Apple has officially confirmed that it will host its first event of the year on 4 March. Rumour has it that the tech giant plans to launch at least five new devices during the event, including today’s subject: the long-speculated budget MacBook. While we wait for the company to officially unveil the machine, a leaker has already disclosed its alleged limitations.
The leaked information came from a leakster on Weibo and an email received by MacRumors. The Weibo leakster also shared images to support their claims. If these details prove to be true, consumers can expect a painfully basic laptop.
According to the leaks, the budget MacBook will reportedly feature a lower maximum brightness than a standard Apple laptop. Specifically, the leakster claims that the display’s maximum brightness may fall below 500 nits. The leak goes a step further by claiming that it will also lack True Tone, a handy feature that automatically adjusts the display’s colour temperature and intensity to match ambient lighting.
Unfortunately, the machine’s internals are no better. The leak reports that the budget MacBook will have slower SSD speeds compared with the Air and Pro models. MacRumors speculates that Apple is using only a single NAND chip, which may explain the slower performance.
In terms of storage, the machine will reportedly offer only 256GB and 512GB options. MacRumors also mentions that Apple might be planning to release a 128GB variant for schools. Although this is not unexpected, it is particularly disappointing, as better storage options are available when purchasing a new smartphone.
As for the processor, we know that the budget MacBook will reportedly run on the A18 Pro chip, an SoC that debuted alongside the iPhone 16 Pro Max, rather than an M-series chip. However, the leak alleges that it will not feature the N1 chip. For the uninitiated, this chip was a major highlight of the iPhone 17 and Air models, enabling support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Apple also claims that the N1 chip boosts overall performance and reliability for Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. Since the budget MacBook will allegedly lack this chip altogether, would-be users can kiss these features goodbye.
For the remaining specifications, or lack thereof, the leak claims that the budget MacBook will not feature a backlit keyboard or any fast charging support. Another reportedly missing feature is high-impedance headphone support, which has been a mainstay in modern Macs since 2021.
Frankly, if these details are true, this culminates in a very depressing final product, even with its cheap price tag. Oh! There has been no mention of the price so far. However, if previous reports are anything to go by, the budget laptop will allegedly start at between US$699 (~RM2,728) and US$799 (~RM3,119). But hey, at least it comes in several different colours.
As mentioned earlier, the Weibo leakster shared images to support their claims. While MacRumors states that the images appear to be genuine, the publication is erring on the side of caution, as the leakster has no “established track record”. Regardless of their origin, these details came from leaks and should not be taken as gospel. We will only know the official details of the machine when Apple shares next week.
