A Cheaper Macbook…Powered by iPhone?

We’ve already tried using an iPad as a laptop substitute right? But have you ever heard of an iPhone as a laptop replacement?

Well, the new leak isn’t anything as drastic as that. However, word from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has hinted that Apple might be looking to release an even more affordable Macbook model in the future. And to do that, they might be looking at compromising on the chipset used.

And we bring up the iPhone here because rather than Apple’s dedicated M-series chip, this laptop might use the mobile A18 Pro chip as its processor.

iPhone…inside?

Considering you’re picking up a laptop for more intensive creative workloads, is the lower price point even worth it if we’re not getting Apple’s desktop-class silicon in the mix? It depends on what you need a laptop for of course.

First off, the A18 Pro chip has a 6-core CPU, a 6-core HPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine for AI tasks. Compared with the current Apple M4 chip which comes with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, it does look a little paltry. Of course, performance isn’t just about the core count.

Being a newer chip, the A18 Pro used in the iPhone 16 Pro Max does provide higher numbers than even the M1 Macbook Air in Geekbench 6 across single-core, multi-core, and Metal applications as per independent Apple pundit Jason Snell’s tests. For general laptop tasks like browsing, messaging, and standard office work, the iPhone chip looks to be more than up to the task.

And if it’s going to come in even cheaper than the best-selling M1 Macbook Air, then Apple may just have another budget best-seller in their hands. Especially if it also comes in all the fun color options of an iPhone.

It’s not even going to be the first time Apple has done something similar. They once offered a Mac Mini with the iPad Pro’s A12Z chip as part of their transition away from Intel.

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Potential gains in battery life?

There’s another upside to using the A18 Pro chipset to this device. It’s built on a 3-nanometer process after all, which does lead to better power efficiency. Especially since you’re probably not doing tasks that’s more taxing on the GPU like gaming, 3D modeling, or even AI.

We’ll probably still see some AI on this machine though, especially since Apple Intelligence is a major selling point for the latest iPhone 16 Pro models running this chipset.

It’s going to be impressive if you can go through a whole day or two with a Macbook without needing to plug in no matter what you’re doing. You might just be able to get away with just leaving the already light charger at home.

Hopefully they’ll be able to integrate Thunderbolt speeds for this potential budget model though. Currently, the A18 Pro can only support USB-C data speeds.

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