Apple is preparing to launch a new budget MacBook with a 12.9-inch display and the A18 Pro chip — the same one used in the iPhone 16 Pro. This will be the first Mac based on the A-series chip. This is reported by DigiTimes.
The starting price will be $599–699, which is significantly lower than the current price of the MacBook Air ($999). Mass production of components is expected in late Q3 2025, with final assembly at Quanta’s facilities in Q4. A commercial launch is possible by the end of the year or early 2026.
The laptop is expected to have an ultra-thin body and will be available in several colors - silver, blue, pink and yellow. The device will receive standard USB-C ports and will not have Thunderbolt support.
The A18 Pro is a 3nm chip with a 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Its performance is better than the M1 in single-core tasks, but it is inferior in multi-core workloads.
Forecasted shipments are 5–7 million units per year, which could increase total MacBook volume by 30–40% compared to the current 17–18 million units.
As a reminder, Apple is also currently working on an updated Siri that will be able to interact with apps. But don't expect it in 2025.