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What to Expect From Apple's Rumored New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip

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Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects an all-new, more-affordable MacBook model powered by an iPhone chip to launch next year.


Below, we recap rumors and other possibilities for this new MacBook.

Chip

The new MacBook will be equipped with the A18 Pro chip, according to Kuo. If so, it would be the first Mac to ever use an A-series chip from an iPhone. (In 2020, Apple did briefly offer developers a Mac mini with the iPad Pro's A12Z chip, to help them prepare for the Mac's transition from Intel processors to Apple silicon).

Introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max last year, the A18 Pro chip has a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine.

Unsurprisingly, the A18 Pro chip is around 40% slower than Apple's latest M4 chip. As noted by Jason Snell on Six Colors, however, the chip's multi-core CPU performance is nearly identical to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, and the A18 Pro chip even outperforms the M1 chip for graphics. That matters for pricing — see below.

Pricing

Kuo said the new MacBook will be a "more-affordable" model, but he did not provide an exact price point. 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.

As mentioned above, the A18 Pro chip's performance is similar to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, which Apple still sells for $649 through Walmart. Given this MacBook Air model is nearly five years old, it will be discontinued at some point, and the MacBook with an A18 Pro chip could effectively be its replacement sold directly by Apple.

Specs

As noted by Stephen Hackett on 512 Pixels, the A18 Pro chip lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. They would look the same as Thunderbolt ports, but data transfer speeds would be limited to up to 10 Gb/s, and the new MacBook might natively support only a single external display.

iPhones with the A18 Pro chip have only 8GB of RAM, whereas all current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models start with at least 16GB of RAM.

No other specs have been reported yet, but obviously a lower-priced MacBook will have other limitations compared to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

Design

While this rumor may fuel hopes that Apple is planning to relaunch the discontinued 12-inch MacBook, Kuo said the new MacBook will be equipped with an approximately 13-inch display, matching the smaller MacBook Air.

Still, the new MacBook could have a lot in common with the old 12-inch MacBook in spirit, including an ultra-thin and lightweight design.

Kuo said potential color options for the new MacBook include silver, blue, pink, and yellow, so the laptop could come in bright and fun colors, like the iMac.

Release Date

While he did not provide an exact release date, Kuo expects the more-affordable MacBook to enter mass production towards the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, or early in the first quarter of 2026. He said that shipments of the new MacBook will begin at some point in 2026, so the laptop should be available at some point next year.

Ever since the Mac lineup transitioned from Intel processors to Apple silicon, it has felt somewhat inevitable that Apple would relaunch its plain "MacBook" model. Arm architecture paves the way for an iPhone chip to be used in a Mac, and Apple no longer has to worry about the power efficiency constraints of Intel processors, allowing for the return of a super compact, ultra-thin, and lightweight MacBook for everyday customers.

Article Link: What to Expect From Apple's Rumored New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/07/02/macbook-a18-pro-chip-rumor-recap/
Last edited:
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In terms of price, I'd expect $749 with edu at $679. This would be consistent with MacBook Air 13/15-inch stack pricing.

I'd expect 8GB and 16GB memory options, just because it helps Apple so much in terms of margins.

Using the 2018-2020 MBA chassis will save in dev costs. Apple saves money compared to M1 because they need a smaller heatsink, fewer voltage regulators, and smaller battery.

Honestly, I suspect a large portion of MacBook Air customers could switch to this low-cost MacBook without even noticing any difference.
 
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jz0309 said:
The question for me is: WHY?
MBAs are on sale all the time already, so who's the target?
Click to expand...

Assuming this rumor is accurate, these reasons below. And who would it be for? People who want an ultra-thin and lightweight design in bright colors -- and don't need high-speed file transfer or mutliple external displays.

the new MacBook could have a lot in common with the old 12-inch MacBook, including an ultra-thin and lightweight design.

