Will the Rumored Lower-Cost MacBook Use an A18 Pro or A19 Pro Chip?

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Over the past few months, there have been rumors about a more affordable MacBook powered by an iPhone processor launching in late 2025 or early 2026. However, it is not entirely clear yet whether the laptop will have an A18 Pro or A19 Pro chip.

Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro
In June, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the lower-cost MacBook would be equipped with the A18 Pro, which debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro models last year. Soon after, MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris also discovered evidence that pointed towards the laptop being powered by the A18 Pro, and DigiTimes reported the same.

It is quite possible that Apple has already finalized specs for the lower-cost MacBook, so it very well might be the A18 Pro in the first-generation model.

However, in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo last week, an account known as "Mobile Phone Chip Expert" claimed that Apple is considering using the A19 Pro chip in the lower-cost MacBook. If so, it is unclear if it would be the 6-core GPU version in the iPhone 17 Pro models, or the 5-core GPU version in the iPhone Air.

"Mobile Phone Chip Expert" was one of the sources who said at least one iPhone 17 model would be equipped with 12GB of RAM, so they have a bit of a track record.

Obviously, the A19 Pro would be faster than the A18 Pro, which has similar performance as the M1 chip. It would also be good news for RAM, as the A19 Pro has 12GB of unified memory, whereas the A18 Pro has 8GB. The entire new Mac lineup has started with at least 16GB of RAM since last year, with the only option with 8GB being the five-year-old MacBook Air with an M1 chip, which is sold exclusively by Walmart for $599.

Both the A18 Pro and A19 Pro lack Thunderbolt support, so the MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. They would look the same as Thunderbolt ports, but data transfer speeds would be limited to up to 10 Gbps. Plus, only a single external display would be natively supported, but DisplayLink adapters allow for more.

Kuo expects the lower-cost MacBook to have a 13-inch display, and he said potential color options for the laptop included silver, blue, pink, and yellow.

Apple often announces new Macs in October, so perhaps the lower-cost MacBook will debut next month. Otherwise, March 2026 is the next likely timeframe.

Tags: MacBook (A18 Pro) Guide, Phone Chip Expert

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Top Rated Comments

zahuh Avatar
zahuh
6 weeks ago
This is not a day one purchase for me. It's a minute one purchase!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
macduke
6 weeks ago
Apple, you’ve made so much progress! Please don’t release another Mac with only 8GB of RAM in 2025 or 2026.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DTphonehome Avatar
DTphonehome
6 weeks ago
I'm thinking 19 Pro strictly for the 12 GB RAM. I can't see Apple releasing any device with 8GB anymore, with Apple Intelligence a but part of their marketing. 8GB is the bare minimum for AI.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CWallace Avatar
CWallace
6 weeks ago

I wonder if by popular demand they are bringing back a kind of version of the Macbook 12. I guess they didn't sell that well, But I never understood why. Beats me.
The Intel CPUs were too slow. The MacBook was also the first laptop with the dreaded butterfly keyboard and it only having one USB-C port to handle both charging and external connectivity was a pain point.

Everything is pointing to a 13" display, but I would be quite interested in this if it was the same form factor as the 12" MacBook with either two USB-C ports or one plus MagSafe.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
commander.data Avatar
commander.data
6 weeks ago

Obviously, the A19 Pro would be faster than the A18 Pro, which has similar performance as the M1 chip. It would also be good news for RAM, as the A19 Pro has 12GB of unified memory, whereas the A18 Pro has 8GB. The entire new Mac lineup has started with at least 16GB of RAM ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/30/entire-mac-lineup-now-at-least-16gb-ram/') since last year, with the only option with 8GB being the five-year-old MacBook Air with an M1 chip, which is sold exclusively by Walmart for $599 ('https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/13/macbook-air-with-m1-chip-599-at-walmart/').
Just because the A18 Pro only ships with 8GB in the iPhone doesn't mean it can't support higher memory configurations. For example, the A12Z in the Apple Silicon Developer Transition Kit Mac Mini shipped with 16GB of RAM despite the A12Z only ever shipping with 6GB of RAM in the iPad Pro. Apple just needs to use higher density RAM chips.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
poematik13 Avatar
poematik13
6 weeks ago
A19 pro with 12GB ram most likely.

This will be a banger on the level of the 499 mac mini. It's amazing how cheap macs have gotten compared to the dark ages of 2014-2020 where everything started at 1199 and 128GB SSD
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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