Apple's new MacBook might be low-cost, but it won't feel cheap. Here's why

Apple is announcing several new products this week. While there should be a new iPhone 17e, iPads, and MacBook Pros that make an appearance, the most intriguing product of this multi-day extravaganza is a brand new low-cost MacBook.

The rumors from Bloomberg and other analysts are that the new laptop will come in well under a $1,000 and that it will use an A18 Pro chip, the same one that’s in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.

This is a big deal because it will be the first time in at least 20 years that Apple will be selling a new laptop under $1,000. This could open the door to even more people adopting a Mac, instead of a Windows machine.

Usually, when a company creates a cheaper product to lower the entry price, the quality suffers. But as someone who writes about tech products and covers consumer electronics for a living, I think there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about a low-cost MacBook. Even before it’s announced, I’m sold on one. Here’s why.

The MacBook won’t be a speed demon, but speed won’t be a problem

There might be some negative connotations around a chip used in an iPhone. Typically, those processors prioritize efficiency for battery life, making them less powerful. However, in the case of the A18 Pro, the chip is benchmarked as being faster than the M3 chip in the iPad Air in single-core performance. It’s slower than that chip in multi-core performance, but those tasks are likely less common for daily computing tasks. Things like web browsing, PDF rendering, and photo processing are all single-core tasks.

Apple is now up to the M5 chip that’s used in the iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and entry-level MacBook Pro. But as recently as early 2026, Walmart was selling a brand new M1 MacBook Air. An A18 Pro will feel much snappier than that chip and likely have much better battery life, too.

Why a cheap Apple laptop won’t be bad

Beyond having an A-series chip, the computer is rumored to cut other features to achieve its lower starting price. It likely won’t have things like a back-lit keyboard, True Tone display technology to adjust to ambient light, and support for high impedance headphones.

It’s a bummer to lose out on any features, but that doesn’t mean it will feel cheap to use. The biggest example of how Apple is able to trim features and still make a compelling device is the Apple Watch SE 3. That product starts at $249, which is $150 less than the $399 Series 11. And it’s still a great device.

I’ve been primarily wearing the Series 10 and Ultra 3 for the last few years. But after wearing the SE 3 for a few weeks, I mostly forgot it didn’t have the best screen with the highest brightness or viewing angle. It’s easy to see when the two are next to each other, but separated, the SE 3 looks great.

I barely missed not having a water temperature sensor, depth meter, or an electrical heart sensor. It’s just a good watch that tops out at $329 at 44mm with 5G cellular, instead of $749 for the 46mm Series 11 with 5G.

I expect a similar experience with the MacBook. It will be easy to see the differences between it and an Air on paper, or when they’re next to each other. But just using a low-cost MacBook shouldn’t feel bad.

Why I’m buying the new Apple MacBook laptop

When I moved to the Mac mini M4 as my primary computer, I also transitioned my iPad Pro M4 to be my only portable computer. With iPadOS 26, the experience has been great, but it’s still not a Mac.

Since the iPad Pro has been powerful enough to do my writing, light photo and video editing, I’m not worried about an A-series chip being able to handle my workload. (Plus, if you do need a bit of extra power, the MacBook Air M4 has been on sale for as low as $750.)

I know a low-cost MacBook won’t be able to do everything at the same speed that an M5 laptop will. But that’s not what I’m looking for. It’s also not what I think most people need. I’m looking forward to an entry-level MacBook that I can use around the house, bring on the road, and just generally treat a lot like a Chromebook from Apple.

Sometimes, you just need a proper laptop, instead of an iPad with a keyboard. And so, if it can be that, then I’ll be more than satisfied.