A cheap MacBook is the shakeup Apple’s laptop lineup needs

Everything we know about the MacBook is about to change. There have been widespread rumors that Apple is about to shake up its laptop range in the most significant way since it introduced the failed 12-inch MacBook in 2015. And after many months of speculation, it now feels like a near-certainty that a budget MacBook powered by an iPhone chip will appear as part of Apple’s March 4 “experience” event.

So far, almost all of the focus has been on this laptop itself, and understandably so—Apple has never released a sub-$1,000 MacBook, after all. But the impact of such a device won’t just be limited to the budget market. It will likely spur changes elsewhere in the MacBook lineup as well.

Indeed, the new budget MacBook gives Apple the opportunity to rethink the MacBook Air and bring some much-needed upgrades to its mid-range MacBook options, creating space between it and the new budget model while also further distinguishing the Air and Pro lines.

Gasping for Air

For years, the MacBook Air has occupied the low-end slot among Apple’s portable Macs. It’s got the cheapest price, the lowest-end chips, and the least advanced display. For the majority of consumers, it’s more than enough, and it’s absolutely the best MacBook for most people. But the arrival of a cheaper MacBook will change that perception.

Based on rumors, this new MacBook will have a significantly slower chip than the Air, but many of the same characteristics people want in a laptop: price, portability, and battery life. The Air has long checked all of those boxes, but now that something significantly cheaper will be available, Apple needs to reposition the Air as a mid-range device by addressing some of its shortcomings.

Primary among those quibbles is the display. Compare the Air’s 13-inch LED display to what you get with the MacBook Pro and the differences are stark. Even if you opt for the larger model, the MacBook Pro offers far superior resolution: 3024 by 1964 pixels in the 14-inch MacBook Pro versus 2560 by 1664 pixels in the 13-inch MacBook Air, or 254 pixels per inch (ppi) compared to 225 ppi.

You also get much more in the way of brightness. While the MacBook Air is stuck at 500 nits in all situations, the MacBook Pro can ramp up to 1,000 nits outdoors and 1,600 nits for HDR content. That’s complemented by the Pro’s use of mini-LED technology, which provides much-improved colors and contrast.

And finally, there’s the refresh rate. The MacBook Pro’s display is kitted out with Apple’s ProMotion feature, which dynamically adjusts the refresh rate up to 120Hz, depending on what’s on screen, resulting in much smoother motion during gaming, movie watching, and scrolling. Like the non-Pro iPads, the MacBook Air is locked to 60Hz.

That all means that the MacBook Air is a categorically budget choice with a display that’s clearly inferior to the one you find in the MacBook Pro, but you get a concession in the form of the price. At $999 compared to the 14-inch MacBook Pro’s $1,599, the MacBook Air is much more affordable, and the tradeoffs are understandable.

A breath of fresh Air

Once the new MacBook arrives, the MacBook Air will no longer be the budget laptop choice. It starts at $999, whereas the new MacBook is expected to cost somewhere around $699. With a price difference like that, the MacBook Air will suddenly become one of Apple’s mid-range Macs.

Since Apple already differentiates its laptops with their screens, one way Apple could give the MacBook Air some mid-range attention is by upgrading the Air with ProMotion.That would make a significant difference in day-to-day usage, as higher refresh rates are instantly noticeable and give the Air a much-needed upgrade, not unlike how Apple handled the iPhone 17. And with the MacBook Pro already rumored to get an OLED Ultra Retina XDR display later this year, an Air with a ProMotion LED is an upgrade that steps up the MacBook Air without bringing it too close to the MacBook Pro.

This realignment of the MacBook lineup comes with another quandary: What should happen to the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro? Right now, this model features a similar M5 chip to the upcoming Air with a Pro display and a few more ports for $1,599, hundreds of dollars more than even the 15-inch Air. With the introduction of the new MacBook, Apple’s laptop roster will start looking a little bloated, especially if the Air gets ProMotion. 

The entry-level Pro is already a cut-rate machine compared to its Pro- and Max-powered siblings, and the shift in the lineup will only highlight its flaws. And with the rumors of an OLED touchscreen coming later this year, it’s likely the model gets axed, leaving a much clearer lineup. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Apple shuffles the Air lineup, possibly eliminating the low-end chip or bumping the entry-level storage to 512GB for higher price points. So the lineup could look something like:

• MacBook: $699
• 13-inch MacBook Air: $1,099
• 15-inch MacBook Air: $1,299
• 14-inch MacBook Pro: $1,999
• 16-inch MacBook Pro: $2,499

With the high-end and low-end all but secured, this is an important time for the MacBook Air. It’s started to feel a little stale, with few exciting improvements since its 2022 redesign. Its lower price has helped it become the go-to MacBook for most people, but with an even cheaper MacBook breaking onto the scene, the MacBook Air will have to work even harder to justify its existence.