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Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026
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appleCakes
macrumors regular
If that low-cost MacBook is meant for schools (school supplied) it has to be way more rugged than how Apple designs products. Schools will look into Total Cost of Ownership and will pass. Their Chromebooks are basic but last years. Also many school districts are locked into Google (Google suite). Apple wasted precious time with low cost iPads.
transpo1
macrumors 68000
I use the touchscreen on my iPad Pro w/Magic Keyboard all the time. How is this any different. It’s not the only way to interface with the device but it makes sense to add it now that we’re all used to touch displays.
Marty80
macrumors 6502a
Count me in for dibs for the Macbook Pro oled touch screen. But this i am ditching the bigger 16” screen for a 14”. Also this may be my last M pro max, as the pro model may now serve my needs better.
Le0M
macrumors 65816
When they say it, I think it means they won't replace the iPad and Mac experience.
This product would be not a replacement of the two, but another device with different use.
My opinion, obviously.
It’s the device so many have been asking for, except instead of an ipad pro that runs macOS, they will make the macbook a convertible that runs macOS and all ipad apps. They can charge more for a macbook so can see this as more plausible. If there’s money to be made Tim’s all over it.
nortonandreev
macrumors 68040
I changed from 16” M3 Max to 14” M4 Pro (nano-texture) - have been super happy with it!
rp2011
macrumors 68040
I cannot imagine the non touchscreen Mac serving after this. Why would anybody choose it over non. It's not like anyone is forcing anyone to to touch the screen. Some people will instinctively reach out and touch it. Others will vow on a holy Bible never to touch it. Calling it un-pure. Who am I to say who is right?
Costly laptop itself fails after warranty period, we don't know what to do with low priced laptop. Give a laptop like MacBook Pro 13" 2012. Stevejobs Miracle product. Tim Cooked Apple
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop.
Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next 12 months from Apple's multi-pronged MacBook offering. Got your eye on a particular model? Let us know in the comments what you're looking forward to most.
Low-Cost MacBook
Apple is preparing to enter the low-cost laptop market for the first time by developing a budget MacBook aimed at luring away customers from Chromebooks and entry-level Windows PCs, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new device is said to be designed for students, businesses, and casual users, and will target people who mainly browse the web, work on documents, or dabble in light media editing.
The new MacBook is said to have a 13-inch display, similar to but slightly smaller than the MacBook Air, and will feature an ultra-thin, lightweight design with a lower-end LCD display. According to reputable industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is said to be using its A18 Pro chip to power the machine. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro and is around 40% slower than Apple's latest M4 chip, but its multi-core CPU performance is virtually identical to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, and it even outperforms the M1 chip for graphics.
The A18 Pro chip lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. The current 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999 in the U.S., so the new MacBook would likely have a starting price of between $699 and $899. The more-affordable MacBook could also come in some fun new colors like Silver, Blue, Pink, and Yellow.
MacBook Pro With M5 Pro and M5 Max
Apple is going to refresh the rest of the MacBook Pro lineup with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips in early 2026, having already updated its base 14-inch MacBook Pro with a standard M5 chip in October. The M5 series is based on TSMC's third-generation 3-nanometer technology. Based on improvements to the base MacBook Pro with M5 chip, faster SSD performance and higher memory bandwith are also likely for the high-end models. No other major changes are expected, with Apple holding over a completely refreshed design until the M6 models.
If Apple retains current pricing levels, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro chip will start at $1,999, while the 16-inch model with M5 Pro chip will start at $2,399. For the M5 Max equivalents, prices could start at $3,199 for the 14-inch model, and $3,499 for the 16-inch machine.
M5 MacBook Air
While the M4 MacBook Air model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor. The M5 series is reportedly being manufactured using TSMC's advanced 3-nanometer process technology, and we have some idea of what to expect in terms of performance, thanks to the recently released M5 iPad Pro: benchmarks show single-core scores around 4,133 and multi-core scores around 15,437. That's roughly a 12-15% jump over the M4 iPad Pro in both categories. As for graphics performance, the M5 chip appears to have up to a 36% faster GPU compared to the M4 chip.
