Details on Upcoming Amber Lake Chips Appropriate for 2018 MacBook Leak

Apple's 12-inch MacBook lineup is expected to receive a refresh in 2018, and the new machines may use Intel's upcoming 8th-generation 14nm++ Y-Series Amber Lake chips.

Details on the new chips leaked recently from Dell's Chilean site and Romanian site NextLab501, as highlighted by MacRumors forum reader EugW.

rosegoldmacbook
Chips appropriate for the 12-inch MacBook include the 1.1GHz Core m3-8100Y, the 1.3GHz Core i5-8200Y, and the 1.5GHz Core i7-8500Y.

Core m3-8100Y
- 1.1 GHz - Base clock
- 2.7 GHz - 2-core Turbo
- 3.4 GHz - 1-core Turbo

Core i5-8200Y
- 1.3 GHz - Base clock
- 3.2 GHz - 2-core Turbo
- 3.9 GHz - 1-core Turbo

Core i7-8500Y
- 1.5 GHz - Base clock
- 3.6 GHz - 2-core Turbo
- 4.2 GHz - 1-core Turbo

Maximum clock speeds for the new Amber Lake chips suggest significant improvement in processor speeds over the 7th-generation Kaby Lake processors. For comparison's sake, Turbo Boost topped out at 3.0GHz on the 1.2GHz entry-level processor, 3.2GHz on the mid-level 1.3GHz processor, and 3.6GHz on the 1.4GHz high-end chip option in the previous-generation machines.

All of the chips use Intel's UHD 620 integrated graphics and are expected to be released in the third quarter of 2018, with the timing perfect for a fall refresh of the 12-inch MacBook.

Dell's upcoming and as-of-yet-unannounced XPS 13 2-in-1 machine confirms the existence of the Core i5-8200Y and Core i7-8500Y processors, both of which are listed as processor options for the new device.

Intel first announced its upcoming Amber Lake chips at Computex, but thus far has not provided official info on the upcoming processors.

Rumors have not indicated when updates to the 12-inch MacBook will be available, but Apple could introduce refreshed machines alongside new iPhones in September, hold an event in October, or release them on a random date as it did with the recent MacBook Pro.

The recent launch of the MacBook Pro also hints at one new feature we could potentially be seeing in new 12-inch MacBook models aside from processor upgrades -- a third-generation butterfly keyboard.

2015 and later 12-inch MacBook models have suffered from the same issues with keyboard failures, so it would make sense for Apple to include an updated keyboard in those machines as well, if, as speculated, the "quieter" third-generation MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard's new silicone coverings do indeed prevent dust from infiltrating the keys.

Related Forum: MacBook

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

Smeaton1724 Avatar
91 months ago
The processor upgrade looks good, intel have done a decent job. All Apple need to do is drop the price of the 12'' Macbook to the same as the current Air 13'', introduce a 14'' version at the same price as the current 12'' price and replace the headphone port with another USB-C.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
philfry Avatar
91 months ago
I just wish the MacBook had one more usb-c port or a dedicated charging port.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThaRuler Avatar
91 months ago
The Prius of laptops
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kingcr Avatar
91 months ago
Does anyone know if a dual core chip could go in the MB or would it end up frying it?
Ummm... they’re already dual core.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnnybeagle Avatar
91 months ago
I really love my i5 2017 MacBook. For what I use it for, its perfect and has exceeded all my expectations for it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dydegu Avatar
91 months ago
Please lower the price of this machine. It's been like four years. Let this be your $999 machine, and make a 13" MacBook with a second port and more power.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)