Watch out, MacBook Neo: Acer's new budget laptop starts at $699 in four pastel colors
Ahead of Computex 2026, Acer has announced a new Windows laptop called the Swift Air 14. Its name evokes Apple's mid-tier PC, the MacBook Air, but its price positions it as a strong alternative to the budget MacBook Neo: It will start at just $699.
Like the Neo, the Swift Air 14 will have an all-metal build and come in some fun color options, including sage green, frost blue, blossom pink, and lilac purple. It will be just as thin as the Neo and only slightly heavier.
The Swift Air 14 will run on Intel's new Core Series 3 chips (previously code-named "Wildcat Lake"), the entry-level counterparts to its flagship Core Ultra Series 3 chips ("Panther Lake"). In the coming months, they'll pop up in a lot of new cheap laptops, giving the class-leading MacBook Neo more direct competition.
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The Swift Air 14 will start with a Core 5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 512GB SSD, matching the RAM and storage of the Neo's $699 configuration. Its 14-inch 1200p display won't be as sharp as the Neo's, but it will have a smoother 120Hz refresh rate.
It's rated at up to 19 hours of battery life, which would make it longer-lasting than the Neo. Acer said it charges fast, hitting 50 percent battery after 30 minutes plugged in.
The rest of the Swift Air 14's spec sheet includes a 1080p webcam with a physical privacy shutter, quad speakers with DTS X:Ultra 3D spatial audio, and older wireless tech (WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3). It has two USB-C ports on the left side of its base, plus a USB-A port and headphone jack on the right.
The Swift will be available in North America starting this August. As far as I can tell, it's the first Wildcat Lake laptop announced for U.S. buyers. A couple other models debuted in China earlier this month.
Topics Windows
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
