5 budget Apple products reportedly coming this spring

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There are over 20 Apple products launching 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 release not only the iPhone 17e, but also an all-new, low-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, a base iPad model, 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 release of the M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro and the availability of a new Mac Studio with a second-generation Studio Display. 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. That’s all we know about these products, which seem to be launching very soon.

Read more: How to control an iPad with your iPhone

iPhone 17e: Accessibility comes with new features

After a somewhat disappointing iPhone 16e launch, it looks like Apple has a clearer vision of what to do with this $599 iPhone. While there won’t be big changes from one generation to the next, Gurman mentions small but still important changes. For example, this device will receive Apple’s A19 chip, which is available on the iPhone 17 range. Although the company could remove a GPU core (as it did with the iPhone 16e), it should not affect the day-to-day performance too much.

Another feature coming to the iPhone 17e is the addition of MagSafe charging. Not only will this bring a universe of MagSafe accessories to this device, but it will also make fast charging even faster than it currently is on the iPhone 16e. Apple has been widely criticized for not offering MagSafe support to 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. With this, Apple will offer the best connectivity features to this budget-friendly iPhone, which will apparently maintain the same prices as the current generation.

The base model of the iPad could receive the biggest upgrade in recent years

Bloomberg doesn’t show much enthusiasm for the entry-level iPad model. However, in the 12th generation, Apple will finally add Apple Intelligence support, finally bringing its AI platform to the entire iPad line. Even though this device is not expected to receive a design change or other major changes, the support for Apple Intelligence means that Apple will upgrade the internal RAM of this iPad to 8 GB, making it more capable of running multiple tasks simultaneously.

Plus, with a new Siri experience coming soon, the base iPad will be a powerful machine for students and others who don’t want to spend more on the Air or Pro iterations. However, it’s important to note that Bloomberg is reporting that Apple will use the A18 chip on this tablet, while Filipe Espósito of Macworld said that a leaked code revealed the A19 processor. Even though these chips are somewhat close to each other, the newer one provides a bigger upgrade over the previous A16 option in graphics performance, CPU performance and AI tasks.

Macworld also believes Apple will add its N1 wireless chip to this tablet, offering better Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Thread connectivity. It’s unclear whether Apple might add the C1 or C1X to the cellular version of this iPad, but the introduction of its own 5G modem would bring additional features, such as the ability to hide your location from carriers.

Cheap MacBook with iPhone chip could be Chromebook killer

Apple’s MacBook models are more affordable than ever: With third-party sellers offering the M1 and M2 options for nearly half of their original $999 prices, there’s never been a better time to get a MacBook. M-series chips are powerful, fast, reliable and offer excellent battery life. Bloomberg says this budget 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 most people.

While Gurman isn’t saying whether Apple will add the A18 or A19 processor to this MacBook, other rumors claim it could be Apple’s latest A19 Pro chip. It has also been reported that this laptop will have a 12.9-inch screen, but the amount of ports, whether it will have 5G capabilities or a decent FaceTime camera is unclear. Apple usually makes low-cost versions of its products that are more colorful, so we could see Apple bring back to life some of the eye-catching colors that Macs of the past had. Perhaps this inexpensive MacBook could even match the colors available with the current iMac lineup.

Another iPad Air is in the works

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

Bloomberg is expecting another rolling update, as rumors of an iPad redesign indicate it won’t happen anytime soon. However, the company would add 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 wasn’t responsible for unlocking anything new for Apple’s best tablet, so users shouldn’t expect much new in that department. If we go by the rumors about internal upgrades, Apple could take advantage of this launch to add its own Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 5G chips to this tablet, improving privacy, connectivity features and just making the overall experience more integrated. It’s unclear whether the company will offer improved cameras, price changes or even new colors. However, no rumors suggest that Apple will abandon its strategy of offering users 11- and 13-inch options. That said, more customers will be able to get a very high-end machine, but at a cheaper price than the Pro versions.

MacBook Air M5 comes with full speed

Gurman isn’t talking much about the MacBook Air M5, though he does say it’s coming “soon” alongside the new MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max. However, unlike the upcoming more powerful MacBooks, which should be a problem for most people, the same should not be said about the MacBook Air. After all, a more visible update isn’t expected until 2028.

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

At this point, it’s unclear if Apple plans to improve this laptop’s FaceTime camera, if new colors could be offered, especially after the popularity of the Sky Blue option, or if there could be price increases due to rising RAM prices across the board. Fortunately, it won’t be long before we discover Apple’s plans, as all of these products seem to be coming in the near future.

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