA$2,699/AU$3,499 M4 Max, 36GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD
- $3,999/£4,199/CA$5,499/AU$6,999 M3 Ultra, 96GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD
Historically, Apple has shown a willingness to raise starting prices when transitioning between generations. The Mac Pro, for example, increased from $5,999 to $6,999 when Apple Silicon replaced Intel processors.
However, Apple has also positioned the Mac Studio as a relatively affordable high-performance desktop for creative professionals. Since its introduction, the machine has started at $1,999, helping maintain a clear price gap below the $3,199-plus MacBook Pro lineup.
