Nelson Morales

Acer, Dell rush challengers to MacBook Neo

Article (news)

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780463813799computex ed 2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Thousands of tech enthusiasts attend the Computex 2026 expo in Taipei. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News"/>Thousands of tech enthusiasts attend the Computex 2026 expo in Taipei. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>TAIPEI — Computex is generally a celebration of everything PC, but this year, a familiar ghost seems to be haunting the show floor: Apple. With Cupertino’s <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/5/8/review-should-you-get-the-macbook-neo-yes-and-maybe-1451" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MacBook Neo </a>looming large over the entry-to-midrange market, Windows laptop makers are scrambling to mount a defense. While Nvidia positions itself as the absolute overlord of the high-end AI data center, the real street fight is happening in the trenches of the sub-$700 laptop market.Acer and Dell both arrived in Taipei with fresh silicon and aggressive designs aimed at Apple’s juggernaut. They seek to prove that you do not need to spend a lot to get a premium, highly portable machine that can handle modern workloads, which was proven by the MacBook Neo.<div>Acer is leading the charge with a two-pronged attack. First up is the ultra-portable Swift Air 14, a machine that aims to democratize AI hardware. Instead of hoarding neural processing units for high-end flagships, Acer is packing Intel’s new Core Series 3 processors into a chassis that weighs a featherlight 1.19 kg and measures just 12.9 mm thin. With a smooth 120 Hz WUXGA display and a promised 19 hours of battery life, it is a clear shot across the bow of the entry-level Mac. <img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780463879640swift air 14 ed.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Acer Swift Air 14 promises long battery life, powerful specs, and an elegant design. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News"/>Acer Swift Air 14 promises long battery life, powerful specs, and an elegant design. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>For the even more budget-conscious, Acer also introduced the Aspire Go 15, a 15.6-inch laptop powered by Qualcomm&#x27;s new Snapdragon C processor. It brings fanless, quiet efficiency and a chassis built from post-consumer recycled plastics to the student crowd.An Acer official, however, said that the company&#x27;s two new models were not developed with the MacBook Neo in mind, as he himself was &quot;shocked&quot; that Apple came out with the budget laptop.Meanwhile, Dell is answering the aesthetic challenge with a stunningly refreshed XPS 13. This laptop hangs right up there with the MacBook Neo in terms of sleekness.Historically reserved for the more premium tier, Dell is pivoting the XPS brand to capture young professionals and students who are tired of heavy bags and compromised specs. At just 1 kg and an impressively thin 12.75 mm, it is one of the thinnest and lightest XPS ever made.Dell isn’t cutting corners to get there, either. Every configuration boasts a vibrant 2.5K display that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, paired with a variable refresh rate that scales up to 120 Hz to save battery. Under the hood, it pairs Intel Core Series 3 chips with cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 and up to 17 hours of video streaming.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780463952981xps 13 ed.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Dell&#x27;s XPS 13 looks sleek and light, and aimed right at the MacBook Neo. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News"/>Dell&#x27;s XPS 13 looks sleek and light, and aimed right at the MacBook Neo. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>Dell says the new CNC-aluminum XPS 13 will hit US shelves this June, while Acer is keeping its pricing under wraps for now. One thing is certain: the fight for the everyday laptop market is getting brutal.Curiously, the MacBook Neo doesn&#x27;t seem to be on the mind of Asus, the other big Taiwanese PC maker aside from Acer. Instead of showcasing a new model to compete with Apple&#x27;s entry-level notebook, Asus posted a guide on its website about &#x27;what makes a good value laptop.&#x27; Asus seems to be carrying on with its Zenbook, Vivobook, Expertbook and Pro Art lineup, with no clear challenger to the Neo. Of course, one of the defining characteristics of the MacBook Neo, aside from price, is its performance at that price. As anyone who has used Windows 11 can attest, 8GB of RAM simply will not cut it. The MacOS can perform reasonably well with 8GB of memory, as the Neo, and the earlier generation of M-series MacBooks have shown. But anything less than 16GB on a Windows machine is probably inviting frustration. And with RAM still being relatively expensive, it will be interesting to see how low PC vendors can price their devices to compete with the Neo.

Acer and Dell both arrived in Taipei with fresh silicon and aggressive designs aimed at Apple’s juggernaut.

Acer and Dell both arrived in Taipei with fresh silicon and aggressive designs aimed at Apple’s juggernaut.

Acer, Dell push challengers to MacBook Neo

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Acer, Dell push challengers to MacBook Neo

Arthur Fuentes,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 03, 2026 01:22 PM PHT

|

Updated June 03, 2026 06:39 PM PHT

Read More:

MacBook Neo

Acer Aspire Go

Acer Swift Air 14

Dell XPS 13

budget laptop

Computex

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