Oliver Haslam·

2018 12-Inch MacBook Refresh’s Intel Amber Lake Processor Gets Detailed

With Apple’s 12-inch MacBook already roundly expected to receive a refresh at some point in 2018, it looks like we may now have an inkling as to which of Intel’s low power CPUs will be used in the new machines.

As a new report points out, details regarding the chips have already leaked via Dell’s Chilean website as well as Romanian site NextLab501.

According to the leaks, the chips most likely to make an appearance in a refreshed 12-inch MacBook include the 1.1GHz Core m3-8100Y, the 1.3GHz Core i5-8200Y, and the 1.5GHz Core i7-8500Y chips, which would be from the Amber Lake family of low-power processors, using the 14nm++ manufacturing process.

The speeds offered by all three are notably higher when in Turbo mode than the chips they will replace, meaning we can expect a high-end speed boost out of this refresh. The possible processors which could adorn the refreshed MacBook include the following:

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

For comparison’s sake, the current models top out at 1.2GHz/3.0GHz, 1.3GHz/3.2GHz and 1.3GHz/3.6GHz respectively, meaning the new machines will have some much needed additional grunt although they are never likely to be what anyone would call “fast” Macs.

All of the new chips also include Intel’s UHD 620 built in, and are expected to arrive during the third quarter of the year. That is perfect timing for any MacBook refresh, with rumors already having that pegged to happen this fall.

No matter when Apple announces a refreshed MacBook, we can expect it to include the same third-generation butterfly keyboard that debuted in the 2018 MacBook Pro last week. This keyboard appears to rectify issues that the keyboard has had historically, including a seemingly high failure rate due to ingress of dust or other objects.

(Via: MacRumors, Source: NextLab501)

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