Abstract created by Sensible Solutions AI
In abstract:
- Macworld stories Apple is creating a funds MacBook priced properly below $1,000, doubtlessly round $749, to compete with Chromebooks and Home windows laptops.
- The gadget could function an A18 Professional or A19 Professional chip with M1-level efficiency, aluminum chassis, 12.9-inch show, and playful shade choices together with yellow, inexperienced, and blue.
- Anticipated launch is early March 2026, with cost-cutting measures like easier audio {hardware}, primary show panels, and doubtlessly no backlit keyboard to attain affordability.
Apple could also be getting ready its greatest MacBook shake-up in years. Again in June 2025, credible analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple intends to launch a brand new low-cost MacBook which can compete with Chromebooks and Home windows laptops within the funds market. The corporate is now reportedly planning on releasing this new, funds MacBook – bringing the Mac to a complete new class of customers.
The discharge date for this new MacBook might be as quickly as subsequent week, with Apple teasing that week commencing March 2 shall be a “massive week forward” and with a “Particular Apple Expertise” scheduled for March 4 in New York, London and Shanghai.
The brand new MacBook could function an aluminum design in playful colours, an A18 Professional or A19 Professional chip, Extremely Retina XDR OLED show, fewer ports, and Apple’s C2 modem. Nonetheless, to maintain the fee low cutbacks are rumored, comparable to easier audio {hardware}, primary show sensors, and slower charging, however these shouldn’t undermine important efficiency for on a regular basis duties like internet searching, doc modifying, and media streaming.
This new, low-cost MacBook might be a very talked-about one, which suggests you’ll wish to hold observe of its developments. Nicely, look no additional. This text will hold observe of the rumors and stories of this upcoming product, in addition to supply our perspective on the gadget, so regulate this web page for the most recent.
New A18 Professional MacBook: Launch date
- March 2, 2026 – This might be the primary of the brand new merchandise touchdown in w/c March 2.
Apple is scheduled to host three “Apple Particular Experiences” on March 4 within the U.S., U.Okay., and China. These periods, that are anticipated to supply media hands-on time with new merchandise, may present the perfect setting for the funds MacBook’s debut.
However the brand new MacBook may arrive even before March 4. Apple has teased that the primary week of March shall be a “massive week forward” with a picture that appears like the highest of a MacBook. This might recommend that MacBook updates shall be up first, together with the MacBook Air M5, MacBook Professional M5 Professional/M5 Max) and this model new low-cost MacBook.
Apple’s low-cost MacBook has been rumored for a while, with Apple leaker Jon Prosser describing a brand new colourful MacBook Air again in Could 2021. That by no means materialised, however over the previous 12 months rumors have remerged suggesting that Apple does have one thing completely different coming.
In June 2025, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, indicated (in Chinese language) that Apple would begin manufacturing of a brand new low-cost MacBook on the finish of the fourth quarter of 2025 or within the early stage of the primary quarter of 2026. It’s value emphasising that these dates confer with the manufacturing course of relatively than the announcement or transport timeframe. If manufacturing started in October 2025 then it’s believable that the funds MacBook will arrive in early 2026, doubtlessly unveiled at a spring occasion, or within the run as much as Apple’s March 4 ‘Expertise’.
In November, 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is planning to launch a “low-cost laptop computer to rival Chromebooks and Home windows PCs” within the first half of 2026. He mentioned it was at present in testing at Apple and “in early manufacturing with abroad suppliers.”
On February 8, 2026, Gurman reported that the low-cost MacBook shall be obtainable “within the first half of the 12 months.” He didn’t supply any specifics. After which, on February 15, he wrote that Apple’s long-rumored low-cost MacBook is anticipated to reach “as early as March,” with a design that defies its price ticket.
What’s going to the brand new MacBook be known as?
No stories have been made in regards to the official identify of the laptop computer, however you possibly can assume it gained’t be a part of the MacBook Air line. It’s being known as the A18 or A19 Professional MacBook, based mostly on the chip it may have. Apple may merely name it “MacBook,” reviving the identify of the discontinued 12-inch MacBook that was focused at the same market.
Foundry
New A18 Professional MacBook: Design
- Playful colours
- Aluminum chassis (not plastic)
In response to Mark Gurman (in February 2026), Apple’s low-cost MacBook could have a design that defies its price ticket.
Apple’s aim with this laptop computer is to make it inexpensive in comparison with the MacBook Air and MacBook Professional, and one solution to minimize prices is to make a plastic case as a substitute of an aluminum one. Nonetheless, since Apple is working to make its merchandise carbon-neutral, it’s uncertain that it could use plastic, preferring to make use of aluminum or another recyclable or carbon-free materials. Subsequently, it’s no shock that the brand new MacBook, based on Gurman, could have an aluminum chassis.
There shall be a brand new manufacturing course of “designed to be each quicker and cheaper than the one used with Apple’s present laptops,” based on Gurman.
Together with the aluminum shell, Gurman stories that the brand new MacBook shall be obtainable in “playful colours.”
The next colors are indicated: yellow, mild inexperienced, blue, silver, darkish grey, and pink. Which, within the case of yellow, inexperienced and blue, does appear to match the emblem Apple designed for the invitations to the particular occasions on March 4.
Apple
Again in June 2023 analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recommended the next colours: silver, blue, pink, and yellow.
One other design distinction – leaked recordsdata seen by Macworld point out that the brand new MacBook won’t have a backlit keyboard.
A18 Professional MacBook: Show
- 12.9-inch show – rumored
On August 11, DigiTimes reported that the laptop computer could have a 12.9-inch show, barely smaller than the 13-inch MacBook Air.
