Ming-Chi Kuo is back with a new report, this time concerning a new MacBook Apple is apparently working on behind the scenes:
- Expected to enter mass production in late 4Q25 or early 1Q26, with an approximately 13-inch display and powered by the A18 Pro processor. Potential casing colors include silver, blue, pink, and yellow
Apple aims to return total MacBook shipments to the COVID-19 peak of around 25 million units in 2026 (vs. an estimated 20 million units in 2025). The more-affordable MacBook is projected to account for 5–7 million units for 2026.
I don’t see any reason why a low-end MacBook couldn’t be powered by the A18 Pro, the chip inside the iPhone 16 Pro. Inside, it has:
- A 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
- A 6‑core GPU
- A 16‑core Neural Engine
Here’s how Apple hyped the chip in the iPhone 16 Pro press release last year:
The new A18 Pro chip is designed with industry-leading compute power to propel Apple Intelligence, ushering in a new era of pro performance. Built with second-generation 3-nanometer technology and featuring a new architecture with smaller, faster transistors, A18 Pro delivers unprecedented efficiency. The new 16-core Neural Engine is faster and more efficient than the previous generation, powering remarkable on-device performance for Apple Intelligence. A 17 percent increase in total system memory bandwidth — the highest ever in iPhone — enables faster experiences when using Writing Tools and Image Playground, and helps deliver astounding graphics. The bandwidth increase also benefits the 6-core GPU, which is up to 20 percent faster than the previous generation, driving graphics rendering for Apple Intelligence and stunning visuals for gaming. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing gets up to 2x faster for even more realistic light sources and reflections, and Game Mode in iOS 18 unlocks more consistent frame rates while making AirPods, game controllers, and other wireless accessories incredibly responsive. A new 6-core CPU is the fastest in a smartphone, with two performance cores and four efficiency cores that can run the same workload as the previous generation 15 percent faster while using 20 percent less power. Next-generation ML accelerators are optimized for Apple Intelligence, and save power by handling high-efficiency, high-throughput, and low-latency computations on the CPU without engaging the Neural Engine.
The immediate downside to the A18 Pro is that it only supports USB 3 at 10 Gb/s, not Thunderbolt. This would make any Mac with an A18 at its heart only capable of USB-C. I think that’s fine on a low-end Mac, but it could cause confusion for some customers.
We’ve been down this road before, with the 2015-2017 MacBook. It’s design pushed the envelope in new ways, with a 12-inch Retina display, a cursed an ultra-thin keyboard, and a single USB-C port. Coupled with a low-end Intel CPU at the time, it was pretty slow, but loved by many:
That MacBook shipped at a time when the MacBook Air was on the ropes. Apple wasn’t updating it in any meaningful way, possibly hoping users would spring for a more expensive MacBook or the two-port MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar. Thankfully all of that got sorted out in 2018 with the Retina MacBook Air the and the cancellation of the MacBook, but things were messy in the Mac line for years.
Beyond its neglect of the MacBook Air, Apple didn’t make things any easier by having the MacBook and the entry-level MacBook Pro share overlapping price points. If you had $1,200-$1,400 to spend on a new laptop, you had too many options and none of them were great, and I don’t think Apple will repeat that pricing mistake.
Kuo himself reports that this machine is designed to be more affordable, so I expect it would slot in below the M4 MacBook Air’s starting price point of $999. Apple already has a machine that sells for less; the M1 MacBook Air can still be purchased through Walmart for $699 or less.
I don’t think we’re going to see the same confusion we did between the old MacBook Air, the 12-inch MacBook, and the entry-level MacBook Pro that we suffered through a decade ago.
The M1 Air won’t stick around forever, and I can see a cheaper, USB-C-only MacBook powered by an A Series chip slotting into that low-end price point nicely. Apple could distinguish it from the Air with colorful finishes, like it does the entry-level iPad. A 13-inch display would make it viable for more users, and with an update every few years, it could offer great value for those who don’t need — or can’t afford — a MacBook Air. I know some folks want Apple to release a 12-inch laptop, but I’m not sure that makes sense for a product like this.
I’m excited about this rumor, and it seems that there is now concrete evidence behind it, according to Hartley Charlton:
MacRumors can now reveal that it first spotted evidence of such a device in backend code related to Apple Intelligence last summer, and subsequently confirmed its use of the A18 Pro chip. The machine features the identifier “Mac17,1.”
Now we just need to see if Apple ships an orange one.