No one claimed it would be equivalent to the MacBook Pro or even the MacBook Air. Code leak details cheap MacBook with A18 Pro chip, charging limits, no True Tone and more.
Apple is preparing to launch a new low-cost MacBook model, swapping Apple Silicon’s M-series chips for the A-series from the iPhone. While the rumor has settled on some basic specs, other measures will help the company reduce production costs.
In a technical analysis of an internal macOS test build shared with AppleInsiderthere will be quite a few minor changes in the smaller MacBook compared to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
The big one is the already established A-series chip. The latest leak says that the processor is actually the A18 Pro used in the iPhone 16 Pro.
The “AppleALSColorSensor” driver is missing from the build, and macOS falls back to the older “AppleEmbeddedLightSensor” driver instead. This is seen as evidence that the device lacks the sensor required for the True Tone feature.
True Tone is an Apple feature that changes the color of the display to match the user’s environment. For example, a blue object will be perceived as the same shade of blue if the display is moved from a sunny outdoor environment to an indoor one.
At least that’s not a big loss for consumers. It’s a feature that designers and creatives will actively use for their color-sensitive work, but less important to someone who wants a simple laptop.
Communication and charging
Another apparently missing element is “com.apple.driver.AppleHighVoltageCharger”. Since this is missing, it is assumed that the new model will not have any fast charging option.
The Wi-Fi is also said to use the “AppleSunrise” driver, which means it uses MediaTek’s “Sunrise” Wi-Fi module. For the MacBook, this would mean using the MediaTek-based Wi-Fi from the iPad A16.
The new Apple N1 modem will not be used, which means no support for Wi-Fi 7 or Bluetooth 6. Again, this is not a big deal for consumers using a budget laptop compared to the larger needs of MacBook Pro users.
The build also reuses the older “AppleCS42L83Audio” driver. This matches the M1 MacBook Air and equates to a lack of support for high-impedance headphones.
Low cost production
The internal details of the build from source cannot be verified at this time. However, it is consistent with earlier reports of a low-cost MacBook and finding ways to intelligently cut costs to meet the low price.
In an effort to capture the budget end of the Chromebook market, the new model will carry a price tag of around $699 to $750.
The chip change will help reduce the cost of the laptop, which will have a 13-inch display, although not necessarily at the same resolution and quality as the others on the list. Cost reductions have the potential to affect the number of USB-C ports on the device and even reduce available memory to just 8GB.
Apple will continue to use aluminum for the model instead of switching to a cheaper casing material. There is also the prospect of introducing more colors to Apple’s product catalog.
In this particular case, the leaker providing the information has no established history of accuracy. The closest thing was a claim that the next iPad mini would use the A20 Pro chip, which is more in the realm of educated guess than actual sourcing of the leak.
That said, we know that Apple has to significantly reduce the cost of the budget MacBook. The contents of the leak seem to fit this story very well.