Apple’s budget bonanza may bring a cheap(er) MacBook, iPhone, iPad in early 2026

Macworld

Apple is preparing to unveil a glut of cheaper products in the first few months of 2026, according to a new report. This includes the much-anticipated launch of a budget MacBook based on an iPhone processor.

GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, who has an extensive but slightly hit-or-miss track record of Apple predictions, published a research note about the company’s plans for 2026. These plans, he claims, include lower-end versions of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, all likely to launch in the spring.

The affordable iPhone will, of course, be the follow-up to last year’s divisive (and, we hear, commercially unsuccessful) iPhone 16e. Reviewers complained about the 16e’s inconvenient compromises (notably its single rear camera lens and lack of MagSafe) despite a decidedly mid-market price, a combination likely the result of the maker’s wish to focus on processing power and make it compatible with Apple Intelligence. But there’s little to suggest the 17e will address either of those concerns.

Instead, it’s expected to maintain the tradition of combining a high-end processor (likely the same A19 currently included in the iPhone 17) with a similarly low-end rear camera setup, although Pu thinks buyers may get the compensation, as on the iPhone Air, of an 18MP Center Stage front camera for selfies and video chats. The screen notch, meanwhile, is expected to be upgraded to a Dynamic Island.

Pundits always predicted that the 17e would come out in spring 2026, a year on from the launch of its predecessor. But Pu’s claim that it will be accompanied by a low-end iPad and Mac comes as more of a surprise.

The 12th-gen iPad could be an important launch because the 11th-gen model was that rarity for 2025: a new Apple product that can’t run Apple Intelligence. Cupertino will likely move to correct that and usher more users onto its AI platform. But can it achieve the necessary tech specs while maintaining the basic iPad’s crucial and beloved $349 price tag? Probably, but that remains to be seen.

But the greatest point of interest in Pu’s report is that budget Mac. Set to be priced between $699 and $899, the upcoming MacBook will run an A-class iPhone processor (Pu predicts the A18 Pro used by the iPhone 16 Pro, although there have been rumors of an A19) rather than one of the M-class chips used throughout the rest of the current Mac range. It may also, Pu warns, make compromises in other areas, such as an older design, weaker display, less RAM, and potentially just one USB-C port.

On the plus side, it will reportedly come in a set of attractive color finishes–silver, blue, pink, and yellow–to match the current standard iPad.

Pu may not have a flawless predictive record, but these claims make sense and largely match what other pundits are expecting. For all the latest news and rumors, check our regularly updated guide to the new Apple products on the way in 2025 and 2026.