- Apple is working on a budget laptop, according to a new report
- The device will run on an iPhone chip and use a smaller screen
- It could be priced around $600, making it Apple’s cheapest laptop.
Apple’s best MacBooks are known for their premium prices – you’ll pay at least $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 for one, with the understanding that you’ll be getting a high-quality device in almost every respect. Apple has stuck to that formula for a long time, but a new report claims it’s about to break the script with a budget laptop that could compete with the best budget laptops.
In a recently published article, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman claims that this low-cost MacBook could arrive as soon as “the first half of next year.” That early arrival date means it will likely go on sale at the same time as Apple’s latest M5 Mac range.
But don’t expect the budget MacBook to come equipped with the same M5 chip. The second thing to expect, according to Gurman, is that the device “will depend on an iPhone processor.”
We don’t know exactly what chip it will be yet, but Gurman says that Apple’s “internal testing has shown that the smartphone chip may perform better than the Mac-optimized M1 used in laptops just a few years ago.”
This could reassure users who might be put off by seeing an iPhone chip inside a Mac.
Cost reduction moves
Third, another cost-cutting measure will supposedly appear on the screen. Here, Gurman claims that Apple will use a “low-end LCD display.”
This will be “the smallest of any current Mac, slightly below the 13.6-inch used in the MacBook Air.” Fourth, Gurman also alludes to the “completely new design” of the product, although he doesn’t share any further details on what it might look like.
Apple’s mobile chips have incredible performance and easily outperform their Android rivals every year, but they still fall short of the performance produced by Mac-quality chips. For that reason, you shouldn’t expect the affordable MacBook to be able to run complex workloads or play the best Mac games at high frame rates. That’s not really the goal, however, as Gurman says the device is “intended to move customers away from Chromebooks and entry-level Windows PCs.”
Lastly, to that end, we may see the laptop priced around $600, a rumor we’ve seen before. Gurman gives the example of an iPad with Magic Keyboard Folio, which costs about $600 total. The journalist then adds that “the new Mac would be in a similar range but would offer better battery life, the greater flexibility that comes with macOS software, and an integrated keyboard.”
Despite these changes, I wouldn’t expect Apple to compromise on the design quality that has made its MacBook range so well regarded. Using a smaller screen and iPhone chip is expected to allow the company to retain the laptop’s metal chassis, for example, ensuring you get the same high-end feel that MacBooks are known for. And if Apple can offer that kind of quality at a lower price, the new device should definitely be one to watch in 2026.
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