New A18 Pro MacBook: Release date

• March 2, 2026 – This could be the first of the new products landing in w/c March 2.

Apple is scheduled to host three “Apple Special Experiences” on March 4 in the U.S., U.K., and China. These sessions, which are expected to offer media hands-on time with new products, could provide the ideal setting for the budget MacBook’s debut.

But the new MacBook could arrive even sooner than March 4. Apple has teased that the first week of March will be a “big week ahead” with an image that looks like the top of a MacBook. This could suggest that MacBook updates will be up first, including the MacBook Air M5, MacBook Pro M5 Pro/M5 Max) and this brand new low-cost MacBook.

Apple’s low-cost MacBook has been rumored for some time, with Apple leaker Jon Prosser describing a new colorful MacBook Air back in May 2021. That never materialised, but over the past year rumors have remerged suggesting that Apple does have something different coming.

In June 2025, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, indicated (in Chinese) that Apple would start production of a new low-cost MacBook at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025 or in the early stage of the first quarter of 2026. It’s worth emphasising that those dates refer to the manufacturing process rather than the announcement or shipping timeframe. If production began in October 2025 then it’s plausible that the budget MacBook will arrive in early 2026, potentially unveiled at a spring event, or in the run up to Apple’s March 4 ‘Experience’.

In November, 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is planning to release a “low-cost laptop to rival Chromebooks and Windows PCs” in the first half of 2026. He said it was currently in testing at Apple and “in early production with overseas suppliers.”

On February 8, 2026, Gurman reported that the low-cost MacBook will be available “in the first half of the year.” He did not offer any specifics. And then, on February 15, he wrote that Apple’s long-rumored low-cost MacBook is expected to arrive “as early as March,” with a design that defies its price tag. 

What will the new MacBook be called?

• MacBook (probably)

No reports have been made about the official name of the laptop, but you can assume it won’t be part of the MacBook Air line. It’s being referred to as the A18 or A19 Pro MacBook, based on the chip it could have. Apple could simply call it “MacBook,” reviving the name of the discontinued 12-inch MacBook that was targeted at a similar market.

Foundry

New A18 Pro MacBook: Design

• Playful colors
• Aluminum chassis (not plastic)

According to Mark Gurman (in February 2026), Apple’s low-cost MacBook will have a design that defies its price tag. 

Apple’s goal with this laptop is to make it affordable compared to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, and one way to cut costs is to make a plastic case instead of an aluminum one. However, since Apple is working to make its products carbon-neutral, it’s doubtful that it would use plastic, preferring to use aluminum or some other recyclable or carbon-free material. Therefore, it is no surprise that the new MacBook, according to Gurman, will have an aluminum chassis.

There will be a new manufacturing process “designed to be both faster and more cost-effective than the one used with Apple’s current laptops,” according to Gurman.

Along with the aluminum shell, Gurman reports that the new MacBook will be available in “playful colors.”

The following colours are indicated: yellow, light green, blue, silver, dark gray, and pink. Which, in the case of yellow, green and blue, does seem to match the logo Apple designed for the invites to the special events on March 4.

Apple

Back in June 2023 analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested the following colors: silver, blue, pink, and yellow.

Another design difference – leaked files seen by Macworld indicate that the new MacBook might not have a backlit keyboard.

A18 Pro MacBook: Display

• 12.9-inch display – rumored

On August 11, DigiTimes reported that the laptop will have a 12.9-inch display, slightly smaller than the 13-inch MacBook Air.

Apple currently uses a Liquid Retina (LED-backlit display with IPS technology) display in the MacBook Air, an upgrade over the original Retina displays Apple last used with the 13-inch MacBook Pro in 2022. It’s possible Apple could revert to a Retina display with squared-off corners for the A18 Pro MacBook, though it’s more likely that Apple shaves cost by using a smaller display.

Another way that Apple will reduce the cost of materials is by not including the True Tone sensor that adjusts color temperature based on ambient light. Leaked files suggest that instead Apple will use a more basic panel.

New A18 Pro MacBook: Processor

• iPhone chip: A18 Pro or A19 Pro

Another way to meet the pricing goals for this new MacBook is to use a chip that isn’t as robust as the chips used in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. When Kuo first discussed the budget MacBook in his June 2025 report, he stated that Apple will use an A18 Pro, the same chip that was in the iPhone 16 Pro.

Now that the A19 arrived with the iPhone 17 it is possible that Apple will use this chip. Read more about what the iPhone 17 can tell us about the MacBook that could use the same chip in: Is Apple’s rumored cheap MacBook hiding in plain sight?

The A-series chips are used in iPhones, while M-series chips are in Macs. Both chip families are based on the same general architecture, but the M chips generally offer more processing power.

An A19 Pro and A18 Pro can technically do everything an M-series chip can, but it will be slower. When comparing Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the A18 Pro offered single-core performance that’s on par with the M3. However, because the A18 Pro has only 6 CPU cores, its multi-core performance is slightly behind the M1, which has 8 CPU cores. If Apple keeps everything the same, an A18 Pro MacBook will perform like an M1 MacBook Air, which, for a lot of people, has more than enough processing power. Should Apple use an A19 Pro we can expect something even better.

It will draw comparison with the iPad models that are powered by Mac chips, though.

MacRumors reported, in December 2025, that references to an A18 Pro MacBook appeared in a set of leaked Apple files.

New A18 Pro MacBook: Connectivity

Apple is using its own wireless networking chip, the N1 in the iPhone 17, bringing Bluetooth 6, Wi-Fi 7, and Thread. It’s possible that the same chips will make their way into the A18 Pro MacBook.

However the low-cost model may just use a Wi-Fi chip like the one in the A16 iPad (Wi-Fi 6).

There’s also a chance this new Mac will have cellular connectivity using Apple’s C1, C1X or yet to launch C2 modem. The C2 is likely to support mmWave.

Aside from this, it’s rumored that the budget MacBook will have fewer USB ports than the MacBook Air (which has two USB-C and a magsafe charging port). This low-cost MacBook may not support Thunderbolt.

One thing the MacBook isn’t expected to support is high-impedance headphones because it appears to use the same cheaper audio DAC found in the older M1 MacBook Air.

New A18 Pro MacBook: Battery & charging

The new MacBook might not support faster charging that newer Macs have. In 2025 files seen by Macworld (an internal macOS kernel) indicated that the new MacBook would lack drivers for “high-voltage chargers” – meaning it could take longer to recharge.

New A18 Pro MacBook: Camera

• No camera?

It’s also possible that Apple opts not to include a built-in camera. Over the past several years, Apple has promoted the Mac’s Continuity Camera feature that lets you use an iPhone as a Mac webcam, as well as the upcoming macOS Tahoe Magnifier app. Apple could promote this as a webcam solution. This would be a drastic change, since it’s been a long time since Apple shipped a laptop without a camera, but it could be a possibility in order to meet the company’s price goal.