Computex 2026: Acer and Dell present new entry-level notebooks
Thanks to the success of the MacBook Neo, other manufacturers, such as Acer and Dell at Computex, are once again daring to focus on the low-cost versions in their new products.
The MacBook Neo seems to be so successful that others also want a slice of the cake. Acer and Dell presented new notebooks at Computex with features and prices in direct competition with Apple's affordable laptop.
Imitation is the highest form of recognition
Apple has made it clear with the MacBook Neo that it's not just about performance and computing power. The company's most affordable notebook only has eight gigabytes (GB) of RAM and takes an unusual approach for a notebook with the iPhone A18 chip. This easily meets the requirements of many people. Our colleague Samuel Buchmann mainly criticises the spartan connections and the lack of keyboard lighting.
Even image editing with Lightroom is possible on the MacBook Neo. I tried this a few years ago on a Windows notebook with eight GB of RAM and couldn't even move the selection frame without waiting for seconds. Later tests will show whether this will improve with the new Intel Core 300 processors (Wildcat Lake) that Acer and Dell have opted for.
Dell XPS 13: better equipped than the MacBook Neo
On the spec sheet, the Dell XPS 13 is better equipped than the MacBook Neo. It has the keyboard illumination that Apple lacks and uses USB 3.2 Gen 2 with up to ten Gbit/s for both USB-C ports. With the Neo, only one port is that fast, but Apple also installs an audio output.
The touchscreen of the XPS 13 measures 14 inches and has a resolution of 2560 × 1600 pixels. It fully covers the DCI-P3 colour space and the refresh rate reaches up to 120 hertz. The MacBook Neo, whose screen does not respond to touch, only has a refresh rate of 60 hertz.
Source: Dell
In the base configuration, the XPS 13 has eight GB of RAM. At 512 GB, its SSD is twice the size of the MacBook Neo. In other words, you pay an extra 100 euros at Apple to get 512 GB of storage space. Dell also offers the notebook with 16 or 32 GB of RAM, Core Ultra 300 processors and Thunderbolt 4 connections for a corresponding surcharge.
At the launch of the new XPS 13, Dell's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke emphasised that development of the notebook began before the MacBook Neo was announced. It would have had no impact on the hardware selection. However, he conspicuously left the price unmentioned.
Source: Dell
The XPS 13 should be available in Germany in the second quarter. Dell has not yet named prices for the various configurations, but has announced a «Back-to-School» offer. Pupils and students will be able to buy the XPS 13 for 799 euros until the end of October. This corresponds to the MacBook Neo with 512 GB of storage space. Dell has not yet provided any information on price and availability for Switzerland.
Acer Swift Air 14: In the end, it's the price that counts
The only known price for the Swift Air 14 so far is the US price of 699 dollars for the cheapest version. Here too, the RAM can be expanded from eight to 16 GB for an additional charge. The SSD memory is rumoured to be up to 512 GB. Acer has installed two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 and added a USB-A port (USB 3.2).
Source: Acer
The 14-inch display with 1920 × 1200 pixels reaches up to 120 hertz and fully covers the sRGB colour space. At 300 nits, it is darker than the screen of the MacBook Neo. The battery of the Swift Air 14 is larger with 70 watt hours (Wh) than the Dell XPS with 52 Wh.
Acer plans to sell the Swift Air 14 in Europe from the third quarter and will only announce prices shortly beforehand.
The software as a bottleneck
In the end, it might not be the supposedly weak hardware that is the problem with the new notebooks from Acer and Dell, but the software. Windows is not as perfectly matched to the hardware as Apple does with macOS and its chips. This is another reason why it would be exciting to try them out with Linux.
Apple has another advantage over all Windows manufacturers. Regardless of its performance, the MacBook is iconic and almost a fashion accessory. In contrast, notebooks from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and others are interchangeable for most people.
As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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