RAM prices are out of control in the U.S., leading many to fear that electronic devices—computers, smartphones, and anything else indirectly dependent on NAND—will escape the consumer’s ability to afford them. Probably for years to come. Now the question on everyone’s mind is how this will affect Apple, a company notorious for overpriced products. Still, a whole slate of rumored Apple products is coming in 2026. Although we cannot buy them, however, we can still enjoy them through YouTube videos.
Again, these are rumor releases. Leaks and analysts watch supply chains and talk to inside sources to guess — sometimes with high accuracy, sometimes without — which products are coming next and when. However, they are always rumours. Apple may not be able to stop insiders from blabbing, but it’s known to keep a tight lip until it’s announced, usually just before a release. Nothing on this list is subject to change and may not come out soon – or at all. That being said, these six things are the most exciting potential 2026 releases.
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iPhone Fold
ftp. Artist’s interpretation of an iPhone fold on a black background – ftp./YouTube
Folding phones may be cool technology that the average consumer can’t budget for, but they’ve been around for longer than we can mentally imagine; The first came out in 2018, making them nearly a decade old. Samsung is already in its seventh generation: the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Most major manufacturers except Apple have one. The tech giant has been quietly developing its own folding tech, and it looks like 2026 is a plausible release window.
As per tradition, Apple is trying to perfect what its competitors are already doing. Notable features of the Fold could include Samsung’s potentially crease-free display, a “liquid metal” hinge, and an unusual screen ratio. If the latter rumor is true, then the iPhone will be much squatter when folded at 5.3 inches (about 9 mm thick), expanding to the size of an iPad mini at 7.76 inches (about 4.8 mm thick). YouTuber Snazzy Labs allegedly printed out a mockup of the leaked design and “used” it to understand why Apple didn’t go with the usual screen size of two side-by-side smartphones. He suggests that this ratio is actually simpler and makes the foldable much easier and more fun to use.
It may also be one of the first iPhones to feature a hole-punch camera design and may also mark a return to the iPhone’s Touch ID days. It’s been argued that the iPhone Air was a test run for ultra-thin technology, and the iPhone Fold will improve on it while fixing the issues that went wrong – including using a more efficient chip and modem. Naturally, this is going to cost you. Expect to pay around $1,800, or as much as $2,500 on the low end. Foldables are notoriously expensive, but this is Apple.
Budget MacBook
Old MacBook model on white table – Karolis Kavolelis/Shutterstock
MacBooks are incredible devices, and anyone looking to switch from Windows to a Mac will be glad they did. However, there is one small problem: the price. Apple’s “cheapest” current-gen M4 MacBook Air starts at $899. You can go cheaper by getting an educational discount, a refurbished model, or buying newer, older models on Amazon, but even then, it’s too expensive for Apple’s entry-level laptop. That could change if the long-rumored budget MacBook arrives in 2026.
TrendForce suggests that the smaller 12.9-inch MacBook will be priced very competitively, perhaps as low as $599. This is Apple we’re talking about, of course, so the price point sacrifices things like RAM, display technology, and Thunderbolt support. The most surprising part of this rumor is the possibility that it could use the iPhone 16 Pro’s chip, the A18 Pro. Some people’s immediate reaction is to wonder how a smartphone chip can be expected to run macOS, but you’d be surprised. The A18 Pro outperforms Apple’s 2020 M1 chip, according to Geekbench. Many people still argue that the M1 chip is too powerful for today’s computing needs, so we can safely assume that the A18 Pro will get the job done – especially if we’re just talking about everyday web browsing and email.
Of all the items on this list, this is one of the most exciting, as it will drastically lower the entry cost of getting a MacBook. Plus, it could fill the niche of the small, ultra-portable MacBook we’ve been missing. Students and light computer users will be happy – but only if Apple can be aggressive with that pricing, especially in the midst of the RAM crisis.
New home hub
An Apple HomePod with an iPhone leaning against it, against a pink background – Kaspers Greenwalds/Shutterstock
Apple offers a great centralized smart home interface through HomeKit, but you’ll need a home hub to use devices that are away from your home network. It requires a HomePod speaker or Apple TV. Both options haven’t been updated in a while, and neither is specifically designed for smart home control; They add it on top of what they already do. A smart home hub will be a dedicated device for that.
Simply put, it will basically be an iPad mounted on a speaker, a kind of smart home assistant that you can talk to or touch-control. It could have some really cool features, like reacting to a specific person’s physical presence to decide what information to display or what actions to take, perhaps even rotating as it does. However, rumors are very sparse on it, and past leaks have tried and failed to pin down its release in previous years. Take it with a grain of salt.
