This latest budget-friendly laptop costs less than the Neo and Dell’s XPS 13, but how does it stack up against these budget winners?
Dell was the first of the Windows laptop makers to respond to Apple’s MacBook Neo when it released the XPS 13, giving students and other budget buyers a fantastic Windows alternative to the low-cost Neo. And before other Neo competitors like the HP OmniBook 5 or Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe arrive, Dell has issued a second laptop, an updated Dell 14S that is squarely focused on wooing students eyeing the colorful and affordable Neo.
Before we get into the details, I need to clear up some potential confusion. This new Dell 14S may share the same name and look similar to the mainstream Dell 14S I reviewed last month, but it’s a different laptop altogether. It’s significantly cheaper and lighter than the previous Dell 14S and is based on a different Intel processor family that delivers lower performance.
The XPS 13 is still the best Windows approximation of the MacBook Neo, but the Dell 14S deserves consideration for its low starting price and an all-aluminum design that’s available in four fun Neo-like colors. It has two advantages over both the XPS 13 and MacBook Neo: It has the largest display and the lowest price of the three. As with any budget laptop, however, it’s not without its drawbacks.
The Dell 14S (model DS14270) is based on Intel Wildcat Lake processors, whereas the previous Dell 14S used higher-performance Panther Lake chips.
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