Supply chain analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo reports that Apple will launch a new budget MacBook with a 13 point three‑inch display in the first half of 2026. This model will break from Apple’s usual silver and space gray by offering blue, pink, and yellow finishes alongside silver. The company will need to refine its anodized aluminum process to achieve more vivid hues similar to earlier iMac and iPad models.
Processor and Performance
This new machine will be the first MacBook to run on an A‑series chip rather than a custom M‑series processor. The A18 Pro debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro in fall 2024. It features a six‑core CPU with two high‑performance cores and four efficiency cores, plus a six‑core GPU and eight gigabytes of memory. In Geekbench 6 testing, the A18 Pro achieved a single‑core score of 3409 points, or about ninety percent of the M4 chip’s score of 3767. Its multicore result of 8492 points sits near the M1 chip’s level. Typical tasks such as web browsing, email, and document editing will feel very fast.
Pricing Strategy
The analysts project that Apple hopes to ship five-seven million of these A18 Pro packaged MacBooks in the year 2026 to revive the annual Mac benchmarks to rates before the pandemic. The latest M1 MacBook Air currently sells at $699 but can also be found selling at $649 depending on the retailers. Observers anticipate that the new model will retail at $799 or $899 full systems, considering that it has an improved chip and colour finishes.
Release Timeline
Kuo claims that late in the fourth quarter of 2025, mass production on the A18 Pro MacBook will commence. Such a timing will indicate the launch event by early 2026, potentially in spring. The new MacBooks are usually introduced along with other new hardware at Apple’s spring hardware reveal or in a separate press release. This timeline will allow the company to get the maximum output in terms of yields and colorful alternatives.
Apple has an ambitious strategy of transferring the on-chip integration of iPhones to the MacBook and has been approaching this path in more detail. With the newer version of MacBook, the A18 Pro MacBook, users just have to wait to see more color and performance options at the cheapest offering being made to users.
