Apple’s budget MacBook is said to be plastic-free and is rumored to get vibrant colors mirroring the 24-inch iMac thanks to its aluminum casing.
The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lineup is fairly limited in terms of looks, with the Air sold in four muted shades and the Pro in just two. As for the much-vaunted MacBook with an iPhone chip, it could expand the external color palette much more.
Writing for Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter for BloombergMark Gurman claims that Apple will go with playful colors. While it will also be aimed at business users, it appears to be a play to maximize sales with students.
Apple has apparently been testing different color options over the past year. This list includes light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray.
Despite the range of colors being tested, it is doubtful that they will all make it into the final product. However, with the 24-inch iMac sold in a whopping seven colors, it’s likely that Apple will provide plenty of color options for its upcoming MacBook.
While Mark Gurman has a good track record for accuracy, this is more of a repeat of previous rumors. The wild colors were part of analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s June 2025 forecast, which suggested silver, blue, pink and yellow colorways.
Same strong case
While Apple will look for ways to reduce the cost of the MacBook to match its lower price point compared to the rest of the line, Apple still wants it to have the same exterior look as the others.
One way Apple could cut costs is by replacing the usual aluminum casing with plastic or other cheaper materials. Instead, Apple is sticking with aluminum and has changed the manufacturing process to make the shells faster.
The change will apparently be faster and more cost-effective than the method used for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. If successful, there is a chance that the same technique could be used again with existing models in the future.
March expectations
According to previous rumors, the MacBook will come with an iPhone-class chip like the A18 Pro, instead of the Apple Silicon M-class chips found in other models. It could come with a number of other small cost-saving measures, such as reducing the number of USB-C ports and only 8 GB of memory.
While it is expected to have a 13-inch display, this panel may not be as high quality as the Air and Pro versions to further reduce manufacturing costs. All this for a consumer price of around $699 to $750.
As for when it will arrive, the current popular launch window is in March.