Kuo said potential color options for the new MacBook include silver, blue, pink, and yellow, so the laptop could come in bright and fun colors, like the iMac.
Click to expand...
 
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If it is just for a "cheap" MacBook I don't really get it - just keep selling older MBAs. Now if they are trying something different like even more of an ultra portable I could see that as appealing. Something the size of the 12" MacBook (maybe even sub 2lbs) but with an updated screen closer to actual 13" (with the smaller bezels) at a price right around or under the current MBA you might have something.
 
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azentropy said:
If it is just for a "cheap" MacBook I don't really get it - just keep selling older MBAs. Now if they are trying something different like even more of an ultra portable I could see that as appealing. Something the size of the 12" MacBook (maybe even sub 2lbs) but with an updated screen closer to actual 13" (with the smaller bezels) at a price right around the MBA you might have something.
Click to expand...

Same reason why iPhone 16e exists. You can't just keep selling older iPhones if you want to make deep cost cuts.

Everything from the notch cut LCD, big battery, to the large trackpad costs money. All of that can be cheaper.

Honestly, nobody wants a 12-inch display these days because productivity is so much reduced. The idea of the Sony Vaio and netbooks passed a long time ago.
 
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ignatius345 said:
Assuming this rumor is accurate, these reasons below. And who would it be for? People who want an ultra-thin and lightweight design in bright colors -- and don't need high-speed file transfer or mutliple external displays.
Click to expand...
I guess just don't see that that particular market is large enough, for Apple to enter.
But we shall see...
 
JPack said:
In terms of price, I'd expect $749 with edu at $679. This would be consistent with MacBook Air 13/15-inch stack pricing.

I'd expect 8GB and 16GB memory options, just because it helps Apple so much in terms of margins.

Using the 2018-2020 MBA chassis will save in dev costs. Apple saves money compared to M1 because they need a smaller heatsink, fewer voltage regulators, and smaller battery.

Honestly, I suspect a large portion of MacBook Air customers could switch to this low-cost MacBook without even noticing any difference.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's what I expect. This is just using the M1 MBA as a MacBook SE.
 
Typical Timmy here. Stagger innovation and fill price points with more products and add to the confusion. Just as the MacBook line was clean and simple. I hope this doesn’t lead to holding back macOS as a result of a “lesser” processor than is currently available. All about margins and units. Makes sense for a company that is run primarily by an Excel spreadsheet and not an actual “product” person. Their recent ad kerfuffles say it all. If it is a 12” MacBook replacement, then that’s a different story, but this reeks of price point filling and it will be a product where cost cutting is apparent. “Make the best products that people want to buy” vs. make sure our YOY Quarterly results are higher.
 
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jz0309 said:
The question for me is: WHY?
Click to expand...
Even the base model M4 "air" is gross overkill for most users. 90% of people only need to run a web browser, period.

Most people will never shoot video, and if they do, it will stay on their phone. Same with photos. I've helped a few people buy Macs and watched. This is very common, they ONLY use Safari and the email app.

Why? If they can get the price below $600, they will sell a lot of these. Bit if it goes higher, there s no point, just buy an M4 (or M5 by then) that is on sale.

A $600 Mac would go on sale for $550 frequently and this is a very attractive price point.
 
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m1mini said:
No reason to buy this if its anything above 599, in the price ladder a18 pro to m4 would be the most cost effective upgrade, especially if Apple releases this w 8gb ram for 699 and its only 150-200 dollars extra to get M4 and double the RAM.
Click to expand...
Apple's profit margin is probably a lot higher due to lower component cost. Look for sale prices at $599 or less.
 
If this is true, and they are taking the playbook from the iPhone for the Mac(a Mac with last year’s and this year’s parts) and they don’t call this a MacBook SE, I’m gonna be mad.
 