The elephant in the room is Siri. The voice assistant is notoriously bad, so much so that there’s a whole bunch of things you shouldn’t ask it to do. A device that will be ostensibly voice-first must be reliable enough that you can give it commands in rooms of all sizes and configurations with varying volume levels. Who knows, maybe this is the whole reason previous predictions about the smart hub fell flat. Apple has rushed to catch up with other AI-powered chatbots and assistants, and in doing so has gone with a competitor, Gemini, while it perfects its own in-house solution. If Siri improves significantly, it could remove the barrier that has kept the Home Hub out of the market.
AirPods Pro 3 … Pro
A hand holding a pair of AirPods Pro 3 on a black background – Photoschmidt/Shutterstock
AirPods Pro is one of Apple’s best products and keeps getting better with every generation. They are good enough that Apple releases them every few years. While the latest AirPods Pro 3 had a slight conflict in sound, they were otherwise an upgrade from top to bottom. Surprisingly, we may see a slight follow-up upgrade in 2026.
This will be the “Pro” version of the AirPods Pro 3. AirPods Pro 3 Pro? AirPods Pro 3.5? We don’t know, but the upgrade won’t be enough to call it AirPods Pro 4. There are two potential improvements being rumored. First, a built-in infrared camera. It is not 100% clear what the infrared camera will be used for; Some have speculated that this would allow gesture-based music control without touching the AirPods, or give them some form of Apple Intelligence capability. The AirPods Pro 3 caught everyone off guard with a built-in heart rate sensor, a feature many people just turned off to save battery. Being able to control your AirPods without using your hands or voice, though, would be awesome.
Another surprise of the AirPods Pro 3 was the decision to use the H2 chip hardware which was already three years old. A rumored upgrade could fix this by introducing an H3 chip. The H2 chip is still incredibly good in the AirPods Pro 3 (based on first-hand experience), so it will be interesting to see what benefits the upgraded chip can provide beyond better battery efficiency.
Improved MacBook Pro
A MacBook Pro box sitting on a pedestal in a dark room – AZFAR ARTS/Shutterstock
The MacBook Pro lineup truly lives up to the Pro moniker. They have a ridiculous level of power with battery life that leaves any competitor in the dust. They are, however, heavy and bulky, as anyone who owns a MacBook Pro knows. Apple seems to recognize this, with rumors suggesting several exciting changes to the MacBook Pro lineup.
That king-sized footprint could be the first item on the chopping block, as Apple is reportedly slimming down its MacBook Pro, though it’s unclear by how much. Perhaps the cooling tech of the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Max will allow for a fanless MacBook Pro. Another major wish-list item for MacBook owners may become a reality: an upgrade from XDR to OLED display tech, which many high-end laptops have had for years. It could possibly be a touchscreen with a dynamic island-style cutout, though it’s hard to imagine the former. Based on personal experience, touchscreens on laptops – unless it’s foldable with a pen – are a feature you rarely use and often blur the display. But if Apple can get Face ID working on the MacBook, that would be awesome.
You can also get a cellular data plan for your future MacBook. This could solidify the MacBook as the ultimate portable productivity device, as it has plenty of chassis space for antennas and battery capacity if a bad signal drains it – including Apple’s efficient C-series modems. Finally, it could introduce a new round of Pro and Max chips for power users. The upgrade to the M-Series chips in 2020 was huge, so it could further refine an already great platform.
AirTag 2
One hand holding an AirTag in a leather pocket – Backyardproduction/Getty Images
AirTags is one of those products that hasn’t received an update in a while because, frankly, they don’t really need one. They’re very affordable, small, have a battery that lasts ages, and offer a bunch of smart features to keep track of the items they’re connected to. But better is better, and we can’t say no to improved AirTags.
The first improvement will naturally be the Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip. One of the existing AirTags works well, but the new version offers longer range and better precision. Imagine how much more useful and reliable the entire Find My network could be once more people have iPhones with improved UWB chips, and AirTags can be pinged remotely.
Another thing that can be changed is the placement of the speaker. Current-gen airtags have been shown to allow their speaker wires to be cut with relative ease, which could make it easier for a stalker to place a speaker-less airtag on a target without alerting that person. This raises concerns about reparability, but we argue that protecting potential victims of stalking should take precedence over that. Finally, a personal favorite: AirTags can finally display its battery level instead of notifying you when it’s about to die. Nothing crazy, nothing mind-blowing, but meaningful, polished improvements to an already great product.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