Apple at present makes use of a Liquid Retina (LED-backlit show with IPS know-how) show within the MacBook Air, an improve over the unique Retina shows Apple final used with the 13-inch MacBook Professional in 2022. It’s potential Apple may revert to a Retina show with squared-off corners for the A18 Professional MacBook, although it’s extra seemingly that Apple shaves price through the use of a smaller show.
One other means that Apple will cut back the price of supplies is by not together with the True Tone sensor that adjusts shade temperature based mostly on ambient mild. Leaked recordsdata recommend that as a substitute Apple will use a extra primary panel.
New A18 Professional MacBook: Processor
- iPhone chip: A18 Professional or A19 Professional
One other solution to meet the pricing objectives for this new MacBook is to make use of a chip that isn’t as strong because the chips used within the MacBook Air and MacBook Professional. When Kuo first mentioned the funds MacBook in his June 2025 report, he said that Apple will use an A18 Professional, the identical chip that was within the iPhone 16 Professional.
Now that the A19 arrived with the iPhone 17 it’s potential that Apple will use this chip. Learn extra about what the iPhone 17 can inform us in regards to the MacBook that might use the identical chip in: Is Apple’s rumored low-cost MacBook hiding in plain sight?
The A-series chips are utilized in iPhones, whereas M-series chips are in Macs. Each chip households are based mostly on the identical basic structure, however the M chips typically supply extra processing energy.
An A19 Professional and A18 Professional can technically do all the things an M-series chip can, however it is going to be slower. When evaluating Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the A18 Professional supplied single-core efficiency that’s on par with the M3. Nonetheless, as a result of the A18 Professional has solely 6 CPU cores, its multi-core efficiency is barely behind the M1, which has 8 CPU cores. If Apple retains all the things the identical, an A18 Professional MacBook will carry out like an M1 MacBook Air, which, for lots of people, has greater than sufficient processing energy. Ought to Apple use an A19 Professional we will count on one thing even higher.
It would draw comparability with the iPad fashions which might be powered by Mac chips, although.
MacRumors reported, in December 2025, that references to an A18 Professional MacBook appeared in a set of leaked Apple recordsdata.
New A18 Professional MacBook: Connectivity
Apple is utilizing its personal wi-fi networking chip, the N1 within the iPhone 17, bringing Bluetooth 6, Wi-Fi 7, and Thread. It’s potential that the identical chips will make their means into the A18 Professional MacBook.
Nonetheless the low-cost mannequin may use a Wi-Fi chip just like the one within the A16 iPad (Wi-Fi 6).
There’s additionally an opportunity this new Mac could have mobile connectivity utilizing Apple’s C1, C1X or but to launch C2 modem. The C2 is more likely to help mmWave.
Other than this, it’s rumored that the funds MacBook could have fewer USB ports than the MacBook Air (which has two USB-C and a magsafe charging port). This low-cost MacBook could not help Thunderbolt.
One factor the MacBook isn’t anticipated to help is high-impedance headphones as a result of it seems to make use of the identical cheaper audio DAC discovered within the older M1 MacBook Air.
New A18 Professional MacBook: Battery & charging
The brand new MacBook won’t help quicker charging that newer Macs have. In 2025 recordsdata seen by Macworld (an inside macOS kernel) indicated that the brand new MacBook would lack drivers for “high-voltage chargers” – which means it may take longer to recharge.
New A18 Professional MacBook: Digicam
It’s additionally potential that Apple opts to not embody a built-in digicam. Over the previous a number of years, Apple has promoted the Mac’s Continuity Digicam function that allows you to use an iPhone as a Mac webcam, in addition to the upcoming macOS Tahoe Magnifier app. Apple may promote this as a webcam resolution. This may be a drastic change, because it’s been a very long time since Apple shipped a laptop computer with out a digicam, nevertheless it might be a risk with a view to meet the corporate’s value aim.
New A18 Professional MacBook: Efficiency
Outcomes are expressed as Geekbench scores. Increased scores/longer bars are quicker.
The A18 Professional has 8GB of RAM, which Apple has mentioned is the naked minimal required to run Apple Intelligence options. So, this new laptop computer could have at the least 8GB of RAM and probably 16GB, like the opposite MacBook fashions. Because the iPhone doesn’t supply RAM upgrades, we don’t know what Apple may cost for further reminiscence.
As for graphics efficiency, the A18 Professional has a 6-core GPU, and its Steel rating in Geekbench 6’s Compute benchmark is much like that of the M1 discovered within the MacBook Air. It’s not a cutting-edge performer, nevertheless it’ll deal with on a regular basis duties with none points. Since Apple’s different MacBooks all begin at 256GB of storage, it’s practically sure this mannequin will include 256GB of storage as properly.
New A18 Professional MacBook: Worth
The most cost effective laptop computer Apple sells is the $999 MacBook Air. Nonetheless, Walmart nonetheless sells the M1 MacBook Air with a 256GB SSD for $649 and as little as $599. The brand new MacBook has been considered a substitute for this Walmart mannequin, although it’s exhausting to imagine it could be that low-cost. A value that falls between $729 and $849 looks like it could match into the MacBook lineup.
There are claims that the low-cost MacBook may begin at $599, which may permit Apple to compete with Chromebooks and Home windows laptops.
Gurman stories that the brand new laptop computer will price “properly below $1,000.”
Our estimation can be across the center of these two figures, round $749.
| Mannequin | Rumored Worth | Chip | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| A18 Professional MacBook | ~$599–$799 | A18 Professional | Entry-level/Chromebook competitor |
| MacBook Air | ~$999+ | M4 | Mid-tier primary Apple laptop computer |
| MacBook Professional | ~$1,599 | M5 | Professional/Creator |