Apple’s MacBook Neo has quickly become the laptop that inexpensive Windows machines have to answer. Acer’s latest Go Air has apparently decided that the best response is to start ticking off some of the hardware Apple left behind.
Acer has launched a new Go Air configuration in China powered by Intel’s recently released Core 5 320 processor. It comes with 12GB of LPDDR5 memory and a 512GB SSD for CNY 5,499, which converts to roughly $815. Global availability for this specific configuration hasn’t been announced, though it appears to be practically identical to the Acer Swift 14 that was showcased during Computex 2026.
While this puts it above MacBook Neo’s starting price, the base model of Apple’s cheapest laptop offers half the storage capacity. The 512GB variant is listed for $799, which makes the two quite comparable.
Everything the Acer Go Air does better?
The Go Air uses a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and DC dimming. Apple’s MacBook Neo has a smaller 13-inch IPS panel running at a sharper 2408 x 1506 resolution, with Apple rating it at 500 nits of brightness. Apple therefore wins on pixel density and resolution, while Acer gives scrolling, animation, and compatible games twice the maximum refresh rate.
This is a particularly conspicuous advantage on a relatively inexpensive productivity laptop. The company gives the Go Air two Thunderbolt 4 ports and one USB-A connection. Meanwhile, the MacBook Neo also has two USB-C ports, with only one supporting USB 3 at up to 10Gbps and DisplayPort. The second is limited to USB 2 speeds of 480Mbps. Apple officially supports one external display at up to 4K and 60Hz.
The MacBook Neo fight gets more interesting at 512GB
Apple currently charges $699 for the MacBook Neo with 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage. Moving to 512GB raises the price to $799, while memory remains at 8GB. The Chinese Go Air configuration includes 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage at its roughly $815 converted price. Again, taxes, regional pricing, and currency conversion prevent that $16 difference from being a true apples-to-apples retail comparison. On the spec sheet, the Go Air is using extra memory, faster connectivity, and that 120Hz screen to make its case.
It is also surprisingly portable. Acer lists the Go Air at 1.19kg, or about 2.62 pounds, and 12.99mm thick. The MacBook Neo comes in at 2.7 pounds and 12.7mm, leaving very little between them in a backpack. Acer squeezes a 70Wh battery into its chassis and claims up to 19 hours of runtime, alongside 100W USB-C charging that can reach 50% in 30 minutes. Apple uses a much smaller 36.5Wh battery and rates the Neo for up to 16 hours of video streaming or 11 hours of wireless web use. Those manufacturer figures use different testing methods, so they shouldn’t be treated as a direct battery-life victory for either machine without proper testing.
Intel’s Core 5 320 itself is a six-core Wildcat Lake chip built on Intel 18A, with two performance cores, four low-power efficiency cores, a 4.6GHz maximum turbo frequency, integrated graphics, and a 16-TOPS NPU. This processor isn’t the best Intel has to offer, but just like the Neo’s A18 Pro, it is focused towards everyday use rather than intense productivity.
