Apple is reportedly developing a new 13-inch MacBook powered not by its traditional M-series silicon, but by the A18 Pro chip, which debuted with the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro lineup. At first glance, Apple’s decision to use a mobile SoC in a MacBook might raise some eyebrows and questions, ranging from performance to future-proofing the machine, but it goes beyond that. Apple’s history of vertical integration and chip efficiency suggests a clear strategic pivot: to build a MacBook that is ultra-efficient, affordable, and fully compatible with the company’s Apple Intelligence platform.
A Budget-Friendly A18 Pro MacBook With Surprising Performance, All-Day Battery Life, And Full Apple Intelligence Support — Here’s What To Expect
Apple’s A18 Pro MacBook will not be targeted towards professionals and power users, but instead it will aim to serve a broader consumer base like students, casual users, and knowledge workers who prioritize battery life, portability, and seamless macOS integration over raw performance. More importantly, the A18 Pro MacBook will be the cheapest Mac in the lineup, competing against the likes of Chromebooks and low-budget Windows-based laptops. Here’s why the A18 Pro MacBook will be the perfect machine for you.
Competitive Performance
Despite being a smartphone chip, the A18 Pro delivers performance that rivals the likes of the entry-level M-series Macs, particularly the M1 and M2 chips. In some cases, the A18 Pro chip is better than the M-series chips, which means that it has ground to stand on in the MacBook, giving it an edge over the earlier M-series chips, even the M4 chip in some respects. According to the information obtained from benchmark data, the A18 Pro is quite a contender, and you can check out the breakdown below for more details.
- Geekbench 6 single-core score: ~3,160 – outperforming the M1 and even slightly ahead of the M4 in this metric.
- Geekbench 6 multi-core score: ~8,200 – on par with the M1 and slightly below the M2 chip.
- Metal GPU score: ~27,000 – just shy of the M1 chip’s 28,000 GPU score.
All of these details suggest that the A18 Pro MacBook will be best for everyday tasks such as web browsing, multitasking, video streaming, editing documents, and even light content creation. The performance profile suggests that the machine will be responsive and fluid, especially when paired with Apple’s optimized macOS software.
Thin, Light, And iPad-Inspired Design
Prior reports have suggested that the budget A18 Pro MacBook will feature a fanless design with an ultra-thin chassis, likely weighing around 2 pounds. It will be available in multiple color options like the iPad Air and iMac aesthetics, making it an appealing option for the younger demographic.
The design language seems pretty obvious considering who it is designed for. The main target audience will be users who prefer portability and personality over ports and pro-level features. It could integrate USB-C, but possibly without Thunderbolt or a high-end webcam—and these trade-offs are purposeful to make a device that is meant to be lightweight, quiet, and visually different from the rest of the lineup.
Exceptional Battery Life
One of the most compelling benefits of the A18 Pro-powered laptops will be the battery life, which will last you days on a single charge—better than some of the existing options from Apple. This is because the chip has been designed for smartphones, and it will offer industry-leading power efficiency. Early estimates suggest that the machine will feature 20+ hour battery life, with potential to last for up to 2 to 3 days under light workloads.
This could make the A18 Pro MacBook a pretty solid choice for those who prefer a device that lasts them days—better even than what the MacBook Pro models offer. This would make it an ideal travel companion, best for remote professionals, and more.
Compatibility With Apple Intelligence
The A18 Pro chip in the forthcoming budget MacBook is expected to support Apple’s full suite of on-device AI tools that fall under the Apple Intelligence umbrella. The chip features a 16-core Neural Engine that reportedly delivers 35 trillion operations per second or TOPS. This exceeds the M1’s 11 TOPS and meets the hardware requirements for Apple Intelligence. This will ensure full access to the following features:
- AI-assisted writing and replies
- On-device image generation
- Smart Mail, Notes, and Safari features
- ChatGPT-powered Siri integration
- Voice transcription and summarization
Since Apple is doubling down on AI features, the A18 Pro chip is future-ready for the next wave of major innovations the company has planned for Apple Intelligence and macOS.
Aggressive Pricing Strategy
Other than a range of benefits of the true budget MacBook, one of the most disruptive and appealing traits of the machine will be its price, which is expected to sit between $649 to $849. This would position the A18 Pro MacBook as Apple’s most affordable laptop in years—significantly undercutting the MacBook Air while still offering an uncompromised macOS experience.
It is a smart strategic move by Apple as it broadens its laptop user base, while giving consumers an accessible entry point into the Mac ecosystem.
Conclusion
Apple’s A18 Pro MacBook would have the potential to become the perfect everyday laptop, combining real-world performance, exceptional battery life, AI-powered software experience, and a portable design, all at a price that makes sense to the end user. For those who do not need high-end specifications, the device would redefine what a “basic” MacBook looks and feels like. This also proves again how Apple’s chip strategy is years ahead of the curve. What do you think about Apple’s plans to launch a budget laptop with a mobile SoC?
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