Apple's Low-Cost MacBook May Launch Next Month In New Bright Colors

Apple’s Low-Cost MacBook May Launch Next Month in New Bright Colors

Last updated: 2026/02/16 at 8:08 AM

News Room Published 16 February 2026

We have been hearing about a low-cost MacBook for close to a year now. The laptop is ready for launch, and Apple may unveil it as part of an event early next month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.

As reported previously, Apple’s rumored budget laptop is aimed at students and general users. Its biggest draw is that it is expected to run on an iPhone chip (A18 Pro) rather than an M-series chip, delivering performance sufficient for casual users.

The A18 Pro was originally designed for the iPhone 16 Pro models, but it is still quite powerful. Its single-core performance is close to that of the M3 and M4 chips in Geekbench benchmarks.

Another major highlight from the rumor mill is the range of colors it may come in. Apple has long stuck to muted shades, such as silver, starlight, space gray, and midnight, for its MacBook models. But for this budget MacBook, the company is planning to introduce more “fun” options, such as light yellow, light green, blue, and pink, along with classic silver and dark gray, Gurman reports.

Apple has been testing these colors for a year, but not all of them may ship, Gurman adds. Nevertheless, it’s a big step away from the company’s predictable tones. The last time Apple played around with so many hues for a Mac was when it refreshed the iMac in 2024.

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A stark difference may also be noticed in the laptop’s size. With a 12.9-inch display similar to the iPad Pro, it’s expected to be smaller than the latest entry-level MacBook Air. Earlier rumors suggested Apple may use a plastic chassis to cut costs, but the company has gone ahead with aluminum to offer a premium feel, Gurman adds.

The budget MacBook is expected to start at either $599 or $699 for the 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD variant. As mentioned earlier, Gurman expects Apple to announce the product in early March. The M1 MacBook Air being out of stock at Walmart is a strong sign that the rumor may be accurate. Apple is also preparing for imminent launches of new MacBook Pros and iPads, Gurman adds.