Getting started with the Acer Swift Air 14: the only MacBook Neo killer that understood the instructions

This is one of the major trends of Computex 2026: each brand must have its answer to Apple's MacBook Neo.

If you're averse to the Apple brand, you're probably tired of seeing journalists compare each new product to those of Apple, but it's at times like this that we understand why these comparisons are made.

With its 699 euro MacBook, Apple has seriously endangered the business of PC brands. It is in this segment that they can start to make their margins. However at this price, and with the current prices of RAM and storage, manufacturers must redouble their imagination to find an interesting proposition.

Dell has its new XPS 13, Asus its Zenbook 14 and at Acer, we are presented with the Swift Air 14.

Acer and the price card

If we came away rather seduced by the proposals from Asus and Dell, we must admit that we were also frustrated. The products seem very good, but also too expensive. Dell is 100 euros above Apple, with a price reserved for students, and Asus promises to be under 1000 euros without venturing to disclose a starting price for its range. Whatever happens, we understand that the Zenbook 14 in the Intel version, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB will be more expensive than the Qualcomm and AMD versions.

At Acer, things are said: 799 euros general public price with a release in September and an Intel Core series 3 processor, the latest generation under Wildcat Lake architecture.

Above all, Acer aligns perfectly with Apple's proposal, since the Swift Air 14 integrates 512 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM. This is what the MacBook Neo offers at 799 euros.

However, it is the price criterion that seems crucial to us here. If you add 100 or 200 euros to the bill, you change category and target audience. Investing 700 or 800 euros in a PC is already not within everyone's reach.

The concessions

We were able to take the Acer Swift Air 14 in hand at Computex 2026. Let's say it straight away, it throws less than the PCs from Dell and Asus. It’s certain, the aluminum chosen for the chassis feels less qualitative under the fingers than Asus’ “Ceraluminum”.

But if the contract is “here are the concessions that we must make to achieve a lower price”, then this seems to us to be an easy concession to accept. Especially since if by comparison, we may give the impression of criticizing the design of the Swift Air, in absolute terms, it has all the appearance of a light but robust ultraportable. Acer announces 1.25 kg for only 12.9 mm thickness.

The panel is undoubtedly another concession, no Oled or very high definition here. Acer installs a 14-inch LCD IPS panel of 1920 x 1200 pixels with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. It's better than the MacBook Neo, but we're a little afraid of colorimetry when Acer only announces covering 100% of sRGB, the strict minimum in 2026.

In terms of connectivity, we are entitled to Wi-Fi 6E when others announce Wi-Fi 7, two USB-C ports, a 3.5 mm jack port and a USB-A port.

The camera above the screen offers an infrared sensor in addition to the Full HD sensor, allowing facial recognition Windows Hello. Enough to compete with Touch ID.

The choice of reason?

It's difficult to really fault this Acer Swift Air 14, even if it appealed to us less than its comrades from Asus and Dell. The crush isn't there, but is that a problem?

The Acer Swift Air 14 and its announced price of 799 euros appears to be the reasonable and reasoned proposition for this Computex 2026. And in this period of limited purchasing power, it is perhaps the time to make the choice of reason.