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I tested the top MacBook alternatives: See which Windows PCs actually beat Apple 50%
8/2/2026, 2:30:00 AM
Topics: Comparisons, Buying Guides
Keywords: Macbook Alternatives, Windows Laptops, Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514, Hp Omnibook 3 16, Asus Zenbook A14, Dell Xps 14, Acer Swift X 14, Asus Expertbook Ultra, Hp Omnibook Ultra 14, Asus Proart Gopro Edition, Acer Swift Edge 14 AI, Dell Xps 13, Acer Swift Air 14, Framework Laptop 13 Pro, Snapdragon X Chip, Arm Based Laptops
BS Summary: This article contains 26 faulty reasoning types, including Recency Bias, Overconfidence Bias, and Negativity Bias, with Confirmation Bias as the most egregious example at 14.8% saturation with 119 hits. Analysis detected 1,335 faulty-reasoning hits from 802 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 44.2% and a BS Rank of 50% (13,401 of 26,614 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 50.40% of the article peer group.
Which Windows laptops can beat Apple?
We've added over 80 laptops to our testing database in the last two years, and a number of them can beat Apple in different ways.
The HP OmniBook 3 16 with the Snapdragon X chip has a bonkers 40-hour battery life, far outpacing MacBooks.
In the budget category, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 likewise beats the MacBook Neo in battery life.
And in terms of performance, while the MacBook Air (M5) and MacBook Pro (M5) have impressive single-core scores on Geekbench 6, Windows Ultrabooks like the Asus Zenbook A14 beat both devices in multi-core performance.
The best MacBooks to buy in 2026: Air, Pro, or Neo?
What I look for in the best MacBook alternatives
IMO, a Windows laptop or Chromebook is doing a good MacBook impression if it has above-average performance, long battery life, and a sleek, polished design.
Basically, it's a very good Windows laptop or a top-tier Chromebook.
I'll add some extra qualifiers depending on the exact Mac model:
MacBook Air alternatives should be super lightweight and portable
MacBook Neo alternatives should cost well under $1,000
MacBook Pro alternatives should have a crisp, rich 120Hz display and enough power for intensive tasks like video editing
As of July 2026, I've found seven worthy alternatives from Asus, Acer, Dell, and HP, all of them rigorously tested.
I believe these PCs are the top MacBook alternatives for buyers in 2026.
I've also lined up a fallback option for those who want to stay within the Apple ecosystem.
I made several adjustments to this guide in July 2026 based on my latest round of testing, and after checking our current picks for price and availability changes.
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is now the best MacBook Neo alternative, replacing the sold-out Acer Aspire 16 AI.
That said, I'll be testing a couple new budget laptops in the near future that could be even better options (see below).
The Dell XPS 14 is now the best MacBook Pro alternative.
It's still a splurge compared to the MacBook Pro, but now a little less so after Apple's price changes .
The Acer Swift X 14 is now the best MacBook Pro alternative for users who need a laptop with discrete graphics.
I added the Asus ExpertBook Ultra as a new top pick.
I had some build quality concerns with the pre-production unit I originally tested, but Asus remedied them in mass production.
(I tried a second updated unit to verify this.)
I added the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 as another new top pick.
I can only recommend the Snapdragon X2 Elite configuration because it's the only model I've tested, but I plan on trying an Intel Panther Lake variant down the road.
Other contenders to consider
Not giving the ProArt GoPro Edition a 120Hz display was an odd choice on Asus' part.
The special-edition Asus ProArt GoPro Edition bundles MacBook Pro-rivaling multi-core performance and 128GB of RAM in a rugged convertible design.
It's expensive at $2,999.99, but fairly priced for how much memory it has.
(An identically configured MacBook Pro costs $6,139.)
Still, I can't recommend it as a MacBook Pro alternative because it has a blurrier 60Hz display.
That feels like a glaring omission on a premium creator laptop.
The Acer Swift Edge 14 AI is a shockingly thin-and-light ultraportable with a 2.8K OLED touchscreen.
It only costs $1,499.99 with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
It would make a very good MacBook Air alternative if it wasn't such a mediocre performer: It's 48 percent slower than the latest MacBook Air in single-core scenarios and 33 percent slower in multi-core tasks.
It's a closer rival to the M2 MacBook Air from 2022 when it comes to processing power.
I would only pick it over the Zenbook A14 if you can't use an ARM-based laptop (see below).
I haven't tested them yet, but the new Dell XPS 13 and Acer Swift Air 14 look like very promising MacBook Neo alternatives, and the Framework Laptop 13 Pro seems like a neat repairable MacBook Pro alternative.
I'll update this story once I or one of my colleagues try them.
A note about ARM-based Windows laptops
The Asus Zenbook A14, Zenbook A16, and HP OmniBook Ultra 14 run on Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 series chips.
These are ARM-based chips, which are built differently than traditional x86-based Intel and AMD chips.
As such, they're not compatible with as many video games and certain specialty software.
This isn't an issue for most users, but if you do a lot of PC gaming or you're a college student , you should avoid them.
You can read more about this in my dedicated guide to the best Windows laptops .
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