New low-cost MacBook: What it could offer
Apple is reportedly planning a new entry-level model to replace the 12-inch MacBook. These details are currently realistic.
MacBook opened: stage set for a new entry-level model?
(Image: Omar Tursic / Shutterstock.com)
Will a cheap MacBook be released in October or November? The rumor mill believes so and claims that Apple is planning a renaissance of the 12-inch device from the Intel era — only this time with a low-cost but still fast Apple Silicon processor. It is said to be a slightly larger 13-inch entry-level model, which may be released alongside an iPad Pro M5.
Apart from the low-cost model, the second half of the year is likely to be rather uninteresting in terms of Macs. According to the usually well-informed Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, Apple has postponed its first M5 Macs until next year. This particularly affects the MacBook Pro models, which were last updated in fall 2024. However, a Mac mini M5 or an iMac M5 were also considered conceivable, while a MacBook Air with the new SoC is not expected before May 2026. But now it appears that there will only be one new Mac by the end of 2025.
iPhone chip in MacBook: easily feasible
According to rumors, Apple plans to install an iPhone chip in a Mac for the second time ever to keep the price low. The computer, referred to as “Mac17,1” in Apple Intelligence's backend code, will apparently feature the A18 processor from the iPhone 16, which was first launched in September 2024. It is still unclear whether this is the Pro version from the Pro and Pro Max models. This comes with a total of six CPU and GPU cores – Apple may reduce their number for the new MacBook (so-called binning). It is still expected that Apple will install at least 16 GB of RAM. Apple's first iPhone chip in a Mac was in the Mac mini for developers, shortly after Apple Silicon was announced.
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The A18 Pro is fast enough: it beats Apple's M1, which was widely praised when it was released five years ago, by almost 800 points in the Geekbench multi-core benchmark. In the single-core benchmark, it scores over 1000 points more. That should be enough for common standard applications on a MacBook. This is especially true when you remember the old 12-inch MacBook. Intel's fanless Core M chips (later also slimmed-down i5 and i7 processors) quickly started to sweat.
The $1,000 mark
In terms of price, Apple could end up below $1,000; even $800 or $900 would be possible (Euro prices would be higher, as usual) if the company wanted to. The hardware would have to differ from the MacBook Air, which is also relatively compact and is sold as a 13-inch model.
This means that the new MacBook would probably have to be flatter and more compact overall. With the 12-inch MacBook, Apple opted for the particularly thin but also unreliable butterfly keyboard. The company is unlikely to repeat this. However, it could take its cue from the design in which the keyboard was almost flush with the case. The built-in LC screen is likely to be a standard off-the-shelf screen. A matte nanotexture display is unlikely.
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