The new low-cost MacBook is launching this week, offering three portable Mac options: the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. For those with basic needs, the choice may be clear, but what about those who need something in between?
For users with demanding tasks like photo editing or video editing, a middle ground exists. The new MacBook will likely provide more than enough performance for most users. A comparison of benchmarks shows that the M1 and A18 Pro chips are relatively similar in terms of single-core performance, but the M5 chip launching soon will be substantially more capable.
Reviews suggest that the M1 chip’s performance is more than enough for many users, including amateur photographers who edit photos occasionally. The 8GB RAM limitation of the new MacBook may pose a challenge for some tasks, but it’s unlikely to be a major issue for most users.
In summary, if you need something between the low-cost MacBook and the MacBook Pro, the new MacBook is likely your best bet.
Source: https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/23/we-already-have-a-good-idea-how-capable-the-new-macbook-will-be