MacBook Beaters: Mashable's Top Windows Laptops That Outpace Apple in 2026
Mashable tested eight Windows laptops as rivals to the MacBook Air/Pro/Neo, naming the Asus Zenbook A14 as the best MacBook Air alternative, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 as the best Neo alternative, the Dell XPS 14 as the best MacBook Pro alternative, and the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 as a stylish option; other strong contenders include the Asus Zenbook A16, Acer Swift X 14, Asus ExpertBook Ultra, and even the iPad Air as a portable fallback. The piece highlights long battery life, strong multi-core performance, and premium OLED/120Hz displays, while noting ARM-based Zenbooks offer mobility with some software limitations. Picks were updated mid-2026 to reflect price and availability changes.
