On Monday, reputable tipster Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that Apple may be planning to launch a budget-friendly new MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. Now, MacRumors is adding to this report a surprising twist – apparently, hints about this device's existence were noticed earlier, all the way back in the summer of last year.
The folks at MacRumors have reportedly found hints in back-end code. Kuo claims the new laptop may feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options with silver, blue, pink, and yellow. Meanwhile, the device was referenced in backend code related to Apple Intelligence last summer.
MacRumors then confirmed it was using an A18 Pro chip. The device sports the identifier "Mac17,1", reportedly.
The new mysterious MacBook would be the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip is currently powering the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, which were released back in September of last year.
The A18 Pro chip is currently in the iPhone 16 Pro models. | Image Credit – Apple
So far, all Apple-silicon-powered Macs have contained processors from the M-series. These processors feature higher core counts and support larger amounts of memory, all things important when it comes to laptops. Also, M-series chips offer better external display support. But apparently, this new MacBook with A18 Pro may be a budget device, so an ultra-fast performance may not be its key selling point.
Would you buy an iPhone-chip-powered MacBook?
Yep, I'd love a budget MacBook.
25%
Not sure, it depends on how 'affordable' it would be.
58.33%
No, I'm a MacBook Pro-type user.
16.67%
Reportedly, this mysterious MacBook may enter mass production late in the fourth quarter of 2025 or even early in the first quarter of 2026. This pretty much means the device may be launched in the first half of next year.
Apart from that, there's not too much known about it at this moment. Right now, Apple isn't really offering a 'budget' MacBook, and the cheapest models from the company are the MacBook Air series.
The lowest config of an M4 MacBook Air costs $999.00 though. We don't have a potential price of the MacBook with A18 Pro, we've only heard it would be 'budget', so we'll have to wait and see how much cheaper than the base config of the MacBook Air M4 it would be.
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Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
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