The benchmark suggests Apple has focused on modest clock speed increases and core-level efficiency improvements for the M5 chip, rather than an architecture overhaul. In other words, the M5 will be similar to the step-wise performance upgrade from M3 to M4. Expect 10-15% faster CPU speeds, a slightly more powerful GPU, and better efficiency, potentially leading to even longer battery life.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to roll out M5 versions of the MacBook Air in the first quarter of this year. Based on previous spring refreshes, this suggests a likely March 2026 window. As for pricing, we expect it to remain stable, with the base model sticking with the current entry-level $999 price.
MacBook Pro With Touchscreen OLED Display
Apple is reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware features. The redesigned models are expected to boast M6 chips, which could adopt a completely new packaging based on TSMC's 2nm process that allows components such as the CPU, GPUs, DRAM, and Neural Engine to be more tightly integrated.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple is readying OLED technology for these models. Compared to current MacBook Pro models that use mini-LED screens, the benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, improved power efficiency for longer battery life, and more. In addition, Gurman reports that the new machines will also have "thinner and lighter frames." Apple is apparently focusing on delivering the thinnest possible device without compromising on battery life or major new features.
The redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are also expected to have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display, rather than the notch we've become accustomed to. Gurman says that the design "leaves a display area around the sensor... similar in concept to the Dynamic Island on the iPhone."
Apple's first OLED MacBook Pro will also feature a touchscreen display, according to analyst... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026
SanderEvers
macrumors 6502a
Touchscreens on laptops are always bad. A lot of fingerprints (so keep a cleaning cloth near your laptop) and even then using a trackpad/mouse is still more precise.
I am interested in the "low cost macbook" (if it is actually low cost because of the current RAM prices)
I am interested in the "low cost macbook" (if it is actually low cost because of the current RAM prices)
M5 Air and M5 Pro/Mac MacBook Pro models are just chip upgrades. The low cost laptop should be a good one. With right pricing, it can sell in huge numbers. Hopefully the colors are like the iMac and not too pastel.
As for M6 Pro MacBook Pro, think they will be great laptops. Waiting for cellular support. But since there were early rumors regarding cellular being tested with M5 variants, it is possible for it to come anytime now. With cellular support and touch screen expecting $200 increase and then an additional $200 for cellular support.
As for M6 Pro MacBook Pro, think they will be great laptops. Waiting for cellular support. But since there were early rumors regarding cellular being tested with M5 variants, it is possible for it to come anytime now. With cellular support and touch screen expecting $200 increase and then an additional $200 for cellular support.
I see a tricky trade off between getting it as thin and light as possible and getting the price point as low as possible. I guess that's what the Apple executives and other staff involved in the decision get paid the big bucks to get right.
On balance I think I essentially agree with your second paragraph about really going for the thin and light bit and including the "even if it is a higher priced SKU" caveat - or at least higher priced within reason.
There's a lot of talk about this rumoured new A18 MacBook bringing more people into the MacBook/MacOS fold and there a low price point is probably the main driver for that with the lower the better. There is however another potential market that a few others have mentioned and I have also wondered how significant it might be.
The other market I see is existing MacBook Pro users who might want a lighter and more portable alternative for times when they want to pop to a coffee shop to get a change of scene while checking emails and doing light admin during their work day, maybe go across town for a meeting where they only really need to access/take notes etc, and other light duties. For some of those people perhaps they can't justify the price of a MacBook Air on top of their existing MacBook Pro, or maybe they can justify the price but don't consider the MacBook Air to be that much smaller and lighter than their MacBook Pro (especially if the MBP is a 14" model) so don't bother getting the second laptop.
