Apple’s Entry-Level MacBook With iPhone 16 Pro’s Chip Could Cost About ₹52,000

Back in June, reports suggested that Apple is working on an entry-level MacBook model, which will use the A18 Pro chip that powers the iPhone 16 Pro. Experts believe this model could help the brand make inroads into the budget laptop segment, currently dominated by Google’s Chromebooks and Windows PCs. A new report has now shared a rough price for this MacBook model, hinting that it could be Apple’s cheapest laptop by far.

The said MacBook model could start at $599, which translates to about ₹52,000. If this information from DigiTimes holds any water, Apple could offer serious competition to Google and Microsoft, which have ruled this segment for years.

Need of the hour?

While Apple’s MacBook Air emerged as one of the best-selling laptops because of its lower price than the Pro model, its recent iterations have become more expensive with each generation. In India, the base model of the MacBook Air costs ₹99,900, but a variant priced at around ₹52,000, or even ₹60,000 if you go by Apple’s dollar-to-rupee conversion formula, could make the category more appealing.

At roughly half the price of the current generation of MacBook Air, the upcoming model could bring serious tradeoffs. Leaks suggest this model will use an iPhone’s chip, steering away from Apple’s M-series silicon that the company bullishly incorporated across its Mac lineup as part of its strategy to phase out Intel’s chips. M-series chips have gained popularity and faster adoption since their launch some years ago, due to their higher performance and better power efficiency compared to Intel counterparts.

Tradeoffs

iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro chip is no slouch; it is among the most powerful silicon for smartphones. However, it is no match for M-series chips, which are designed for laptops because the workloads are much higher than those on iPhones. So, in a way, the upcoming MacBook will still be a powerful device, just not as powerful as regular MacBooks. In Apple’s defence, the A18 Pro chip makes sense as mainstreaming a high-end product requires meaningful offsets. But how wide the performance gaps would be remains to be seen.

The latest report suggested this MacBook model could use an ultra-thin chassis in silver, blue, pink, and yellow colours. It could feature a 12.9-inch screen, marginally smaller than the 13-inch MacBook Air, which actually features a 13.6-inch display. This model is expected to enter mass production by the end of the third quarter of 2025, with the launch likely next year.

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