Dell announced the 14S laptop at IFA 2026, targeting students with colorful designs, decent specs, and a starting price close to the XPS 13's $700.
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<img alt="A person using a Dell 14S while prone on a bedroom floor." data-caption="That’s a bold color, especially for a Dell. | Image: Dell" data-portal-copyright="Image: Dell" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Dell-14S_Velvet-Green_Lifestyle.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" />
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That’s a bold color, especially for a Dell. | Image: Dell </figcaption>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Dell's new Dell 14S laptop sounds a lot like a MacBook Neo: it comes in four colors, is aimed at students, and it starts with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Announced at IFA 2026, the 14S is meant to sit below the recently launched <a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/940498/dell-xps-13-student-laptop-intel-wildcat-panther-lake-computex-price">XPS 13</a> and offer another affordable laptop option as most other models continue to climb in price. The 14S will come in linen (beige), dusty rose (pink), washed denim (blue), and velvet green (yep, that's green). That's much more colorful than the XPS 13, and like its fancier brethren, the 14S can be configured with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB or 1TB SSD.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Dell 14S isn't as thin or as light as the XPS 13, but in …</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/987839/dell-14s-student-laptop-ifa-2026-price-specs">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
# Dell’s newest laptop sounds a lot like a MacBook Neo
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/987839/dell-14s-student-laptop-ifa-2026-price-specs](https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/987839/dell-14s-student-laptop-ifa-2026-price-specs)
[](https://www.theverge.com/authors/antonio-g-di-benedetto)
Antonio G\. Di Benedetto
is a reviewer covering laptops and the occasional gadget\. He spent over 15 years in the photography industry before joining The Verge as a deals writer in 2021\.
Dell’s new Dell 14S laptop sounds a lot like a MacBook Neo: it comes in four colors, is aimed at students, and it starts with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage\. Announced at IFA 2026, the 14S is meant to sit below the recently launched[XPS 13](https://www.theverge.com/tech/940498/dell-xps-13-student-laptop-intel-wildcat-panther-lake-computex-price)and offer another affordable laptop option as most other models continue to climb in price\. The 14S will come in linen \(beige\), dusty rose \(pink\), washed denim \(blue\), and velvet green \(yep, that’s green\)\. That’s much more colorful than the XPS 13, and like its fancier brethren, the 14S can be configured with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB or 1TB SSD\.
The Dell 14S isn’t as thin or as light as the XPS 13, but in addition to the same two USB\-C 3\.2 Gen 2 ports with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, it also has HDMI 1\.4 and a 3\.5mm audio jack\. \(Why the XPS 13 lacks a headphone jack, I’ll never understand\)\. But the 14S has much more basic, non\-touch display options: a 300\-nit 1920 x 1200 / 60Hz LCD or a 450\-nit 2880 x 1800 / 120Hz one\.
**1/5**
*Those are some decent colors all around\.*Image: Dell
There are some other niceties for students on the 14S, including a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello face unlock support, and battery life that Dell claims can last for up to 23 hours of Netflix streaming\. For chip offerings, it’ll be either the Intel Core 5 320 or Core 7 350 — the 14S won’t scale up to Intel Panther Lake options like the XPS 13 is soon expected to\.
We don’t know how much any of this will cost just yet, as pricing is TBD for now, but in a virtual briefing Dell reps said the 14S will be close to the XPS 13’s $700 starting price yet slightly more accessible\. We’ll know actual prices closer to its release later this fall\. I’m currently testing and reviewing the XPS 13, and I’ve been very impressed with the hardware \(except for the missing headphone jack\)\. I’m all for seeing more good, affordable laptops out there — hopefully the 14S makes the right compromises to get the price down\.
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- Antonio G\. Di Benedetto
The Dell XPS 13 is reviewed as a strong competitor to Apple's MacBook Neo, offering impressive build quality and performance in a thin-and-light design at a $700 starting price, but with drawbacks like an 8GB RAM base model and no headphone jack.
The article compares the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Neo, finding that the Dell XPS 13 offers better screen features, portability, and value at a similar price point, making it a strong competitor to Apple's budget laptop.
A detailed review of the Dell XPS 13 2026, highlighting its strong build quality, touchscreen, ports, and value versus the MacBook Neo, while noting compromises like the lower-powered Intel chip and missing headphone jack.
Lenovo has unveiled the IdeaPad Vibe, a new productivity laptop available in 14- and 15-inch sizes with seven color options, designed to rival Apple's MacBook Neo. It features AMD and Qualcomm chip options, along with customizable keycaps and improved specifications.
Acer announces new Swift Air 14, Aspire 18 AI, and Nitro 16 laptops at Computex, targeting budget competition with the MacBook Neo, featuring Intel chips and varying specs.