Just under a month ago, Apple announced its new 13-inch MacBook Pro, which ditched the butterfly keyboard in favor of the new Magic Keyboard, and added two new 10th Gen CPU options to the lineup. However, the standard memory configuration on the entry-level models weighed in at just 8GB of LPDDR3, which really isn't adequate, leading many buyers to opt for the memory upgrade.
Previously you paid $100 to double capacity from 8GB to 16GB, which brought you right up to speed with a good memory pool. But it looks like that price was not to stay, as Apple has now doubled the price on the two entry-level Macbook Pro 13's (opens in new tab) with 8th-Gen Intel Core processors, as spotted by MacRumors.
At $200, the upgrade suddenly becomes a pricy ordeal, but you'd still be tempted to swing it because 8GB of LPDDR3 really hamstrings the device. Today, 8GB barely does the job, meaning you'll set yourself up for early replacement of the entire device if you don't go for the upgrade.
It's unclear why Apple has decided to raise the price, but it could well have something to do with the use of LPDDR3. The standard is aging, and while availability was already increasingly difficult, it worsened due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, RAM prices might be on the rise, but they certainly haven't doubled.
Unfortunately, if you are in the market for a new MacBook Pro and you need 16GB of RAM, your best bet is to accept the price hike and not look back. The memory in the MacBook comes soldered to the motherboard, meaning the installation of additional memory later in the device's life isn't possible without changing out the entire mainboard.
