Apple plans to release a budget MacBook in 2026

Apple is working on a new budget MacBook laptop, which, according to Bloomberg, should be released in the first half of 2026. The device is positioned as a competitor to inexpensive laptops on Windows and Chromebooks and is expected to cost less than $ 1,000.

Currently, the most affordable Apple laptop remains the MacBook Air at a price of $ 1,000 (a $ 100 discount is provided for students). There is also a Mac mini for $ 600, but this is a desktop computer without a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

The new MacBook could become an alternative for users who currently use an iPad with a keyboard as a laptop replacement. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the device will receive a 13-inch display and will run on the A18 Pro processor, the same one installed in the iPhone 16 Pro.

Kuo also says the laptop could come in several colors, including silver, blue, pink, and yellow, similar to the iMac.

The new model won’t replace the existing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but will join the lineup. Apple is also preparing updated versions of the MacBook Air and Pro with M5 chips, which it plans to introduce in early 2026.

Apple has officially announced the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the main feature of which is the latest Apple M5 processor. The company claims that the M5 is the most productive chip in the world for multi-threaded computing, and also significantly accelerates the work of local artificial intelligence models and graphics tasks.

The laptop provides up to 24 hours of battery life, which is 4 hours more than the MacBook Pro on the M1. The SSD capacity has been increased to 4 TB (previously the maximum was 2 TB), and RAM is now available in 16, 24 and 32 GB versions. The case has retained a wide range of ports: three USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, a full-size SDXC slot, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a magnetic MagSafe 3 power connector.

The Apple MacBook Pro M5 features a Liquid Retina XDR display with an optional nano-texture coating for an additional $150, a 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage, and a six-speaker system.

14″ MacBook Pro M5 Features

• Up to 24 hours of battery life (4 hours more than M1 models).
• Liquid Retina XDR display with optional nano-texture coating (+$150).
• RAM: 16, 24, or 32 GB (+$200 and +$400, respectively).
• SSD: 512 GB base, 4 GB max TB (previously maximum – 2 TB).
• Camera: 12 MP with Center Stage support.
• Audio system: six speakers.
• Ports: 3× USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC, 3.5 mm audio jack, MagSafe 3.
• Apple Intelligence support.
• OS: macOS Tahoe.