Low cost budget MacBook performance and compromises

Rumors of an early 2026 release for an entry-level MacBook with an iPhone chip continue to swirl. With an expected price range of between $700 and $900, its place in Apple’s laptop lineup is far from clear.

If the rumors are indeed true, we can likely expect the new laptop to be called “MacBook,” so that’s the name we’re going to use here. And it makes sense, because that’s a name that Apple has used before.

But what the MacBook would be in 2026 makes for an interesting thought process. Where it would sit in a lineup that already has the $999 13-inch MacBook Air is even more of a quandary.

But things become downright puzzling when you remember the M1 MacBook Air can be had for just $599 today. Throw in the fact that the rumors claim a new MacBook would run an iPhone-like chip, and it’s enough to boggle the mind.

So, with Apples laptop lineup set to change once more, it’s time to ponder exactly what a MacBook could be. And, more importantly, who exactly should buy such a thing.

The MacBook lineup, as it stands in 2025

Apple’s current laptop options effectively consist of two machines: the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro. But it isn’t quite that simple.

If you visit apple.com today you’ll find the M4 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999. The 15-inch model bumps that price to $1,199.

Those who need a little extra power, or just want a better display, can choose the 14-inch M4-powered MacBook Pro. That starts at $1,599 on Apple’s website.

Going further up the lineup, we find the 16-inch MacBook Pro. That starts with the M4 Pro and a price of $2,499.

These are all big numbers, I’m sure you’ll agree. And if you head into an Apple Store, the cheapest laptop you’ll walk out with costs $999.

But if you’re willing to venture beyond the white walls of the Apple Store, things get more interesting. And, vitally, they get much cheaper.

You won’t find it on Apple’s website, but Walmart will sell you an M1 MacBook Air for as little as $599. It’s older and less capable than the M4 version Apple sells, sure. But it’s also $400 cheaper.

But even that M4 MacBook Air can be had for a lot less than you might think. Amazon will sell you one for just $749, splitting the difference between its usual $999 price and Walmart’s M1 version at $599.

Remember, we expect the rumored MacBook to cost between $700 and $900. That puts it very much in M4 MacBook Air territory and more costly than the M1 version.

That’s where we are today, as 2025 draws to a close. But 2026 is upon us, and that means the first A-series MacBook might be, too.

The A18 Pro MacBook

All of the rumors right now point very squarely at the MacBook being every bit the budget machine. And that starts with an A18 Pro chip rather than the M-series silicon Macs normally boast.

You’re likely already be familiar with A18 Pro, because it’s the chip that powered 2024’s iPhone 16 Pro. It’s a fast chip, to be sure. But is it Mac levels of fast?

Geekbench CPU tests have the A18 Pro coming in at around 3,400 during single-core tests and around 8,400 in multi-core testing. But these numbers mean nothing in isolation, so let’s take a look at what it’s competing with.

The M1 MacBook Air that Walmart is selling for $599 scores around 2,340 in single core tests. That score increases to around 8,340 when running the multi-core tests.

Jumping to the M4 MacBook Air gives us a single-core score of approximately 3,680 and a multi-core score of around 14,650. It’s a fast chip, especially when each of its 10 cores are being used.

The A18 Pro is now single-core slouch, that’s for sure

With that in mind, the A18 Pro MacBook would likely be comparable to the M1 MacBook Air when using all of its cores at once. But for most of the tasks that a MacBook buyer would use it for, it’d perform more like an M4 MacBook Air.

This is all with the big caveat that we’re working with a lot of assumptions here. We’re assuming the MacBook will use an A18 Pro as rumored, for a start.

We’re also assuming that Apple won’t be able to push the chip harder this time around. Apple may have room for maneuver because of the extra cooling and power a laptop form factor can offer it. But we can only work with what we know today.

There’s a clear winner when we look at multi-core performance

If you’re a gamer or your work requires a beefy GPU, you already know the M4 is the winner here. In short, the A18 Pro (32,300) and the M1 (31,360) are comparable. The M4 crushes both with a score of 55,041.

But there’s an elephant in the room that can’t be ignored. It’s unlikely that price-conscious buyers at the rumored price point are playing games or otherwise pushing the GPU.

Instead, that machine will spend its days with a few Safari tabs open. Perhaps a text editor or Pixelmator Pro for some light image editing for school.

GPU performance might not be important to some buyers

For those people, it’s all about the CPU. And for those people, an A18 Pro MacBook might well tick all of their boxes. And then some.

That rumored inexpensive MacBook may require compromises

Hitting the rumored $700 to $900 price point will likely mean cutting some corners, though. And I mean beyond using an iPhone chip.

Rumors suggest the 13-inch display will be one area where buyers can expect money to be saved. It’ll be fine, but it won’t be great.

The same can be said for ports, too. Rumors have Apple potentially shipping the MacBook with just a single USB-C port. Just 8GB of RAM seems a given, too.

Whether any of that will matter to individual buyers will vary from one to the next. And very much on which end of that $600 to $900 range Apple aims for.

But it all boils down to this. Buying an A18 Pro MacBook with an average screen and 8GB of RAM for, let’s say $699, is one thing.

But doing it when you can also get an M4 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and a great display for $749?

Well, that’s another thing entirely.