The Dell 14s could be the MacBook Neo alternative you've been waiting for

In the market for a laptop? Dell’s got a colorful new model that might be worth a look. At IFA this morning, Dell took the wraps off the 14s, a thin, trendy unit that looks like it might appeal to the MacBook Neo crowd.

Dell is pitching its new 14s as an affordable option for students, though the company hasn’t yet confirmed pricing. The Windows 11 laptop comes in four colors and features a 14-inch, 16:10 display packed into a body that’s just over half an inch thick and weighs under three pounds.

Cheap(?) and cheerful

The 14-inch screen comes in either 60Hz, 1200p or 120Hz, 1800p configurations. Inside, the 14s is powered by either a Panther Lake Intel Core 5 Series 3 or Core 7 Series 3 processor paired with 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM. Storage options range from 256GB to a whole terabyte.

It’s got a 61.2 watt-hour battery that Dell says can eke out up to 21 consecutive hours of video streaming, though we don’t know how that translates to other workloads.

The laptop comes in four colorways: Linen, Dusty Rose, Washed Denim, and Velvet Green. The chassis is made of aluminum, which Dell says is unusual for laptops in the 14s’s price range — apparently most similarly priced units are made of plastic.

It comes with two USB-C ports (either of which can be used for charging), a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, and a full-size HDMI port. There’s no USB-A to be found, though, unfortunately.

We don’t yet know exactly when the Dell 14s will be available or, despite Dell’s affordability messaging, exactly how much it’ll cost. For reference, the similarly positioned MacBook Neo starts at $699 following a price hike earlier this summer.

Also: New gaming monitors

Dell-owned Alienware has also announced a couple of new OLED gaming monitors: a 32-inch 4K model and a 25-inch display with a refresh rate that goes all the way up to a returns-diminishing 560Hz.

The 32-inch AW3226Q offers peak brightness of up to 1,000 nits, with Dolby Vision HDR support and refresh rates up to 165Hz. It’ll cost $699.99 when it goes on sale this fall.

The 25-inch AW2527HX caps out at 1080p, but its 560Hz refresh rate and 1,500-nit peak brightness will be the real selling points when it goes on sale in early 2027. It’s also got a built-in, retractable hook to hang your headphones on around back, which is a neat touch I’m immediately envious of. Pricing for this one will be announced closer to launch.