💻 Dell has announced the 14S, a new budget-friendly laptop
🎨 It comes in a variety of colors and looks a lot like the MacBook Neo
⚙️ Dell has equipped it with an aluminum design, 21 hours of battery life, and a 120Hz screen
💰 There’s no pricing yet, but we expect it to be similar to what the Neo costs
📆 Dell says the 14S will go on sale this fall
Dell has announced the new Dell 14S laptop at IFA 2026. It’s a budget-friendly model designed for students and young adults that toes the line between performance, design, and cost. It’s also directly aimed at Apple’s MacBook Neo, in hopes of attracting buyers with its flashy looks and (presumably) low price.
The Dell 14S is made from aluminum and weighs 2.5 pounds. It has a 14-inch screen that comes with either a Full HD+ LCD or a sharper 2.8K panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. (If there were ever an upgrade that was calling my name, it’s the upgrade to 120Hz.) The laptop also ships in four different finishes that give it a MacBook Neo vibe: Linen, Dusty Rose, Washed Denim, and Velvet Green.
It’s powered by your choice of an Intel Core 5 320 processor or a Core 7 350. While basic, these chips should be enough to deliver good performance for basic computing. You get 8GB of RAM and 256GB by default, but you can choose higher configurations for each as well.
Dell says the 14S can last up to 21 hours on a full charge when watching Netflix, which doesn’t exactly sound like the same as a full day of school work or anything else productive. However, the company seems confident the laptop can last a while on a charge, so we’ll be curious to see how long it’ll hold up before needing to be plugged in again. The Neo can last up to 16 hours when streaming video, for context.
There’s also a 1080p webcam that supports Windows Hello, two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, and a headphone jack. It’s powered by Windows 11 and works with Copilot and all that jazz, plus there’s Wi-Fi 6E.
Altogether, the Dell 14S seems like a compelling little package. While no pricing was shared today, Dell did confirm to reporters it’ll cost somewhere around $700, or at least cost a bit less than the recent XPS 13 resurrection. The laptop is set to go on sale later this fall.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.