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jz0309 said:
The question for me is: WHY?
MBAs are on sale all the time already, so who's the target?
Click to expand...
True... At 709 you can get M2 mba refurbished with 16gb of ram... (bigger screen and I think M2 > A18)

and there is iPad too... next year the m3 might be at the same price as m2 now
 
I'm cautiously optimistic about this. I used my 12" until the battery swelled, and I still have a backup one that I use when I'm travelling. If this is anywhere close to the 12", I'll buy it as soon as it's announced.

I don't really care if the performance is degraded relative to an M4, it's still fast enough for me. The 12" did have some bezels so I could see them fitting a slightly larger screen (maybe not a full 13", but the rumors do say close to 13") in a similar sized body.

Fingers crossed!
 
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MacRumors said:


Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects an all-new, more-affordable MacBook model powered by an iPhone chip to launch next year.

Low-Cost-MacBook-Feature-A18-Pro.jpg

Below, we recap rumors and other possibilities for this new MacBook.

Chip

The new MacBook will be equipped with the A18 Pro chip, according to Kuo. If so, it would be the first Mac to ever use an A-series chip from an iPhone. In 2020, Apple did briefly offer developers a Mac mini with the iPad Pro's A12Z chip, to help them prepare for the Mac's transition from Intel processors to Apple silicon.

Introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max last year, the A18 Pro chip has a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine.

Unsurprisingly, the A18 Pro chip is around 40% slower than Apple's latest M4 chip. As noted by Jason Snell on Six Colors, however, the chip's multi-core CPU performance is nearly identical to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, and the A18 Pro chip even outperforms the M1 chip for graphics. That matters for pricing — see below.

Pricing

Kuo said the new MacBook will be a "more-affordable" model, but he did not provide an exact price point. 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.

As mentioned above, the A18 Pro chip's performance is similar to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, which Apple still sells for $649 through Walmart. Given this MacBook Air model is nearly five years old, it will be discontinued at some point, and the MacBook with an A18 Pro chip could effectively be its replacement sold directly by Apple.

Specs

As noted by Stephen Hackett on 512 Pixels, the A18 Pro chip lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. They would look the same as Thunderbolt ports, but data transfer speeds would be limited to up to 10 Gb/s, and the new MacBook might natively support only a single external display.

iPhones with the A18 Pro chip have only 8GB of RAM, whereas all current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models start with at least 16GB of RAM.

No other specs have been reported yet, but obviously a lower-priced MacBook will have other limitations compared to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

Design

While this rumor may fuel hopes that Apple is planning to relaunch the discontinued 12-inch MacBook, Kuo said the new MacBook will be equipped with an approximately 13-inch display, matching the smaller MacBook Air.

Still, the new MacBook could have a lot in common with the old 12-inch MacBook in spirit, including an ultra-thin and lightweight design.

Kuo said potential color options for the new MacBook include silver, blue, pink, and yellow, so the laptop could come in bright and fun colors, like the iMac.

Release Date

While he did not provide an exact release date, Kuo expects the more-affordable MacBook to enter mass production towards the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, or early in the first quarter of 2026. He said that shipments of the new MacBook will begin at some point in 2026, so the laptop should be available at some point next year.

Ever since the Mac lineup transitioned from Intel processors to Apple silicon, it has felt somewhat inevitable that Apple would relaunch its plain "MacBook" model. Arm architecture paves the way for an iPhone chip to be used in a Mac, and Apple no longer has to worry about the power efficiency constraints of Intel processors, allowing for the return of a super compact, ultra-thin, and lightweight MacBook for everyday customers.

Article Link: What to Expect From Apple's Rumored New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip
Click to expand...

I'll be shocked if this isn't going to be an education-only Mac eBook for a much lower price than this article suggests, and then if consumer demand is high enough, a M2 version (or binned lower core M4) could be sold for maybe $100-$200 less than the Air...

I'm probably wrong, but I just don't see Tim wanting to put out a video about how great an iPhone 16 Pro with a 13" display and keyboard is going to be? He doesn't have the RDF Steve did to pull that off.

We'll see.
 
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