How many of those existing MBP owners might be tempted to get the second laptop if the equation changed in terms of price (how much cheaper is the A18 MacBook vs the MacBook Air) and the magnitude of the portability benefit vs their MacBook Pro (how much thinner and lighter is the A18 MacBook vs the MacBook Air) and how would the interplay of those two aspects of the new device work out in terms of what balance would generate the most sales?
An obvious argument against the use case above is that this second group of users can just use an iPad, potentially plus keyboard, for those work-on-the-go uses but I can imagine that there are quite a few users who would prefer to stay within MacOS for their working day. Those users very possibly would still own one or more iPads for sofa surfing, holiday use etc so I doubt that the second-laptop sales would cannibalise iPad sales much if at all.
Obviously the die has been cast at this stage in the development cycle - the development of the A-18 MacBook is I'm sure over now and it's in manufacturing - but I bet the discussions within Apple were numerous and interesting.
Me same.
Waiting with my MBP M1 Max 16" to thinner, lighter MB and most important to a heavy much brighter display!
Sitting in a sunny wintergarten M1 MBP leaves you lost in darkness.
So, a much better display is needed: More brightness > more contrast
Maybe I change later to M6 (2nm) MB Air 15" - these Pros are too heavy on the legs and in handling
Mrkevinfinnerty
macrumors 68040
I have a sneaking suspicion that the 'low cost macbook' is the alley-oop for the Macbook Air to break the $999 price point when the OLED models ship, its already being reported that the OLED Macbook Pros are going to be pricier.
That's how it will be; there will no longer be offers for the Air below $800.
Only took Apple nearly a decade to get to that point. Apple could have done it sooner
Like the iPhone Air, it will fail probably, people will go for the non touch version probably because of cost and practicality
DaveWotzit
macrumors regular
So can you use the iPad Apple Pencil with a new Touchscreen mac? Or the mini pencil/stylus that will work with the foldable iPhone or … another new pencil that, of course, will be totally incompatible with the other two devices? Can’t miss a marketing opportunity can we.
Concur 100%. Tahoe is an absolute mess. I have it on my M2 MacBook Pro. I use it daily in the hope I might one day get used to it but it is just such a dog show I doubt I ever will. What in the name of all that is holy was Apple thinking. Please, please, please bring back Ive's or someone who actually has some design acumen.
Most of the day I use an M3 Max MacBook Pro, it is on Sequoia and I refuse to upgrade because of the Liquid Glass issue, and yes it's an issue not a feature. This is the machine I use all the time, not only because its more powerful but its not got that hideous UI on it.
I also still have a 2011 MacBook Air with an i5 Processor, it runs brilliantly on Ubuntu, even that has better UI than Tahoe.
I had a 15" 2012 MacBook Pro and it was a great machine, but was actually a pretty distant second to my current M1 Pro MacBook Pro, which has been virtually flawless for 5+ years now. I'm very much hoping the M6 is everything it could be, but would settle for an M5 Pro if they cut too many corners in the name of thinness.
It is rare to find "Windows" laptops with only 2-3 ports, so it won’t be easy to entice typical Windows (or Linux) users with such a low-end MacBook. Of course, Apple will use the term "entry-level" instead of "low-end."
Regarding the touchscreen MacBook, it can’t carry exorbitant Apple prices if it aims to attract Windows or Linux users to the Mac-fold, as there are plenty of "Windows" touchscreen laptops available at various price points. Additionally, with these "long-time Mac customers" having an unhealthy dislike for touchscreen laptops, Apple faces an uphill challenge. Sure, trying to satisfy everyone is the best way to ensure failure, so Apple might choose not to listen to those "long-time Mac customers."
Regarding the touchscreen MacBook, it can’t carry exorbitant Apple prices if it aims to attract Windows or Linux users to the Mac-fold, as there are plenty of "Windows" touchscreen laptops available at various price points. Additionally, with these "long-time Mac customers" having an unhealthy dislike for touchscreen laptops, Apple faces an uphill challenge. Sure, trying to satisfy everyone is the best way to ensure failure, so Apple might choose not to listen to those "long-time Mac customers."