Head-to-head · Best Budget Laptops Under $700

Acer Aspire 14 AI vs Apple MacBook Neo

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Apple MacBook Neo comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.4 vs 3.7). Apple MacBook Neo is best for: Buyers who want a light, well-built laptop for web, documents and video, and who are comfortable with macOS, 8GB of memory and two USB-C ports. Read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #4 in Best Budget Laptops Under $700

Acer Aspire 14 AI

3.7

2 sources$656as of Oct 10

The Aspire 14 AI is Acer's lower-cost Copilot+ laptop, sold here with an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V, 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD. PCMag and PCWorld each rated it 3.5 out of 5, and each recorded about 17 hours in its battery test. Both faulted the display, which PCWorld measured at 327.6 nits and 64 percent of the sRGB color space. PCWorld's verdict calls it "a capable, utilitarian laptop that shouldn't disappoint those who need a productivity machine." Both outlets tested a 1TB touchscreen configuration; the linked listing is the 512GB model, which Amazon lists without a touchscreen.

Strengths

— 17 hours 14 minutes in PCMag's battery test and just over 17 hours in PCWorld's 4K video test
— Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI and a headset jack
— 16GB of memory with an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor

Watch-outs

— Display covers just 64 percent of sRGB (PCWorld) and 45% of Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 (PCMag)
— Backlit keyboard is hard to read, per PCMag
— Basic looks and feel, per PCWorld

$656 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Budget Laptops Under $700

Apple MacBook Neo

4.4

4 sources$699as of Oct 11

The MacBook Neo is Apple's 13-inch budget laptop, built around the A18 Pro chip with 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. PCMag rated it 4.5 out of 5 and wrote that it "rewrites the budget laptop playbook" with a higher-end build, a more advanced screen and longer battery life than many laptops in its price range. Tom's Guide, also 4.5 out of 5, measured 13 hours 28 minutes of web surfing, and PCWorld, 4 out of 5, measured 13 hours 15 minutes of looped video. The compromises are in the details: one of the two USB-C ports is USB 2, the keyboard is not backlit, and Touch ID costs extra. PCWorld lists the price as $699, up from $599 at launch.

Strengths

— Aluminum build that PCMag calls premium and rigid
— 13-inch 2408 x 1506 display; Tom's Guide measured 480 nits and 110% of sRGB
— 13 hours 28 minutes in Tom's Guide's web-surfing battery test and 13 hours 15 minutes in PCWorld's video loop

Watch-outs

— One of the two USB-C ports is limited to USB 2 (PCMag, PCWorld)
— No keyboard backlighting (PCMag, Tom's Guide)
— Touch ID costs $100 extra, per CNET

$699 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Acer Aspire 14 AI

PCMag's and PCWorld's 17-hour battery results put it ahead of the roughly 13 hours PCWorld measured on the Apple MacBook Neo, and behind the 25-plus hours PCWorld measured on the HP OmniBook 5 14. Its IPS panel covered 64 percent of sRGB in PCWorld's testing, against an OLED panel on the OmniBook 5 14. It carries 16GB of memory, double the 8GB in the MacBook Neo and the Acer Aspire 5.

Apple MacBook Neo

It is the only macOS laptop on this page. Its roughly 13-hour battery results from PCWorld and Tom's Guide sit below the 17 hours PCMag and PCWorld recorded for the Acer Aspire 14 AI and the 25-plus hours PCWorld measured on the HP OmniBook 5 14. It has two USB-C ports where the Aspire 14 AI adds USB-A and HDMI, and 8GB of memory against the 16GB in the Aspire 14 AI and the OmniBook 5 14.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Acer Aspire 14 AI	Apple MacBook Neo
Model	A14-52M-51S1	—
Processor	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V	Apple A18 Pro
Graphics	Intel Arc 130V	—
Memory	16GB LPDDR5X	8GB
Storage	512GB SSD	256GB SSD
Display	14-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS	13-inch Liquid Retina, 2408 x 1506, 500 nits
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm combo audio	1x USB-C (USB 3), 1x USB-C (USB 2), 3.5mm audio
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6
Webcam	1080p with Windows Hello facial recognition	1080p FaceTime camera
Weight	3.07 pounds	2.7 pounds
OS	Windows 11 Home	macOS
Dimensions	—	0.50 x 11.71 x 8.12 inches
Charger	—	20W USB-C

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