5 Budget Apple Products Reportedly Coming This Spring

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There are more than 20 products Apple allegedly launches in 2026. With the second-generation AirTag now available, it looks like the company will continue to focus on budget-friendly devices in the first half of the year, as it addresses its ability to grow in emerging markets. In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman teases that by this spring, Apple will be releasing not only the iPhone 17e, but an all-new low-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, a base model iPad, a new iteration of the iPad Air, and the M5 MacBook Air.

These are not the only products expected for the first half of the year: Rumors continue to suggest the imminent launch of the M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro, and the availability of a new Mac Studio with Display Studio of the second generation. That said, it’s interesting to see Apple’s new focus on expanding its margin beyond its more established markets as it continues to grow in other regions. This is all we know about these products, which are reported to be launching soon.

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iPhone 17e: Affordability comes with new features

After somewhat of a release of the iPhone 16e, it seems that Apple has a clearer vision of what to do with this $599 iPhone. While there won’t be major changes from one generation to the next, Gurman mentions tiny, but still important, tweaks. For example, this device will get Apple’s A19 chip, which is available on the iPhone 17 lineup. While the company may remove a GPU core (as it did with the iPhone 16e), it should not have a major impact on daily performance.

Another feature coming to the iPhone 17e is the addition of MagSafe charging. This will not only bring a universe of MagSafe accessories to this device, but will also make fast charging even faster than it is currently on the iPhone 16e. Apple was heavily criticized for not offering MagSafe support for the iPhone 16e, and now it’s finally coming with the new model.

Last but not least, the company will add its new C1X and N1 chips, which are responsible for 5G capabilities and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features. Thus, Apple will be offering its best connectivity functionalities to this budget-friendly iPhone, which will reportedly keep the same prices as the current generation.

The base model iPad could get its biggest upgrade in years

Bloomberg doesn’t show much enthusiasm regarding the entry-level iPad model. However, in its 12th generation, Apple will finally add Apple Intelligence support to it, finally bringing its AI platform to the entire iPad lineup. Even if this device is not expected to get a design change or other major tweaks, the support for Apple Intelligence means that Apple will upgrade the internal RAM of this iPad to 8GB, which will make it more capable of managing more tasks at once.

In addition, with a new Siri experience launching soon, the base model iPad will be a powerful machine for students and other people who don’t want to spend more on the Air or Pro iterations. Anyway, it is important to note that Bloomberg reports that Apple will use the A18 chip on this tablet, while Filipe Espósito of Macworld said that a leaked code revealed the A19 processor instead. Even if these chips are somewhat close to each other, a newer one ensures a more important improvement with respect to the previous A16 option in graphics performance, CPU performance and AI tasks.

Macworld also believes that Apple will add its N1 wireless chip to this tablet, bringing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and better Thread connectivity. It is not clear whether Apple can add the C1 or C1X to the cellular version of this iPad, but the placement of its own 5G modem brings additional features, such as the ability to hide your location from carriers.

A low-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip could be a Chromebook killer

Apple’s MacBook models are more affordable than ever: With third-party sellers offering the M1 and M2 options at close to half their original $999 prices, it’s never been a better time to get a MacBook. The M series chips are strong, fast, reliable, and offer great battery life. Bloomberg says that this low-cost MacBook was designed to compete with “less expensive” Windows laptops and Chromebooks, and if Apple can make it as thin as the previous 12-inch MacBook but more reliable and responsive, this could be a killer laptop for many people.

While Gurman does not say whether Apple will add the A18 or A19 processor to this MacBook, other rumors claim that it could be Apple’s latest A19 Pro chip. It was also reported that this laptop will have a 12.9-inch display, but the amount of ports, if it contains 5G capabilities, or a decent FaceTime webcam are not clear. Apple usually makes lower-priced versions of its products more colorful, so we could see Apple bring back to life some of the enticing colors of its past Macs. Perhaps, this low-cost MacBook can even match the colors available with the current iMac lineup.

There’s another iPad Air in the works

At this rate, I’m just impressed rumors suggest a new iPad Air is in the works. Apple released M1, M2, and M3 versions of this tablet, and with the company launching the M5 iPad Pro last year, this means that Apple is likely ready to update the iPad Air.

Bloomberg expects another incremental upgrade, as rumors of an iPad redesign indicate it’s not happening anytime soon. Still, the company adds one of its most powerful processors to the iPad Air lineup, making it a great option over the more expensive iPad Pro.

The M4 chip was not responsible for opening anything new for Apple’s best tablet, so users should not expect many new things in that department. If we follow the rumors about internal improvements, Apple can take advantage of this release to add its own Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5G chips to this tablet, improve privacy, connectivity features, and make the overall experience more integrated. It is unclear whether the company will offer improved cameras, price changes, or even new colors. However, no rumor suggests that Apple will abandon its strategy of offering 11 and 13-inch options to users. That said, more customers will be able to get a very high-end machine, but at a cheaper price, than the Pro versions.

M5 MacBook Air is coming in full speed

Gurman is also tight-lipped about the M5 MacBook Air, despite saying it’s coming “soon” alongside the new M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro. However, unlike the next more powerful MacBooks, which should be a skip for many people, the same should not be said about the MacBook Air. After all, a more notable update isn’t expected until 2028.

Based on the M5 MacBook Pro benchmarks, the M5 MacBook Air should be as powerful as the M1 Ultra option, showing that budget laptops can also be extremely powerful. In the last few years, Apple released the MacBook Air between March and June, so we probably won’t have to wait any longer for the release of this laptop.

At this moment, it is not clear if Apple is planning to improve the FaceTime camera of this laptop, if new colors may be offered, especially after the popularity of the Sky Blue option, or if there may be price increases due to the increasing RAM prices everywhere. Fortunately, it will not take long to discover Apple’s plans since all these products seem to be coming in the near future.

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