Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

And once it comes out people will complain that it has too few ports, lacks things like center stage and OLED, and is less powerful than a Mac Studio with Ultra processors.

If true, Apple has some serious OS optimization to do, speaking as somebody on an M1 Max....

What problems are you seeing? I have an M1 Pro that has no lag or any noticeable issues on macOS 26. My M4 Mini is also super smooth and problem free.

This is basically an iPad Air and Pro killer. Especially if third party stores have discounts. iPad keyboards are a gimmick all of them. They are off balance, heavy, overpriced. iPadOS is limiting, annoying to use and got more convoluted. This MacBook will have a better software, people can do more stuff and hey it has a keyboard integrated for "free".

Apple should have never went the iPad is a Laptop route with keyboards and weird modes. They followed the Surface trend instead of doing their own thing and the hybrid thing is on its way out. Laptops won, its the perfect design. Now the iPad is this middle thing that has no purpose other than going paperless for students.

As Steve said: "If there’s going to be a third category of device, it’s going to have to be better at these kinds of tasks than a laptop or a smartphone, otherwise it has no reason for being."

And the iPad is at this moment of no reason for being. Peak iPad sales were when the marketing was clear and it was just a tablet (2012-2013). Apple needs to go back and make it just a tablet for reading, writing, playing games, watching content and be able to make it a home hub. For that to happen the Pro needs to go. Its too expensive and offers the same things. Bring the thin design down to the Air to match the iPhones, get rid off the keyboards and maybe focus on the reading and writing part. A book mode or something that makes the screen more paper like.

Guaranteed that if Apple ever releases a MacBook with an iPhone CPU they’ll lock it down such that you’ll never be allowed to run your own code, just like on iPhone/iPad.

Then it will sell about as well as the Vision Pro, and that'll be on them. The Mac App Store is a wasteland.

I don't think it'll be locked down, though. The first test-bed Apple Silicon Mac had an iPhone processor.

('https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/02/12-9-inch-macbook-spring-2026-rumor/')

Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce.



In a press release ('https://www.trendforce.com/presscenter/news/20251230-12854.html') this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing."

TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more affordable MacBook ('https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/07/low-cost-macbook-rumors-2026/'), which is expected to be equipped with a version of the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip. Apple is expected to release the laptop by March or April of this year.

In the U.S., the entry-level MacBook is expected to have a starting price between $599 and $899, with $699 or $799 being most likely. It would slot in below the MacBook Air, which starts at $999 (but is frequently on sale on Amazon for as low as $749).

A18 Pro specs include a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. The chip's performance is similar to the M1 chip, so this new MacBook could effectively be a replacement for the old MacBook Air with the M1 chip, which Apple still sells through Walmart for $599 and even as low as $549 ('https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/25/walmart-selling-m1-macbook-air-for-549/') during a recent Black Friday sale.

With an A18 Pro chip, this MacBook might have only 8GB of RAM, whereas all current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models start with at least 16GB of RAM. The chip also lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports, with slower data transfer speeds and external display limitations.

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was first to reveal that Apple is allegedly planning a more affordable MacBook ('https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/30/apple-to-launch-low-cost-macbook/'). In June, he said the laptop will have around a 13-inch display, and the A18 Pro chip. Kuo said potential color options include silver, blue, pink, and yellow, so it could come in bright colors like the iMac.

Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes later exclusively reported that this MacBook will be equipped with a 12.9-inch display ('https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/20/new-12-9-inch-macbook-launch-this-year-599-price/') like some current or past iPad Air and iPad Pro models, whereas the MacBook Air has a slightly larger 13.6-inch display.

TrendForce appears to be siding with the 12.9-inch display size.

The lower-cost MacBook could have a lot in common with the discontinued 12-inch MacBook, including an ultra-thin and lightweight design. Hopefully, it is announced within the next few months, following endless rumors from several sources.

Article Link: Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year ('https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/02/12-9-inch-macbook-spring-2026-rumor/')

If this thing has 5G cellular connectivity built-in, then I'm buying it without hesitation.

When this comes out loads of people on this forum will hate it.

Too underpowered. Not enough ports (probably only one). No thunderbolt.

And it will sell like hotcakes.