Apple is expected to release a new laptop powered by an iPhone chip, joining the MacBook lineup this year or next as a new low-cost option.
Apple could revive its low-cost MacBook, discontinued in 2019 without a direct replacement. The new machine could utilize Apple’s in-house designed A-series iPhone chips instead of M-series silicon chips that Mac desktops, laptops and workstations use, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on X.
MacRumors backed Kuo’s report, saying strings in Apple Intelligence backend code reference an unreleased computer machine with the identifier “Mac17,1.”
Apple’s rumored low-cost MacBook could use iPhone chips
Kuo says the new low-cost MacBook will enter mass production at the end of 2025 or early 2026. It will have an approximately 13-inch screen size. It doesn’t seem that there will be two screen sizes, unlike Apple’s other laptops, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, which come in 13- and 15-inch flavors.
The machine is predicted to use an Apple A18 Pro chip or a variant of it. The A18 Pro is Apple’s current chip that powers the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. An iPhone-class chip would certainly help lower production costs, as these chips typically have fewer CPU and GPU cores than their Mac counterparts.
Kuo claims Apple will offer the laptop in the silver, blue, pink and yellow color finishes. In contrast, the discontinued MacBook had at times been available in space gray, silver and gold. The revered analyst didn’t mention pricing, but the 13-inch MacBook Air is currently the most affordable Apple laptop, starting at $1000. At the very least, this new MacBook should cost around $900 or maybe even less.
The company is estimated to ship about 20 million MacBook laptops in 2025. The analyst says Apple is hoping to increase total MacBook shipments to the COVID-19 peak of around 25 million units in 2026, with the low-cost MacBook projected to account for 5–7 million units in 2026.
The 12-inch MacBook debuted in 2015 as the most affordable laptop in Apple’s offering. The machine was underpowered, but made up for it with portability, thinness and compactness. Unfortunately, the MacBook introduced Apple’s ill-fated butterfly keyboard design with low-travel keys that proved problematic.